Ellie Greenwood, Trail Running Tales

The Loppet & the Lynx

2012-01-23T16:02:00.000-08:00

I did it! I made it all the way from the frozen shores of Lake Louise to the frozen river of the Bow River in Banff on skinny french fry skis. All 71km of snowy beautifulness of track set cross country ski trails with some more choppy and rough stuff too. It might have been net downhill but there were a few uphills to get me seriouslyworking and I am just delighted to have made the cut offs and made the journey along the trails in beautiful Banff National Park.

I signed up for the Lake Louise to Banff loppet a little over a month ago and until then I had not had cross country skis on for about 5 or 6 years. But in the past month I got out skiing five times and tried to work on my technique a little, become more comfortable on skis and prepare some much underused muscles for the challenge. I was definitely not racing it but loved the concept of this point to point event.

Dipping to the Finish Line on the Bow River!

It certainly gave me a new appreciation of runners who are at the back of the pack and are often chasing cut off times. I got into the first aid station at 22km in 2hrs even, 30mins ahead of the cut off so this was looking good but I knew I wouldn't be able to dilly-dally too much, so decided that I would not stop at all apart from at the aid stations for a brief few minutes. My only mild panic was when a fellow skier asked if she thought we would make the cut offs. This was at about 25km to go and I was now worried - I thought we were on for about 7 to 7h30m finish and knew the cut offs would allow for an 8+hr finish but what if we didn't make it? This also coincided with a decent climb and hair raising descent so I pushed hard for a good 45mins until I came into the next aid station. 'How much further to the cut off' I yelped. 'Do you think I will make it in time?' The volunteer looked at me a little bemused, 'You're at the cut off. You've got 50 minutes to spare'. I was so delighted! I was having such a fun day and by this point knew I was going to make it to Banff so the last thing I wanted was to be pulled from the race not for not being able to do it but for being too slow. From there on Shona and I skied much of the final kms together which was awesome to make sure I kept my pace up and also to just have company along the trail.

Earlier on in the day I had ended up on my own much of the time. To be honest, this was fine by me. The aid stations were often enough to offer up a little conversation and encouragement and I found that if a got skiing with someone then either I would be getting caught up behind them and slowed or I would feel pressure if they were behind me. So it was at one of these solo times that I was nicely skiing along by the train tracks. It was about 11am and beautifully sunny on the fresh snow. I spotted a skier up ahead who was stopped to pull something out of his pack, and then as I looked on ahead I saw a good sized cat come out of the forest on one side of the trail. I stopped dead and just watched as this sleek lynx ambled over the ski trail about 30m ahead of me and about 20m behind the guy who was still pulling thing out of his pack oblivious to the cat behind him! But the lynx was pretty chilled too, no doubt aware of both myself and the other skier but totally unconcerned as he stepped over the trail, through the snow, over the train tracks and into the forest on the other side. It is one of those times on the trail that I will never forget, whether on skis or in running shoes part of the attraction has got to be witnessing nature and our awesome environment, and it was certainly one of those moments when I am clearly reminded that I am in living in the little bit of paradise that is the Canadian Rockies.

Skiers (inc 1st place Liza!) and Brenda - volunteer-extraordinaire!

7h36m for 71km (yes, I could have run it faster, but that's not the point)

Thanks to all the volunteers who hung around for my 2nd to last place finish (and my friends too - even if they'd had time to go eat first!)

Happy trails and happy exploring

Steamboat. 100 miles for $100,000?

2012-01-21T10:56:00.000-08:00

There has been lots of talk abotu the good, the bad and the ugly of prize money in ultras. Some are totally against it, some think it's the best thing ever that could truly make our sport professional. Ok, the new Steamboat 100miler (based around existing Run Rabiit Run 50) on Sept 14th in Steamboat Soprings, CO hasn't quite got $100, 000 in prize money yet but that is the vision of the race organisers and their well on their way.

So if you like to watch the best of the best duke it out for a whole bunch of $$$ then it looks like Steamboat will be the place to be, and even better - go run it yourself and be part fo the action!

More details on a recent article at http://www.steamboattoday.com/news/2012/jan/19/ultramarathon-event-steamboat-gets-massive-extensi/

Happy (and profitable) trails to everyone xx

Ultra Runner of the Year :)

2012-01-12T12:52:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a privelege to be announced this week at Female North American Ultra Runner of the Year by Ultrarunning Magazine (click here). To see my name listed along sides the likes of Ann Trason, Kami Semick and Nicki Kimball - all ladies who have inspired me since I took up ultra running - really is quite something.

Ultrarunnerpodcast interviewed me and you can listen to the podcast with myself and male UROY winner, Dave Mackey, just click here.

Now, I think 2011 really is over, so let's all look forward to 2012!

Happy trails
Ellie

2012 - A Year in Running Photos

2012-01-04T15:47:00.000-08:00

Well I always believe that it is better to look forward to the future rather than looking back to the past too much but everyone one else in the running blogging world seems to be reviewing their year so I figured I would too.

It's been a year of some amazing experiences and dreams come true. Lots of Montrails worn, Clif shots consumed, Drymax socks changed, and calves compressed by CEP (oh, should I give a shout out to my awesome sponsors that also include Sundog Eyewear, Udos Oil and Dion Snowshoes?!)

So click here to view my 2012 running album because I always believe that a picture can paint a thousand words.

Happy trails, and now onto 2012 and yet more running goals.

Endurance addict embraces the snow!

2011-12-18T15:06:00.001-08:00

View from my apartment today's winter wonderland that is Banff.

Skiing Cascade Fireroad

Being a runner in Banff has it's benefits for sure - living at 1400m sure is awesome altitude training, and the network of stunningly beautiful trails in my backyard ain't half bad either. But I spend a good portion of my year hauling myself out of the door in the cold and snow and just dreaming of green trails and temperatures above zero. Yep, I like to ski - but in my heart of hearts I'm a runner who just wants to run on snow and ice free roads and trails.

I love snow (on skis or snowshoes, but not so much in running shoes)!

But I'm trying to make the most of the weather and I today I made it out cross country skiing with 2 friends, probably the first time I've cross country skied in a good few years. My technique is bad but it was so much fun just to enjoy the snow as it was coming down all day and was truly a winter wonderland. That said, of course my outing also had a slightly ulterior 'training' motive. Being an endurance addict I ignored all better judgement and signed up for a cross country ski loppet this past week. Race day is nicely soon enough - Jan 22nd - time to get some skis on and practice a bit, yet not too far away that I'll have time to get overly concerned with the details, and done before I need to really start being concerned too much about long runs (important given I now work a 48hrs/ 6 day work week, so have one day a week to get long runs in).

Oh, did I mention that the loppet is from Lake Louise to Banff. It's only 72km :) It'll be an experience to say the least I'm sure. Bring on the snow!

TNF 50 mile Endurance Challenge San Francisco

2011-12-08T06:43:00.000-08:00

Find my race report of my final race (promise!) of the year by clicking here.

And a big shout out to Bryon & Megan of iRunfar.co

m for their awesome coverage of the race as it unfolded on twitter as well as the great post-race analysis.

Happy trails x

Into the Runner's Mind

2011-11-26T11:07:00.000-08:00

My running buddy in Vancouver, BC Johnnee, has recently started up a podcast - Into the Runners Mind. Being as Johnnee and I are good buddies it is not the shortest of interviews (well, we don't get to catch up often!). Check it out at:

http://bcjohnny.podbean.com/

Martin Parnell's Marathon Quest Anniversary Run - Dec 31st, Cochrane, AB

2011-11-23T19:44:00.000-08:00

You think you run a lot? Well did you run 250 marathons last year? Martin Parnell, a wholly unassuming Brit living in Cochrane, Alberta did in 2010, and all to raise funds for Right to Play. I had the pleasure of meeting Martin at Comrades this year andhave seen him a few times since and the more I have chatted to Martin I am amazed about his dedication to raise money for Right to Play through setting up amazing challenges without the aim of self-promoting whatsoever. He just appears to love to run and loves to inspire kids to be active.

Martin will be celebrating the one year anniversary of the completion of h

is Marathon Quest (250 marathons in one year) by....you guessed it, running a marathon! Everyone is welcome to come join Martin to run anywhere from

2.5km to the full 42.2 in Cochrane on Dec 31st. Personally I can't think of a better way to end the year :)

2012 Race Schedule...so far...

2011-11-13T09:25:00.000-08:00

With needing to book vacation time off work and with ultras now typically selling out months in advance it always comes to this time of year and I start sitting down planning what races I might do next year. Of course, it is hard to plan so far ahead sometimes but in a sense sitting down and thinking about what I want out of my running year, what goals I would like to achieve and what courses I would like to experience and challenge myself against is a good thing to do for any runner.

The list I have come up with for 2012, now it is down on paper, looks pretty ambitious to me! If I do actually realize all these races then it will be an action packed and demanding 12 months for sure. Maybe I am trying to bite off more than I can chew, but on the other hand, if my body and mind are able to do all of this, it would be a dream. I have tried to choose races that complement one another, races that are a mix of old favourites with less pressure and more about sharing good trail times with friends, to big goals that I have no idea how they will pan out and even if I can achieve them. There are quite a few races which are repetitions from this year, which may seem odd but to be honest, any racer learns a lot from the first time completing a course and so some I would like to go back to with my new found knowledge and see if I can improve.

So, with no further a do, my 'plans' (race entries, body and mind permitting) are:

March 17th - Chuckanut 50km, Bellingham, WA, USA

April 7th - American River 50 miler, Scaramento, CA, USA

April 22nd - London Marathon, UK.

June 3rd - Comrades 89km (downhill), Pietermaritzberg to Durban, South Africa

June 23rd - Western States 100 miler, Squaw Valley to Auburn, CA, USA

August 31st - UTMB, Chamonix, France

September 29th - UROC (Ultra Race of Champions) 100km, Virginia, USA

... I also have 2 or 3 other races September onwards that I am eyeing up and have pencilled in, but will wait and see a little on those.

Oh, and as for Chile being my last race of this year.... all I can say is that I have zero will power, that Chile reinvigorated me to hit the trails and have pure and simple fun, so I look forward to lacing up my Montrails and seeing how I do in the Marin Headlands in 2 weeks time.

Happy trails x

Monday 28th November - Ultimate Fit Centre in Canmore - Winter Training Tips

2011-11-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

On Monday 28th November I'll be speaking at Ultimate Fit Centre in Canmore about Winter Training. Come along for some useful tips and advice on how to brave the dark, snowy and cold winter months yet keep your training progressing. The evening runs from 6.30pm to 8.30pm with my talk, Q&A session and then a chance for some shopping!!

Hope to see some of you there, and if you know for sure you are coming, please comment on this post so we can plan for numbers!

Ultramaraton de los Andes, Chile - ESPECTAULAR!

2011-10-16T16:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterdays 'Ultramaraton de los Andes' 50 miler in Santiago, Chile has to be one of my most fun races of the year, which is really saying quite a lot given how much fun I have had this year. But with this being my prize from winning the Canadian Death Race in 2010, it being a real destination race and one to wrap up the racing year with, there was a lot less pressure than at most other races. It was great to be in Santiago with quite a few of the North American North Face athletes (TNF are the race organizers/ sponsors) but really with most of the field being Chilean or some other South American nationality there was not the usual expectation of who might win, who might beat who etc.

North Face did a great job of adopting me as the lone Montrail/ Mountain Hardwear athlete for the weekend so there were fun times even before the race with team meals, a group run with the local TNF store runners and they even picked me up from the swish W hotel at 3am to take me to the race start, just a 20-min drive from central Santiago.

Having spent most of the summer training for World 100km and then having followed that up with Run for the Toad (trails, but flat trails) I knew that I was unprepared for the over 4100m of climbing (plus same of descent) that this race would encompass, but hey ho - I'd done a few Sulphur hikes, a scramble up Rundle and a slow slog up Edith/ Cory pass in Banff in the few weeks prior to at least warn my quads that they were in for a beating.

With the race starting at 4am we had a good 2.5hrs in darkness. Just like at Western States I used both a headlamp and a handheld flashlight and was glad to have both. It's always amazing how dark it is out on the trails even with fellow runners all with flashlights around. We had about 5km of flattish trail to start and then the first of the major climbs started with avengance. It was hands on the quads, try to look up, and keep on going. I was in a small group of men and knew I was lead female but was just focusing on the climb. It as actually over pretty soon, we crested the top and began a steep 'a la Canadian Death Race' descent. Sometimes it was definitely a case of just going for it and hoping you stayed upright on the shrubby grass and loose soil.

The maple leaf flag on my hydration pack (code - 'I'm Canadian - please speak to me in English if you can!') soon paid off as I struck up a conversation with John Tidd, an Argentinian/ American runner (who ended up placing 2nd male). I was soon surprised that Ian Sharman joined in the conversation in the inky darkness of our descent, Ian had come into the race tired and was already resolving to make the smart decision to drop. He played along for a while though and ran with me, which was good to have some conversation and company.

However despite this early company by about 22km I somehow ended up totally on my own. It was cool for a while, I was soaking up the fact that I was running through the Andes in the darkness all on my own and could just about pick out the silhouetted mountains. I don't think I have ever focused on course flagging so much, the trail was not really much of a trail and often sent us randomly up or down scrubby grass slopes in a slightly haphazard fashion, it was certainly not a case of just follow a well marked trail. As Tim (Twitmeier) would say after, 'what was the deal with the cow pat field?!' and indeed, I saw a few cows (including one dead one!), a few stray dogs and I learned the lesson for not speaking the native tongue when some marshals called out to me something I didn't understand in Spanish, before I promptly ran into a muddy/ cow pat filled ditch. Awesome!

After some time of running alone I just hoped I was still going in the right direction. Yes - I was following the flagging but I also remembered that we would intersect with the 50km course and hoped that I somehow hadn't gone astray and onto that course. But no, I soon came across a course marshall sitting all alone seemingly randomly in the middle of a cow pat field. In the dark. Well, it seemed like a slightly odd marshalling point, but at least I was comforted that I was heading in the right direction. It was good also to have to get a little 'passport' clipped at 12 points along the course to ensure that no one cheated, but it also reassured me that I was always on course.

It was surprisingly chilly, I had taken off my gloves but as we descended a bit the moist air had got trapped in the troughs of the landscape and I popped my gloves back on and kept my jacket on til after 8am. There was even frost on the ground in sections. However as soon as the sun came up the temperatures began to climb along with the terrain and I began to ensure that I was taking on enough liquids and gels/ shot bloks/ salt. As well as the 'passport' check points there were aid stations en route which were well stocked and well manned and I soon fell into my routine conversation of 'Hola!' 'Gracias!' 'No hablo espanol!', which was either greeted with some helpful English and a smile, or some weird look of 'Who's this foreign woman running around like an idiot?' (there were definitely far more men in the race than women, and I would guess that a good chunk of the marshals were not runners, and certainly not ultra runners).

As the terrain climbed the views became more and more spectacular, the muddy cow patch section (which had resulted in feeling like you were running in platform shoes of mud at times) was long forgotten and it was a case of hike, hike, hike. As someone who tends to do more runnable courses I felt like I was moving so slowly (I was) even on some of the flatter sections (which were traverses of grassy hillsides with no real level trail as such). I was convinced that runners would be catching me but no one did and at that point in time I wouldn't have cared if they had. I was running in the Andes, I was looking down over the shiny skyscrapers of Santiago and across to the snow covered mountains on the horizon, there were cacti on the trail (note to self, do not use Andean foliage to hold onto - it will hurt). It was quite simply stunning.

It was around the 50km mark that I began to catch the slower of the 50km runners. Having been on my own really since I left Ian (about km 22) it was nice to see other people out enjoying their day on the trail. The aid stations also began to seem closer together (they had been quite far apart in the first half of the race) which was great as I was trying to drink from those and not have to waste time in refilling my Nathan pack (and just use it for sips between the stations).

By 60km I was definitely beginning to feel my legs a little but I thought the majority of the climbing was done and now I should have a relatively flat and untechnical (now we were getting onto the more urban trails of Santiago) 20km to get to the finish. Oh how wrong

I was! I hit a gravel road climb and up and up I went. Hmm, should have looked at that course profile map in more detail! Fortunately it was around this time that I happened upon Marcello from TNF Brazil. Despite not being able to communicate much we both realized that the other was tired and began to death march up the road together side by side, once in a while exchanging a few words or I would show him my garmin so he could see what km we were at. With the gravel road climb over I again I thought that maybe the climbs were over but I can honestly say that they never were until right at the finish. Up and down and round and about the trail would twist and turn as we occasionally crossed roads or went through urban parks with bemused Santiagians out walking there dogs and enjoying a leisurely Saturday. However at least in hitting this more urban section, we were buoyed along by crossing paths with some of the 10km and 21km runners, as well as aid stations getting even closer together (great as it was now turning into a sunny Santiago spring day).

With the course marshals having been efficient but relatively unenthusiastic most of the day it was a welcome change to see one who started shouting at my in crazy Spanish. I just about made out that I was first female (ok - I know that and I am trying to hang on, convinced that I must be getting caught at the slow pace I am going) and also that I was third overall. He was clearly excited by this and it gave me a little buzz to keep pushing for the final 5km or so. By this point my garmin had died so I couldn't check how close I was getting to the finish line, but it seemed a very long 20km from the 60km mark when my garmin had still been working. Ok I was tired, ok I had lost Marcello by this point (and had briefly caught a glimpse of John Tidd who powered ahead as soon as he saw me behind him!) but even so..... the kms seemed long (and indeed they possibly were as someones garmin read 85km at the end).

But soon I saw a '2km to go' sign and well under a km later I saw the '1km to go' sign - no complaints about those short markings! I pushed to the finish despite the legs feeling the climbing of the day in them, and crossed over the finish line in 9:42:18. Somehow (maybe I've not done as many ultras as I think) this is my 3rd longest (in time) race to date!

All in all a HUGE thank you to the awesome TNF race hosts who welcomed me to Chile and ensured I had a super stay and amazing race experience. And once again a big shout out to my favourite shoe company around, in yet another race my Montrail Fairhavens saw me from start to finish without a hint of pain or a blister.

For more info on the race click here.

Run for the Toad - Canadian 50km National Championships

2011-10-02T15:01:00.001-07:00

I can't think of any other race that I have competed at 4 times, other than Run for the Toad in Paris, Ontario. There are races that I would love to do every year but with new races popping up or just something getting in the way, sometimes I don't make it to all the start lines that I would like to. But somehow every year for the past 4 I have made the 3h30min flight to Ontario for Run for the Toad. With about 1100 entrants in the 25km and another 200 o

r so in the 50km, it is a huge trail race and the organisation is exceptional. Every year RDs Peggy & Goerge come up with some other improvement to what already seems like an excellent race. I mean have you ever been to a trail race with a kids entertainment tent? Or one wi

th table decorations in the marquee for the post race meal? Or how about one with a bagpipe parade before the race? This year there were even toad shaped chocolates being handed out!

Montrail/ Mountain Hardwear are one of the main sponsors of the event so it is always fun to come and hang out at the booth at the expo to chat with fellow runners and to see the latest shoe and clothing line up for spring. And there is some pretty sweet running gear coming out!

Race day was surprisingly cool to start with. At least it wasn't raining but it had clouded over and the wind was picking up as the 0930am start approached. I knew I would overheat but I couldn't resist starting off in my Geist jacket and gloves, knowing that I could ditch them at one of the aid stations or back at the start/ finish area (as the race consists of 4 x 12.5km loops). And yep, by about 3km I was warming up and pulled off the layers. I had settled into a nice little group with Andy and Daryl and was surprised to see that it took just over one loop for the first 25km runners to pass us (they started 10mins later than the 50km). Taylor Murphy set out well in the lead and another guy had also went out ahead so our little pack were positions 3 through 5.

I know not everyone likes the idea of a course with 4 loops but I find it a great way to split up the race as in addition to each km being marked you can mentally check off each loop as you go by. Plus there are so many other great things about the Toad that even if the course it pleasant rather than spectacular, I just can't help keep coming back year after year.

After my vomiting incident at World 100km I was making extra care to pay attention to how my stomach was feeling. With the Toad 'only' being 50km and a pretty fast course at that, I decided I'd prefer to be a little under hydrated rather than over hydrated with a sensitive stomach. So I took on Clif drink one sip at a time along with the occasional gel or shot blok. It was great to come past the start/ finish each time and have Bruce of Montrail hand me a fresh bottle rather than bother with cups at the aid stations.

Having not really tapered for the race, I have to say that my legs felt a little tired the whole race but I managed to hold a steady pace and it was great to stil

l be in the company of Andy on loop 3, even if he was looking decidedly fresher than I was feeling! I was on pace to maybe catch my course record from 2010 (3:37:33) and as I went into my 4th and final loop a volunteer gave me the extra push I needed by yelling at me that I still might catch my course record. Ok, 12.5km to go - I could dig deep for that long even on heavy legs and off I went, pulling ahead of Andy. It still didn't feel like I was running particularly fast (although the course was drier and in much better shape than muddy 2010!) but I was finally feeling a little more like I was in race mode.

With the final short steep hill done and only about 1.5km to go, I pushed hard and knew I would be cutting it fine to catch my record, so was motivated to stay ahead of Andy as much as anything else! 3:38:01 - 28 seconds slower than last year on what in theory should have been a faster course. But who's complaining - 1st female, 2nd overall and a great social running weekend. Big congrats to Taylor Murphy (3:25:57) and Laurie McGrath (4:28:17) - 2011 Canadian 50km Champions

Top: Kristin & Ryne, happy post race!

Below: With Glen Redpath - 4th overall, 3rd male, 2nd Canadian, 1st in age group!

For a neat video clip that gives you more of an idea of what a wonderful event Peggy & George host, check out this link.

Ellie's Annual 10km

2011-09-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

It seems like every year I think I'd like to try squeeze in a few more shorter distance races but then another year goes by and I found myself racing Melissa's 10km here in Banff, my first 10km since the same race last year! Being it is one of only 2 running races held in Banff each year (the other being Winter Start 8km in November), I take part just as much because it's my home time race as anything else. Being in a National Park means it is often hard for event organisers to get permits for special events such as this in Banff but Melissa's has been held every year for the last 32 years and brings almost 4, 000 racers to town (for the 10km and 22km events), so is an annula tradition that brings lots of visitors to town for a final busy weekend of the summer season.

Needless to say I had not trained for the 10km at all. I ran 37:37 last year and hoped I could maybe run a similar time this year but with jetlag (I just got back from the UK on Wednesday) and a cold/ stomach bug hitting 2 days prior I was feeling far from like I wanted to push a fast effort. It also has to be said that there are a good few 100 metres of elevation climb around 3km to 5km in the course so it's never a fast race. Excuses, excuses ...

So overall I had a fun time, I was joking that after my DNF at 90km a few weeks ago I can finally say that I have completed the 100km distance... it just took me 2 weeks to do so! I didn't have the energy to push really hard and especially found breathing hard with the cold. It was a suprisingly sunny and warm day too - 25 degrees! - which made it great to hang out after the race. I repeated my 2nd place from last year, despite running 20 seconds slower (on a slightly altered route) so I guess I can't complain too much.

Last year at the time of Melissa's I had been in full 100km training mode so remember hitting a 3 hour long run after the race, in the afternoon. I was suprised how heavy my legs felt and realised that even if I had 'only' raced 10km - it was still much faster than I was used to! Given this year I had no real need to get a real run in like that, I instead made the most of the awesome weather by a run/ powerhike up and over Sulphur Mountain. Two and a half hours, 23km, so not a hard effort but a great way to be outside and enjoy the weather, because at this time of year in Banff you never know when summer might abruptly end and the snow start to fall....

Next up... Run for the Toad 50km in Ontario on Saturday with fellow Montrail team mate Ryne Melcher, and then 2 weeks later TNF 50 miler in Chile!!! Very undertrained for a mountain course but it's all going to be about having fun and sightseeing along the race course :)

World 100km (well ok, 90km..) Race Report

2011-09-15T05:20:00.000-07:00

D. N. F.

Did.

Not.

Finish.

Well, that certainly was not the outcome I had been hoping for. In fact it is far off what I had been hoping for. I went in the race fully crossing my fingers for (but of course, never expecting) the win. I knew there would be a strong ladies field but despite the fact I won at World 100km in 2010 I didn't have a perfect race there in many ways and hoped that I could run faster than my 7h29. Mid way through the race this year I would have been delighted at finishing under 8h30. Goals had been substantaily adjusted whilst I continued to put one foot in front of another. But in the end I got to the point where I really felt I could not continue to put one foot in front of the other. I had got the the point of walking. And I don't mean power walking. I mean plus 10min per km pace. It looked pretty lame ;)

I started out fast. The course was 10 x 10km loops and the atmosphere lived up to all expectations. It was a-buzz at the start with lots of people around as it was also the Dutch 100km champs as well as there being a 50km race and a 10 x 10km relay. On the first few loops I soaked up the atmosphere of locals out cheering, many of whom had set up water and sponge stations in their gardens, or had opted to bring their lawn chairs out whilst barbequeing and cheering. Banners streamed over the streets and with a 10am start their were cheerers out right from the start. I aimed to hit 4.20 min/ km or so. Basically I wanted to run between 42min and 43km per 10km loop. This was ambitious and immediately put me out in the lead for the ladies field. I didn't especially intend to go out in the lead but I'd been prepared to take the lead if that is where my pace put me.

By the 3rd loop I got even faster than this and appreciated when the GB crew told me to slow down. I'd simply got carried away and then on my 4th loop focused on checking every km split and soon reigned it in to a sensible pace. Ok, back on track I thought.

The weather conditions were warm and humid, something I am totally unused to, in Banff the air is exceptionally dry and my final run in Banff before flying over for the race it had been a fresh minus 1. I knew I should take care to keep cool so was sponging myself at every opportunity and taking water form the kids along the side of the course between the two GB feedstations which were located at the start/ finish area as well as at the 5km mark of each loop. All still going well. Marathon in approx 3h01 and 50km in approx 3h37. The legs were still feeling good and no niggling pains were appearing. Awesome.

A little into the 6th loop I began to slow. My stomach was beginging to feel a little off. Not awful, just not great. The eventual winner (of Russia) slipped by me to take the lead. Of course not encouraging but the bigger concern was my stomach and just a general feeling of wanting to sleep. I just felt plain tired. At 60km I pulled in to see Brian, Walter and Anne at the GB station. I told them I just wanted to stop. I had no energy. It wasn't that my legs were tired, it was just I didn't feel like battling on for 40km. Things had gone downhill quick and I felt like I didn't have my usual will to fight. The GB crew tried to get my going, they asked if I would regret quitting tomorrow and I said I knew that I would but I really didn't know I could carry on. I took off my bib and say down. I was done.

Well, that's what I thought. After sitting for maybe 5 minutes the crew continued to talk to me and I knew I had to give it another shot. Bib back on and I was off before I could change my mind. My stomach was still not feeling great and I moved on as solidly as I could. 40 more kms didn't seem overly far but I wasn't in the spirit to push hard but I knew my race still had plenty of time to turn around.

At 65km I pulled into the GB crew of Adrian and Peter. My stomach definitely didn't feel great now. They offered me all sorts of choices of things to eat and drink but none of it seemed remotely appealing at that point. Then my stomach turned and I vomited. Having had this happen at Western States, I was actually quite positive about this - hopefully now I had a fresh stomach and could start getting on board new calories for more energy. It was also much harder to quit half way through a loop (though is was a still a tempting thought at this point). Ok, off I went again with a bottle of coke in hand which I drank in very tentative sips.

Now I was running each 5km betweent the stations at a time. I would pull in, get a few words of encouragement as well as some coke and Clif drink on board and then would psyche myself up for another 5km. I was still at the stage that the thoughts of anything more than liquid was just not bareable, though I did force a gel at one point, knowing that any calories would help. At 78km I pulled over to the sie of the road and as I vomited for the second time a very kind Dutch lady came to offer me a baby wipe to blow my nose - much appreciated as I had no water to clear my mouth. Nice!

Now I decided to stick entirely to flat coke. It was possibly my electrolyte drink that was upsetting my stomach (despite it being what I always take, the pounding on tarmac is never easy on the stomach). Just before 80km I ran past Jason Loutit of Team Canada. I told him it was getting tough but I was feeling surprisingly good and 20 more kms seemed totally manageable. I was delighted at the thought that I might finish the race under 8h30, not bad considering the things I had gone through. From 80 to 85km I took no walk breaks!!! Woo hoo!!! This was my first entire 5km run with no walking since 65km, and I was finding that although ladies were passing me as I would pull into the aid stations for a few minutes I would then gain on them again once I was moving.

By now I had resolved to enjoy the race as much as possible and was waving at supporters and followed Amy's (Team USA) lead and high fived kids along the side lines. I am sure supporters wondered why the runner who had led the race for the first 50km was now so delighted to be close to an hour off the lead lady! I was just happy it was almost over and hopefully 1h30 and I would be done.

But as I was at the 85km mark I didn't feel great again. It would be the final slump that I couldn't pull myself out of. My 5kms of running had zapped me and it was the first time that I walked out of an aid station. I tried to run but it was a short lived shuffle. I walked. I suddenly just couldn't run. Despite having switched to entirely coke my stomach was feeling upset again and the legs like lead, there was no energy left in them. From 85km to 90km it was a long slow walk, I maybe ran 500m (though it was maybe only 200m). I was done. Pam (Team USA) ran by and I was so touched when she told me to come with her. But I just couldn't. I would run maybe 20m and then grind to a stumbling walk. I crossed the start/ finish at 90km and then continued the few hundred metres to the GB crew. Just before then I met my Canadian friend Dirk who came to my aid as for a third and final time, vomiting ensued. I was definitely done. 10kms was just not possible. I was checked out. I could not believe I had been running so positively just 7km before, sure I would make it to the finish, and now I was a weak and stumbling mess.

All in all - why did the stomach fail me? Who knows? I think the humidity is likley. I am questioning the cleanliness of the sponges and the water at the aid stations. Other than that, it's hard to tell.

Did I go out to fast? I'll never know. My stomach went before my legs had the chance to fail me. I personally don't think I did and I don't think my fast pace early on was the reason for my bad stomach.

Other than that, I will admit, if I'd have been allowed I'd have run that final 10km later in the evening. I'm not planning on DNFing again. Thoughts of Anita Ortiz braving it out to a slow Western States finish this year kept me going for more than 20km. As Anita has said, 'I'm just not a DNF kinda gal', but I'l also have to concede that I DNF'd this one and Anita is even tougher than I can ever imagine. Absolute respect.

Onwards and upwards (fingers crossed!)

Happy trails, Ellie x

Fixed on Floradix: Pumping the Iron!

2011-08-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

I guess it might not be somewhat surprising that after Western States (it being my first 100 miler) I was somewhat tired. Of course, if I told this to a non-runner, they would say 'Doh! You have just run 100 miles, of course you are tired!' I guess part of the trouble was I was so excited with my race result and the fact that summer had finally arrived in the Rockies that I was just raring to run even more! So after a week of rest I eagerly bounded back out onto the trails and was having fun except I just felt sloooooooooow. Like I was running in toffee with lead weights in my shoes slooooooooow. The worst was probably when I turned around only a little over half way through a normal 2-hr planned road run. I promtly planted myself on the couch and seriously did not want to move. I NEVER turn around on a run. Just NEVER. But the toffee like feeling in my legs was so bad that it didn't seem worth plodding away any more. In fact, it didn't seem possible to plod away anymore.

Next day I walked into the medical centre (an at-most once-annual occurance for me) and as luck would have it there was a walk in appointment available in 10 minutes. My luck got even better when the doctor not only was a friend of a friend, but also knew about my running and was a runner himself. He totally understood that I didn't want to just be told to take a bit of time off running. Though he did concede that maybe more sleep might make me feel less tired! But he was more than happy to do a blood test and explain what he was looking for and what levels I should be looking for as a runner, rather than just as someone who was mildly active.

Less that 24hrs later he called me with the results (got to love small town living in a mountain community!) and said that I was not anaemic but my levels of stored iron (ferratin) were low enough that this might explain some of my lethargy. He also said that my B12 levels were a little low and getting those higher could only help.

So for the last few weeks I've added B12 and Floradix Formula to my daily regimen that already included Udo's Oil. I've also been focusing on getting lots of leafy greens and beets every day. Floradix (made by Flora, who also make Udo's Oil) is chocked full of liquid iron (most easily absorbed, rather than the tablets) and vitamins. I've definitely been feeling much better for it. Although I've always said that I prefer to eat real food over taking supplements I definitely feel there is a place for the right supplements based on good medical advice. I personally feel too many people buy things off the shelf based on thinking what's good for them rather than following advice on the basis of tests. And it is also important to take the right supplements rather than simply believing all that the packing says.

It was also a good reminder that it can be worth once every so often getting tests done to see where you are at, especially when training for or keying for a big race. Next big race for me...World 100km, 2 weeks today in Winschoten, Netherlands!

Happy trails (and tarmac!)

Ellie

Edmonton Marathon Revisited

2011-08-22T14:31:00.000-07:00

Every time I run a road marathon I realise how much I enjoy them and swear that I will fit more into my race schedule but usually that doesn't end up happening with too many ultras getting in the way. So as I lined up for Edmonton marathon yesterday it was my first road marathon since the same race a whole year prior, and as ever I was training for an ultra so hadn't trained specifically at all for the marathon. I had no idea where I was at in terms of pace and was mostly using this as a training run for World 100km in 3 weeks time and as a gauge to see where I am at.

This meant I was very unsure of what pace to go out at, I wanted a solid run but I didn't want to blow up mid-way by going out too fast, and I didn't want to kill myself as I want to carry on decent mileage training this week before starting to taper off a little before World 100km (Sept 10th, Winschoten, Netherlands). It was just the evening before that I decided to target a 2h50 to 2h55 finishing time, or 4:02 to 4:09 min/ km pace. Edmonton is a flat course with a few sneaky little rolling hills in the final 10km so typically produces fast times. My PB was at Edmonton in 2010 at 2:49:54 (with a nice little sprint finish to get under 2h50!)

Immediately I went out ahead of pace, on about 3:55 min/ km pace. But it felt easy. I was unsure what to do - maybe I had more leg speed in me that I had thought? Maybe I would pay for this at the 30km+ mark? I kept thinking of Coach John Hill from Vancouver Falcons and I suspected he would have been telling me to back off a little. But I decided to roll with it and if a few kms were a little fast then better to learn now than at Worlds. About 10 men pulled ahead of me, I was lead woman and I was left running solo with a couple of men in sight in the distance. I was glad to have my garmin to help me monitor my pace and stop myself from going out even faster.

I am not sure where it was, maybe as early as the 10km mark or so and I found myself running with one other guy, who I found out to be Shane Ruljancich (member of the Canadian Mountain Running Team). Shane and I got chatting, established that we were looking for similar finishing times and settled in to a good pace, side by side. For a few kms I didn't check my pace at all as we chatted easily along and the kms felt easy. I then got back to checking pace and noticed that quite a few kms were hitting sub 4:00 min/ km and it crossed my mind that maybe I was going a little too fast, but equally I was prepared to risk this rather than pull back, lose time and also lose my new running buddy.

It was a hot and sunny day (it got up to 30 degrees) and very early on I was wishing I had a handheld water bottle. The aid stations were every 3km or so but once half a small dixie cup got spilt I was left with just a tiny mouthful of water or gatorade to quench my thirst. This was made worse as I was taking on my Clif Shot Bloks and my mouth only got drier. At a couple of stations I managed to grab 2 cups and later on I even used a sponge to get water, but for pretty much the whole race I knew I was not getting enough fluid on to really do my best.

We ran through the 1/2 marathon mark at 1:23:38. I was happy with this; it was ahead of my 2h50 to 2h55 target but not crazy fast and I was still feeling pretty comortable. Shane and I were still running side by side and we soon began to gain on and then pass a few guys which was a confidence boost that we had paced ourselves better than some, and I was also glad to see Shane gaining a few positions in the mens field.

By 30km I was definitely beginning to work a little and I was wondering if I was going to pay the price for my faster-than-planned pace. We had now hit our 2nd out and back section where although the course appears very flat on the profile it actually has a few gentle rolls that you begin to feel at this stage in the game. Shane and I were still clocking our splits which began to vary a little depending on the slight hills, but still stayed within the 4:00 min/ km range. Our conversation was now short comments rather than a flowing conversation as we began to work harder, or I did at least; Shane appeared to still be on cruise control.

The kms stretched out, each one seeming longer than the last, as I counted them down one by one. I took on my last gel with a small amount of water but I was definitely beginning to feel the effects of not being able to get enough gatorade and fluids for the heat of the day. Although I was working it was more the fact that I just felt I needed calories and liquids that was making the run hard. Even as I hit the final km I didn't have my usual finish line push, but I hadn't lost pace either and was delighted to roll over the finish line, 1st place woman with a new PB of 2:47:14. More than being delighted with a PB I was just happy to get a few bottles of water and a banana on board within minutes of crossing the line.

All in all, I didn't go out to get a PB so I'm super happy with getting one but oddly not stoked about it as this wasn't an 'A' race so it wasn't something I was specifically dedicating my training towards as a goal. I am more happy that I felt steady throughout the race, a have the confidence that I have got some road speed in my legs for the Worlds, and I feel only a little tired today which is indicative that I didn't push crazy hard to get a good time and that 42km is really a good little 'jaunt' and I should be more than prepared for World 100km. I'm also pretty excited that I clocked the 17th fastest female British marathon time so far for 2011 :)

Tonight will be a trail run, no pushing the pace, just stretching the legs out on some soft spongy trails to minimise the impact, and then hopefully a few more solid road and treadmill runs in the next 6 days before I start to taper a little....
Big thanks to Brian Torrence (elite director) and all the fab volunteers who make Edmonton a super event, and one I'll be sure to go back to in future years.

Powderface 42

2011-07-16T19:48:00.000-07:00

After a big-hype race like Western it is always fun to get out to a low-key local race and just enjoy some fun times on the trails with friends and the trail community. That was what Powderface 42 was all about for me today and lots of fun it was indeed! It was just over an hours drive from Banff in the foothills near Bragg Creek, Alberta so I hightailed it out of work on Friday and shared fun time around the campfire that evening with friends. I was totally not in race mode, my legs have been feeling pretty heavy after WS100 and as half of our camping group were not actaully running the race, it wasn't the most motivating atmpsphere for a race - it was just fun times with friends.

With the alarm going off at 6am I was still not in race mode and was wondering what on earth I had got myself into when I had eagerly accepted a spot at the race a few weeks earlier in a post-WS100 high. But of course by the time the shoes were on, a good cup of coffee down (thanks Nadja!) and then off to race start and chatting with fellow runners I was more in the mood to explore some new trails.

And wow - what beautiful trails! It was soon sunny and warm, not a cloud in the sky and the trails were thankfully varied and had great views. Mentally I knew that 42km would fly by (it wasn't even an ultra!) and when I had a little wobble in my positive attitude on the long steep slog around the 18km mark a fellow Brit, Carl Price, who I have met at a few other racersaappeared out of nowhere at just the right time for some friendly company and chit chat to distract from the hardwork.

Coming into aid station 2. Photo: J. Cagampan

By 25km I had hit a groove (clearly an ultra runner if it takes this long to warm up!) and was enjoying the rolling terrain with the big climb well out of the way. I hiked the ups (still not much gas in the uphill legs) but I blasted the downs and cruised along the rolling flats. I also like to think I would have done Nicki and Brenda proud - two of my Alberta running buddies who I have never seen on the trail without a beaming smile of sheer delight and enjoyment on their faces. Fun, fun, trail times :)

But ok, I do admit I got a little competitive and when I saw my buddy Fitzy at an aid station with about 10km to go, I made sure I gave him a friendly elbow out of the way as I stormed up the hill (well, at leat until I was around the corner and could start powerhiking again!) The final 10km or so we passed half marathoners both on their way out and in (they had started 2hrs after the full) which was a great set up for us to all cheer each other on and motivate each other up the final few hills.

And strangely enough it was one of those races where I swear my legs feel better after the race than they did before! Some aches and pains are gone, and sure - they are a little tired, but I somehow feel looser and less lead-legged than I did at the start line. Yay!

Icebathing it post-race. Fitzy, me, Phil & M-J. Photo: Nadja

Nadja & Fitzy all smiles post-race

Sunny fun times on the trails for sure, and a big shout out to the Powderface organisers (Bruce, Doug & team) and vollies who were just excellent for such a relatively small local race, as well Out There store in Calgary, the main race sponsors who made sure everyone went home with a nice goody bag and Mountain Hardwear race shirt.

One final WS100 note: if you really want to hear more about my WS100 race then check out Running Stupid podcast with Ken Mical.

And the winner of the CEP compression draw is...

2011-07-13T21:18:00.000-07:00

Mel B congratulations! You have won yourself a pair of CEP compression socks or sleeves (your choice). As ever, this draw was conducted by my usual high-tech process of asking a friend to text me a number between 1 and 68 and I them counted down the comment list until I got to the winning number :) Photographic evidence of this draw selection process is below! Mel you were 56th down on the list.

Mel B please email me at elliegreenwood@yahoo.co.uk and I will put you on touch with the folks at CEP for them to mail out your prize.

Happy running and happy recovery in your compression socks xx

Compress Those Calves! (and the rest of the legs)

2011-07-06T19:08:00.001-07:00

Compression socks. Oh, those stylish knee-highs that either make you look like (a) you are back at school, (b) like you must be a sooper-dooper-fast runner, or (like me) (c) make you look like your legs are really short and this is why you don't play field hockey. But that said, with compression socks having being around the running scene for quite a number of years now they look like they are here to stay, and quite rightly so.

As ever, with these things I will not go into all the scientific surveys that show improved circulation both during and after work outs, and increased blood flow and recovery, but I'll simply say that compression does seem to work. Although I will admit that I am yet to try my own scientific study which would be to run a race in one regular sock and one compression sock and see which legs feels better the next day ;) I'm seriously tempted to do this, except for the fact that I mostly wear compression for recovery rather than actual racing, although I have found the calf sleeves great in longer races as they provide the benefits of compression whilst still allowing me to wear my favourite socks on my feet.

I had tried on various 'compression' socks in stores and was so so on whether they were worth the money. But last year I checked out the CEP booth at Edmonton marathon and finally found a pair of compression socks that seemed worth the investment. Firstly I was impressed that I got measured for them - I mean it only makes sense that you wear the right amount of compression, would you buy a pair of running shoes without getting your feet measured after all? And I can honestly say that I think wearing my CEP compression socks after Comrades and for the 22hrs of flying to get back home after was one reason my legs recovered so quickly after that 87km of tarmac pounding.

So yep, I am delighted to now be on board with CEP and why not check out their site . As well as making compression socks and sleeves, I am excited to soon try out their compression shorts and the very latest product in their line - Clone - a pair of tights designed for recovery that are pesonally tailored for each individual after being measured in something like 41 points on each leg!

And it's always nice to spread a little love, so if you would like the chance to win a pair of totally free CEP compression socks or sleeves please simply post 'compress those calves!' as a comment to this bost on my blog (not on my Facebook page). Entries will be drawn on Thursday 14th June at 5pm MST. Only for Canucks and Yanks, sorry to all others - I'll try have more give aways soon.

With a Little Help from some Friends. My First 100 miler Race Report

2011-06-30T16:46:00.000-07:00

Wow. What a day!

I had trained hard but was unsure if I had trained hard enough. In knew the course, but not much - having never stepped foot on it before. I knew the competition, and wow - there was going to be some serious competition.

About 5 days prior to the race I was a bag of nerves. Last minute packing and prepping and a feeling that I really wasn't prepared in so many respects. But the day before, and even the minutes before, I was bizarely and unusually not nervous at all. I was concerned that it hadn't set in that I was about to run 100 miles. That's 160km! At Western States! That'll be the most well known 100 miler in North America! Ellie you should be terrified! Oh well, we were at Squaw, it was 5am and we were soon scampering up the snow covered escarpment. Too late for nerves now, we were racing!
I let a whole pack of ladies move ahead. I'm slow on hills at the best of times and decided that at mile 1 with 99 left to go was not a time to try to learn to run hills. But my power hike is decent so I kept in the mix as we crested the top of the escarpment and the sun rose over the snow. We hit the first descent and I shouted out 'it's a beautiful day!' Yep, I really did, and I think fellow runners agreed, though were possibly a little less vocal in their sentiments.

The snow was fun, my focus so absorbed in my footing that I could relax and not think about anything else, especially as Meghan was kind enough to yell out when I took a step or two off the yellow flagged route a few times. Thanks Meghan! There was no trail, it was just follow the flags and try to stay (mostly) upright.

Once we left the snow it was good to hit the trail though and gain a little speed and rythym. The field soon spread out and I would catch a glimpse of a runner here or there but I was mostly on my own. My aim was to get to 55miles/ 90km to my crew at Michigan Bluff in a state they would be proud of. It neatly split the race into a first longer half where I would be solo and a 2nd shorter half (45miles/ 60km) where I looked forward to seeing my 2 sets of crew regularly and having my pacer with me. 2 mini races seemed mentally much easier than one massive 100 miler!

Early on once we cleared the snow I just couldn't get my groove. My legs were just heavy and I didn't seem to have much energy. Nothing was exceptionally wrong, it just seemed harder than it should at this early stage. And soon nagging pains appeared. The usual suspects of tight hamstrings and tight glutes. i think I even promised myself to go to the physio when I got home at this stage :) I tried to remain calm but I wasn't one quarter into this race and it was hurting. I tried to ignore the fact that I had 120km (yikes!!!!) to go and already I was feeling less than ideal.

My first melt down at an aid station was on 4 of the best volunteers all day. I had learned to hand my handheld to one vollie to refill with water, my pack to another to fill with electrolyte drink and now a 3rd vollie was telling me to eat calories and not just fruit, whilst the 4th calmed me with his Dundee accent (my home town in Scotland!) Now just 5 days after the race this whole section leading up to Michigan Bluff is a jumbled mess in my memory - which is probably reflective of how I was feeling at the time. Downhills were good, uphills (even small ones) I was walking) and flats were so so. I made it from one aid station to the next, asking each one as I left where the next one was. Mentally I set tjhese as check points as well as distracting my grumpy brain wioth some math - calculating percentages done of the whole race, or the portion to Michigan Bluff, and taking it 10km at the time.

The canyons were fine and suprisingly cruisey and uneventful miles. The whole day I was amazed who hot it wasn't! The canyons were in fact a mental boost - I enjoyed the downs and hiked out of them, deducing that even if I was feeling stronger I probably wouldn't have been running much of them anyway. I was 4th female, and had heard progressively less encouraging times of how far back of the lead the further I moved on. Not really what I wanted but I just needed to try maintain my position. Then the worst came - whooooosh! - Kami ran past like she was on a 10km training run. Breezy, light, strong. I had my cap in the creek at a time. I looked a mess. She offered if I needed anything but I just whimpered that I was ok. I wasn't. I was beat, mentally as much as physically.

Move. Just move. One foot in front of the other. Keep on moving. The hamstrings were better (Tylenol from the aid stations, thanks Sean!) but I still lacked energy and as my stomach began to bloat I realised I had to stop drinking and eating for a bit but this was hardly going to help the energy levels. I had no choice. After maintaining my (rather hefty my female standards) 127lbs at the first few weigh ins, I now felt I wasn't digesting anything in my stomach. Some relief came on the climb out of the canyon below Michigan Bluff where finally I hiked with a guy for a while. I had spent hours running alone, so even a short conversation and the noise of someone elses footsteps nearby was so welcome. I pulled ahead but not fast enough, as I was hiking a section I really knew I should be running I saw Nikki behind me. I ran, I walked, I ran, I walked and then Nikki caught me. I'd never met Nikki before but now we were powerhiking and chatting (well Nikki was chatting and I was feeling nauseous) and again, the company was great event though she pulled ahead of me and left me in 6th as I bowled into the mayhem of Michigan Bluff in 6th.

Michigan Bluff - first crew and supporter accessible point in this snow year. 90km done! Jackie pulled me into the shade, I downed some coke, my weigh-in confirmed I was 2.5lbs up. I was a snivelling mess (they had heard through the grapevine already that I was not doing good). Jackie was just getting me fixed up when Ana had to suddenly jump back - ah well, least with some serious vomiting I was probably back to normal weight and sporting a new stomach :) Jackie told me to back off on the salt, she gave me a new pack, told me to drink water and one gel before I got the Forest Hill and Ryne at 62m/ 99km. She kicked me back out onto the trail. It's the best thing she could have done.

When seeing Jackie and Ana I urgently told them to get a message to Ryne not to push me. I knew Ryne would be eager to pace me and keep me going to do well. I wanted him to know that a wreck was arriving and he needed to go easy. Some where between Michigan Bluff and Forest Hill I began to feel better. The stomach subsided, I trundled along steadily and took a gel, and knew that within an hour I'd have Ryne pacing me and I'd 'only' have 60km to go.

Forest Hill was busy, Ken put ice on my back (bliss!!!), I drank a refreshing coconut water, changed my shirt, shoes and socks and told Ryne, 'Ok, I'm in 6th. I want to try maintain this, and if not then try for top 10. I might want to come back next year'. It might have seemed ambitious but this was basically me telling Ryne, 'I ain't going to win this thing', something I had certainly thought about and discussed with Ryne pre-race. Sean who had seen me at my worst, had to laugh - was this the same person who had looked like she was ready to drop a few hours before, now saying she at least wanted to be top 10. Yep, I was feeling better and getting back fighting!

Ryne and I rolled out of Forest Hill and within less than 3 mins I overtook both Nikki and Anita. Yay - back in 4th! And now it was time to just click the miles away, still 60km to go so no need to go crazy, just chat away the miles with Ryne. I think he got a dose of verbal diarhea from me for the first hour or two - it was so awesome to be with a buddy finally and not running solo :)

Ryne would tell me about the terrain coming up and I'd run ahead dictating the pace. I was running some easy hills or taking only the briefest of walk breaks, it finally felt like I was making in roads on the miles ahead and on my speed. I was concerned not to get caught by women but Ryne also was repprting back my pace and was confident that I must be gaining on at least some of the 3 women ahead.

I'd had some blisters all day but nothing serious, they were there but runnable. It was only coming down the descent to Rucky Chucky river crossing that I hit a rock with my little toe - yowza!!!!! This prompted me to take off my shoe and sock, Topher came along and in a slightly more subtle way told me that I just needed to run on it and it would be fine. At this point I had not much choice anyway, so back on went the sock and shoe and I jumped into the raft for the short river crossing with only the smallest of delays as a got some more fuel on board.

On the otherside of Rucky Chucky we hiked the 3km or so upto Green Gate. My powerhike was still good and although it was cooling a little I tried to keep to the shaded side of the trail whenever I could. I can't recall if I was in 3rd or 4th at this point but Kristin and ken told me that I was looking much stronger than that ladies ahead. yeah. well they would say that I thought!! However, I did have to concede that I was feeling ok. My stomach was still sensitive but I was obviously managng to get enough calories on in one form or another and knew when to back off and let it settle for a bit. But the energy was coming in ebbs and flows and as we began to approach Auburn lakes I'd more than once said to Ryne that it could still end up being a death march to the end. With 40km to go the kms seemed to become longer and I tried to knock the thoughts out of my head that I still had almost a marathon to go.

As I came into an aid station I mentioned that my stomach was really not great and a vollie immediately directed me to the ginger ale. 2 cups of that, a salted potato and off we went. I'm, then not entirely sure what happened but suddenly I was out of a slump and again back rolling along the trail. I think Ryne wondered what was going on too, I think he was concerned that maybe I was pushing too soon, but I knew I had to make the most of feeling good and I was powering along.

Coming into Browns Bar with just 17kms to go Ryne and I got out our headlamps and agreed to part ways. I was certainly not running even splits in the this race and there was no way Ryne could have predicted that I was going to surge this this.

So off, I went, bowling down the trail, flashlight in hand to aid my vision on new terrain and solo in the dark. I was loving it. I was feeling strong, I was running awesome new trails, and I was going to make it to the Western States finish line (something that earlier in my race had seemed unfathomable)! Next up, I saw HWY 49 aid station - I nice descent to pick up some pace, I yelled at Kristin and Ken that I didn't need anything and they yelled back that I was 3 and 9mins back of 2nd and 1st. OK - let's get moving! Very soon I passed Tracy and her pacer, I didn't think she would follow me but I still pushed hard ahead. I saw another guy periodically ahead and then passed him but felt safe on the dark trail knowing that other runners were still around. As I moved along the trail in a steady rhythm I saw another runner ahead, I gained on them and their pacer, and I passed....Kami! Oh my gosh, I had about 4 miles to go and I was leading Western States and I was running scared. Kami had looked like she was still moving so I knew she might follow and now literally every step would count.

Down to the lights and noise of No Hands bridge and I raced through. Jackie ran after me - 'you need anything?'. 'No!' and I I was gone, I knew I couldn't let up at all if I wanted this win. It was then along the trail by the side of the river I saw two little eyes reflecting in my torchlight, I swung my torch up and saw the blig dark hulk of a bear mid trail. What!!!! You have got to be joking me! I turned to look back and saw a headlamp coming, I just prayed it was a guy and not Kami, thankfully it was. My shouting alone had not budged the bear but with the two of us yelling it climbed a tree and looked down on us as we scurried by. I flashed my torch back to check that it was not following and noted the distance on my garmin to report it's location to the vollies at Robbie Point up ahead. Now I began to climb up to Auburn, hooting and hollering up the trail until I popped out onto the tarmac at Robbie Point. Still I was pushing as hard as I could. Had Kami followed me? Was she gaining on me? Run, run, run!

Then all of a sudden Jackie was running alongside me and soon Ryne, Kristin, Ken (www.runningstupid.net), Ana, Topher and Geoff. They were so excited for me as I approached the track at Placer High. All I could say was 'I'm not there yet!' But soon I was, and all I can say was that run around the track in Auburn was pretty sweet :) It was a rough road to get there but worth every second, and I certainly couldn't have done it without a little help from my friends xx

Photos: Faccino Photos & Bob McGillvray @ Drymax Socks

Out There! Calgary, this Tuesday!

2011-06-11T08:25:00.000-07:00

Click on image to enlarge for more details. See you there!

The Spirit of Comrades (87km, South Africa)

2011-06-04T17:09:00.000-07:00

5.20am in the dark and humid streets of Durban. A mass of huddled 16, 000 bodies of nervous anticipation. 4th row back, side by side with Kami and Lizzy. A myriad of languages around. The South African national anthem sung. Chariots of Fire blaring over the speakers. Boom - the pistol is shot and we are off! A sprint start, picking up the feet to avoid falling in the crush of racers pouring forward, eager to make their way along the 87km of tarmac inland (and uphill) to Pietermaritzburg as fast as they can. I let runners pours by me, I keep an eye on Kami, hoping our starting pace might be the same, and I'm grateful it is.

I love the darkness, it hides the four lane highway of the opening kms, it brings a calm and a collness, it sets a muted tone which helps me to not go out too fast. I had agreed with Norman (Wilson of UK Ultra) to shoot for a 6h30m finishing pace, but to be prepared to reassess in the first 10km if it feels too fast. It will put me at two back to pack marathons at aroung 3h07 pace, plus a bonus 2.6km, oh and about 2000m of ascent and 1400m of descent thrown in.

I'm excited to be part of the Nedbank team, one of the main sponsors. I'm sporting their kit and in less than an hour it is light and my sunglasses are down and Kami and I are getting cheers for beong towards the front of the women's frield and for sporting our green Nedbank kit. For the first 20km I double fist packs of Clif shot bloks, take water from the aid stations and pop salt tabs early (no repear of AR50 here!). The water stations are busy so it's a juggle to try run the inside bends (the shorter route) and grab water too. I soon learn that if you pass the water station you grab at least 2 baggies, one for yourself and one to pass to another runner. It's just one early sign of the Spirit of Comrades.

kami and I exchange short conversations, the pace feels good and we hit the first nedbank station at 66km to go (Comrades km markers count down to the finish). i grab my first bottle of Clif dribk and a Clif gel. We are already climbing the first of the 'Big Five' hills - Fields. Many people come to South Africa to see the Big Five (lion, elephants etc). Comraders come to run the Big Five. I repeat their names in my head like a mantra, 'Cowies, Fields, Botha, Inchanga'. I don't bother with the final one (Poly Shortts); I know that once I hit that I will be in survival mode.

So far the hills are fine, typically a couple of hundred metres of elevation gain over 2 to 3km. They remind me of my training on Mount Norquay Road in Banff. Steady, runnable, and dare I say it - enjoyable.

I have my handwritten wrist band so I remember where the Nedbank support crew will be. This breaks the race down and the first time I spot Norman it is thumbs up, I feel good and I know I am around 6h30m pace (I have a few course graded splits noted too thanks to Norrie Williamson). The crowds are amazing; hooting and hollering, cheering and cooking up a storm on their braais. There are quieter sections to enjoy but we are passing through lots of villages and small towns and as we are now on narrower roads the supporters are close and the atmosphere is electric. The Spirit of Comrades.

With still more than half way to go my hamstrings, glutes and hips are beginning to hurt. It's nothing new and I know that although unpleasant, I can run through it. I am a step or two ahead of Kami for a section but from the cheers from the sides I know she is not far back. We are in 5th and 6th. I know the 'Russian twins' (Elena and Olesya Nurgelieva) and Lizzy are ahead for sure, and learn that so is Farwa Mentoor, lead South African female.

I have now fallen in with a male runner. Eloi is talking with the crowds and thanking them for telling him that he is 5th female. he is a joker and helps me to soak up the fun. As Kami passes me, Eloi jibes me not to let her go, but for now I have to. the legs are beginning to hurt and I can only hope that I might catch her later, but I am a little disappointed to have slipped into 6th.

We hit Inchanga, Eloi chatters endlessly and all I can do is make short replies and thank him for hauling me up the 3rd hill to Drummond. Half the kms done; now onto the 2nd, flatter half. Eloi is a like a pacer offering me advice. I tell him I am cramping, 'Ok just relax whatever is cramping'. I tell him that my hamstrings are hurting, 'We are all hurting, we just need to keep running'. I start to walk on a small hill, 'No, not yet!' I don't dare disobey, I run the hill and soon crest the top. Eloi is the epitome of the Spirit of Comrades.

Up ahead I see Lizzy, I soon gain on her and in the hubbub of a water station pass her without being able to exchange words. I am happy to be back in 5th and Nedbank crew advise me that I am 2mins back on 4th. We pass through the Green Mile (cheering section) with 25km to go. I am still working but I am beginning to get a second wind. I spot my parents with their Scottish and Canadian flags. I am waving at the crowds and just soaking up the noise and the energy.

We are now on rolling country roads. It's now just about clicking off the kms. Run steady. Fuel. Relax. Keep up the pace. Out of the blue I let out a yelp of pain. Blister! I'm annoyed, I'm not going to let something as silly as wearing socks too thick for my shoes and the heat ruin this race. I recall Gary Robbins writing about how blisters only really hurt when you start running on them and after a minute or two the psin fades away. Ok then, one more reason not to be tempted to walk. Thanks a lot GR!

We pass through the 22km to go mark and Eloi mentions, 'don't worry, everyone finds the last 2okm tough'. All I can think is that it is tough already and we still have 2km to go to get to the 20km mark! Keep on moving. Keep on moving. Keep on moving. For now I have gone off gels and bloks so my strategy becomes to grab two baggies at each water station, one of energy drink to take salt tabs with and one of water to pour over myself to keep cool. The temperature is starting to climb. By the time I get to 20km to go, 19km to go, 18km to go I am feeling stronger and stronger. The finish is now in my minds eye and I know I'll make it. At around 17km to go I slip ahead of Eloi, the field is now spread out so I am running solo but passing men reasonably frequently as there are always a few runners in view ahead. And in Comrades it's never realy possible to run solo, kids want to high five you, ladies call out 'go sista!' and other words of encouragement. I'm flying high on the Spirit of Comrades even if I am pushing hard.

At about 9km to go I hit the final hill, Poly Shortts. It is gradual but seems tough so I switch to run, powerhike, run, powerhike and keep up with the runners around me. But when I spot Farwa ahead of me I know the walking has to end. That's 4th place Ellie, just run! So I run. It's slow. It's not pretty. But I ease my way past Farwa and into 4th. Wow - Ellie gaining a position on a uphill, that's unheard of! Now I definitely can't walk! 7kms to go and I'm watching for every km marker. It's count down time. The road continues to roll but I continue to run and soon I feel that I am on the flats and descent into Pietermaritzburg. It's tough but it's awesome. Many people had warned me in the days preceding the race that Comrades is tough for newbies. Elena and Olesya (who one again claim top two spots) have raced Comrades nine time and have 2h26m marathon PBs. How do you go against that? I am (barely) a 2h49m marathoner and a Comrades newbie. But I've run a smart race, I've soaked up the Spirit of Comrades and I'm stoked to be powering into 4th place. For the final 1.5km or so I've got a motorbike literally 2ms in front of me and a TV camera in my face. Ok, time to enjoy - I might never experience this again! On entering the stadium I am handing a rose and hold it high as I enjoy the crowds, but I am also wondering how many corners there are before I hit the finishing straight. I chuckle to myself, the stadium is turfed - aaaaah, bliss - finally I am back on my natural running surface :)

What can I say? 6:32:46/ 4th place and 6mins back of Kami and 8mins back of the twins. I am delighted and now have the answer to my question, 'Why have so many people run this race 10+ times?' It's the Spirit of Comrades.

Big thankyous to:

- All of the Nedbank crew
- Norman and Anne Wilson
- Ma & Pa Greenwood
- Montrail/ MHW, Drymax socks, Clif, Sundog Eyewear.
- Eloi of Boxers Running Club.

Marathon Talk Interview!

2011-05-16T21:50:00.000-07:00

With a bit of shameless self promotion as well as a shout out to an awesome podcast - check out Marathon Talk at http://www.marathontalk.com. Lots of awesome interviews with all sorts of distance runners from all over the world, an amazing source of information and inspiration. Oh, and my interview is on episode 71 :)

The count down is on...

13 days until Comrades 89km in South Africa...

Point to point, uphill from Durban to Pietermaritzberg...

Taken place since since 1921...

16, 000 competitors...

It's going to be a blast!

I can't wait :)

June 14th - Talk at 'Out There' in Calgary

2011-05-07T11:46:00.000-07:00

Date for your diary if you are in the Calgary area on Tuesday June 14th when Out There' outdoor store will be holding a special Montrail evening. Come along to 151 - 8th Avenue SW just after 6pm where I will be talking about stepping up from 50km to 'real' ultra distances, like I did last year when racing my longest race to date - the 125km Canadian Death Race in Grand Cache, Alberta. I'll try to share some insights on how I changed my training, learnt to run longer in both time and distance, as well as what you need to think about when setting goals to run 100km plus. Brief outline of the evening:

6.15pm - My talk with short Q&A session after

6.45pm - Short run (so wear your running gear!) - pace will be easy (promise!)

7.30pm - an hour of shopping with special sales, and some food & drink!

Look forward to seeing lots of you there :)

Creaking Along

2011-05-05T20:02:00.000-07:00

I am a bike commuter. Since moving to Banff from Vancouver I bike a lot less (well it's a smaller town!) but I still have my well-worn, well loved second-hand Vancouver commuter bike that I use most days when weather allows. It's well used and well abused. Generally in Vancouver I would get it serviced once a year or so, whilst riding it daily, year long in steady Vancouver rain and on the dirty city streets. Once in a while I would put a little oil on the chain and pump up the tyres, but other than that I would expect it to be a reliable mode of transport for lots of miles on very little TLC. I've lived in Banff for 18 months; it's not been serviced since the move. However every time I get it serviced I hop on and feel like I've got a new set of wheels, smooth and strong, and I wonder why I didn't get it serviced months earlier.

You could say that my maintenance of myself in many ways is similar to that of my bike. I work hard and run hard, try to get enough sleep (but often want more), eat a balanced vegetarian diet but go little more complex than that. I'll go for a massage or physio when I need to and if I get into a routine, but often months can go between appointments. My typical answer when someone asks if I take supplements is, 'No, I eat food'! And generally I like that principal; I feel that despite running a decent amount and training decently hard that it is still possible to get what I need from real food rather than mixing supplements and popping pills.

But there is always room for improvement and I had been hearing great things about Udo's Oil, a blend of oils perfectly balanced to ensure the correct ratio of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. More and more ultra runners have been finding benefits from Udo's, primarily in aiding recovery (and thus allowing higher mileage or more harder/ intense runs) as well as helping lean up. So when I was approached by Udo's I was really keen to try their product out with no-commitment - I could just see how I liked it. They said that about 85% of athletes felt a difference once they began taking it, and whilst it is hard to prove I certainly feel that I am recovering better whilst maintaining high mileage (with Comrades and Western both coming up soon!) I won't go into the scientifics (I work in tourism, not in the nutrition industry) but check out more about Udo's Oil at http://www.oilthemachine.com/.

I'm delighted to now be part of Team Oil The Machine (along with a long and illustrious line up of names such as Scott Jurek, Krissy Moehl, Anton Krupicka, Yassine Diboun, Jen Segger, Joe Grant, Adam and Lauren Campbell...need I go on...).

Needless to say, this machine is going to stay well-oiled, and maybe I should apply the same principals to my much loved bike too :)

New Banff Run Club

2011-04-22T13:59:00.000-07:00

Well I think even here in Banff we can finally say that spring is in it's way! It has been a long winter this year (it was snowing on my cycle into work yesterday, and although this morning the snow had stopped it was still a chilly minus 9) but slowly the snow is melting off the trails and the roads are looking pretty bare.

So, if you had hung up your running shoes over the winter or were hibernating at the Sally Borden gym then now is the time to get OUTSIDE and RUN! A great way to keep you motivated is to join the new Lululemon Run Club. There will be an in-store info session at Lululemon (121 Banff Ave) on Wednesday 27th at 8pm, and then the first weekly run starts the following Wednesday (May 4th) at 6pm.

So dust off your running shoes and come and join. All abilities (from total beginner) welcome, and best of all - it's FREE!

For more info check out http://www.lululemon.com/banff/banff/events/event-31573-2011-04-27

And the Winner is.......

2011-04-15T17:29:00.000-07:00

EUGENIA! Eugenia, you have just won yourself a pair of Montrail trail shoes - yay! You were selected by a very official process of me texting a friend for a number between one and sixty-seven, and just in case I thought Jason might cheat and select his own number I then counted up from the bottom of the list rather than from the top - tee hee. For proof of this voting process - please see the picture below :)Eugenia - please email me your mailing address on elliegreenwood@yahoo.co.uk and I will get the voucher out to you (which you then mail into Montrail for them to mail the shoes to you).

For anyone wanting to check out the latest line up Montrail shoes at http://www.montrail.com/

Awesome River 50 miler

2011-04-11T16:39:00.000-07:00

View from my desk in Banff, April 7th - day I left for American River

Ok, the race is actually called American River 50 miler but I had such a delightful 3 night stay in Sacramento for this fab race that it really needs to be renamed 'Awesome River'. My blog posts have been pretty infrequent recently as I've been laothed to post moaning-mini reports about trying to struggle through slushy yet deep snow, failing to find snow-free trails, and MORE fresh snow ... in April. So it was delight that I left Banff in the midst of a snowstorm on Thursday afternoon and about 7hrs (and a few airport sprints in my Montrail Rogue Racers) later I arrived in warm, palm-tree-blessed, sunny Sacramento. To make the journey even better by checked luggage arrived too (in Seattle, that had been in seriously in question).

Day prior to the race I transit-ed it out from my hostel in Sacramento (19th century manor in downtown, a 10-bed room to myself, could this get better?) to Fair Oks for package pick up. I chatted with a few runners, met the Montrail rep Justin and picked up some hot-pink compression socks for my plane ride home. I then headed back into the city and soaked up some sun whilst exploring the historic area as well at Capitol Park. All in all, it was a great day and I was back in the hostel cooking up some pasta by 6pm, and in bed by 9pm

California oranges - now you don't get those in Banff National Park!

Sacramento State Capital and PALM trees!!!

My alarm went off at 4.10am after a night of tossing and turning. I hadn't slept well but felt rested and was relieved when the taxi I had booked actually showed up to take me to the race start. I was there pretty early but always like to have spare time for last minute prep and used the time to pick up some tips from volunteers who knew the course. I had checked out the desciption and the profile but it is always nice to get some specific tips, and I was glad to hear that the climb on the final 3 miles or so was really not as bad as it looked.

At 6am we were off, it was barely getting light so in was beautiful to run as the sun came up over a misty and cool morning. Kami Semik and I introduced ourselves to each other at the start, we had never raced before but of course knew that we were each others competition, I checked around as I'd expected to see Tracy Garneau but noted that she wasn't there. The first 27 miles of the course are pretty much straight, flat paved bike path. Kami and I ran side by side for the first section just chatting along. I noted that we were hitting averages of about 4:15/ km which was a little faster than I had planned but it felt ok and although I had been warned that it was easy to go out too fast on this course I decided to roll with it. It was great to chat to Kami but I am not always very talkative when racing and didn't want us to push too hard to soon, so I dropped back and tailed her a little, hoping I wasn't being annoying by hanging on her heels, but really not wanting to stay side by side. The weather was perfect at this point, cool and crisp yet sunny and we knew it would heat up. I was relishing running in just shorts and a t-shirt, having been able to leave the bulky layers back in Banff. A couple of times the path rolled a little or we dipped into the trail a little but Kami and I were still together. At the marathon mark (we think it was a little short) we rolled by at 3h05 which I was happy with. Shortly thereafter we came to a major aid station at the end of the paved path at Beals Point. I grabbed my drop bag, took some extra shot blocks for my pack and carried on through. I was trying to drink from the stations by stopping briefly so I had my 2l pack with Clif drink for in between - yet hoping I could avoid having to waste time filling that. I was mostly eating shot bloks and realised why I routinely stick to the these, as I tried a gel I got about 1/4 of the contents in my mouth and spent the next mile trying to get the rest off my hands, gloves and everywhere - nice!

Heading out of Beals Point I was glad to be done the tarmac, although it had been traffic free and scenic as it rolled right by the edge of the American River running on tarmac seems to pass so much more slowly. Although I had a relaxed and got into my run I was not feeling lost in my run and was concerned that I had maybe gone out too fast in trying to stay with Kami. As I looked ahead Kami seemed so much more relaxed than I felt. But now I could relax and enjoy it a bit, we had about 50km/ 30 miles in the bank and were hitting the trails where miles always pass so much faster and are more fun!

When I say Kami and I ran side by side, this is what I mean...Photo: Jesse @ Montrail

The trails were awesome! They rolled up and down but no incline was so steep it couldn't be run. If I powerhiked it was a for a very short stretch before I either got back some energy or peaked at the top of the hill to run down. As I bowled along I suddenly felt like I was easing ahead of Kami. Before I had been ahead of her or she ahead of me but we were always at the same pace. Now I could feel that without intentionally meaning to I was pulling a little ahead. I decided to use this and make a break. We had 30km to go, she may well still catch me but if I could get a lead now and maintain it, it could help if I tired later on.

The aid stations were excellent. By now, although I was energized, I was tired and so having aid stations every 5 miles or so I simply ran from one to the next. I would pause, get on board some coke and chips and energy drink, and carry on. If I ever I was tempted to stay long or hike a hill, I didn't dare - I had no clue how close, or far behind, Kami was. As I got into the last 20km and then 10km, I was working hard. My legs felt like they were seizing but I just kept pushing knowing that every step I took and the faster I took it, the closer I was getting to the finish line at Auburn. I'd been keeping an eye on my Garmin for pace and knew I was doing ok but I was also aware that I was bound to slow on the steep hill in the final 2 to 3 miles. At this point, the views were fantastic, I was passing a few men, and people were encouraging me at the aid stations but I really took little of this in. It was head down and push forward. I had to laugh as I had seen photos of this section of the course from when my friends Leslie and Keith had run it a few weeks prior, and although I was enjoying myself I could only think how much more they must have enjoyed it as a leisurely training run and having the opportunity to soak up the surroundings.

The final hill came, and not a moment too soon. I had been told that about 1/4mile was a hike and the rest was runnable, which was great info to have and pretty spot on, I even thought that the 1/4 mile was short! In the runnable section (now I'd hit tarmac again) I would walk a few steps only to force myself to run - get this done, and don't let Kami catch you! Scott Jaime was just in eyesight in his Pearl Izumi t-shirt ahead, I looked up and just focused on not losing ground on him. For the final 2 miles there were mile markers which seemed 2 miles part, but as I hit the final 1/2 mile I knew I was near the finish as I could hear the hubbub of the finish line. By now it was flat, so it was push to the line and - wow! 6:25:42. I was done. Kami came in 9 minutes later looking much more calm and collected. I soon realised why the last section had been so tough, being unused to heat I had not taken on enough salts and was seizing seriously. Without wanting to seem too much like a prima-dona I was escorted to the massage table by 3 men helping me with my gear etc. I knew I had to get electroltyes back on so before I got on the table I downed some coconut water. Felling a little better I now tried to get off my shoes and that was when all agony broke lose in my right calf - aaaaaaargh! Well, if I was going to cramp big time, having someone to hold me up and a massage therapist to work my calf was a good time to do it. Needless to say the massage wasn't pleasant but was definitely just what I needed (along with lots of salts and liquids).

RD Julie ensuring there were no collapsed runners at the finish line! Photo: Bob@ Drymax

I am really happy with my time. It is good marker to see where I am at and I have never run a 50-miler this early in the year. It's great as a marker for Comrades and Western coming up, and a big lesson in running in warmer temperatures (because I am fully aware that it wasn't actually anything like hot!). It was also great experience to run side by side with a competitor for so many miles, great mental training and experience, as well as an absolute pleasure to share the experience with Kami.

So as I reward if you have read this far - for winning AR50 I received one awesome pair of Montrail trail shoes!! Fair to say I already have a few pairs so if anyone would like them just post a comment 'shoes please!'. If you make a comment without that, I'll assume you don't want them :) 'Shoes please!' comments must be posted by 6pm MT Friday 15th, and I'll then post who won them. They can be any current model, mens or ladies and any size - your pick! Pics will be added to this post shortly - but for now, I gotta go run (literally!)

With fellow Brit/ N. American Ian Sharman (4th male). You can tell that Bob @ Drymax socks took this photo - our feet are in it perfectly, yet Ian has lost the tops of his head ;)

Chuckanut 50km Race Report

2011-03-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

This year was my 3rd consecutive year of racing Chcukanut 50km in Bellingham, Washington. It is a great early season race, a test of fitness to see where I am at and with a super competitive field and lots of friends always taking part, so all in all one fun-filled trail race weekend.

The day before the race I was up early and flew with a friend from Calgary, landing into Vancouver by 9.30am. We spent the day catching up with friends over coffee and lunch and leisurely walking around the city until we met Susan and Mike who we car pooled with down to Bellingham. Although we could have driven down the morning of the race it was nice not to worry about border line ups and getting up quite so early on race morning, plus there were 10 of us crashing at a friends lake side second home just 15minutes from the race start which made for a social weekend.

I had had a cold in the 10 days or so before the race and had been getting over the worse of it before the flight to Vancouver. On the flight my ears were popping all over the place and by the middle of the day they were getting worse; I couldn't un-pop them, I was getting pretty deaf in one ear and it was turning into serious ear ache, hmm - not what I had hoped for and if it carried on this way I was worried it would affect my balance when running, aside from the fact that I was begining to feel a little spaced out. So Jason and I stopped in at a pharmacy and I got dosed up, something I usuall prefer not to do but within half an hour I was beginning to feel a little better so I was glad that I did.

For pre-race dinner we all hit the grocery store deli and got stocked up, it's a great way for everyone to get something they want pre-race and nice and quick and easy rather than eating out. By just after 10 we were in bed with multiple alarms set for 6am.

Getting to the start line about an hour before the race was ideal; time to collect our bibs, hit the washroom, say hello to lots of familiar faces and do general last minute prep. Last year I came 2nd at Chuckanut by 13 seconds, I knew Susannah Beck was not racing this year but even so there would be plenty of competition - namely Darcy Africa and Jenn Shelton. Of course Darcy and Jenn are names I have heard off for years but I had never raced either of them and to be honest I knew little of their racing resumes. No matter, I always believe you just have to run your own race and whilst be aware of the competition not let it influence the way you race too much.

Montraileeees: with Geoff Roes

As RD Krissy Moehl coutned down to the start we were off behind a lead pack of 20 or so men who were pretty much a who's who of North American ultra running...Geoff Roes, Scott Jurek, Erik Skaggs, Tim Olson, Joe Grant, Aaron Heidt, Yassine Diboun, Adam Campbell ... I could go on, but you get the picture ... and I got the idea that us ladies should hold back of these guys! Immediately Jenn, Darcy and I were running together and introducing ourselves to each other. First we were in a little pack and then we were 3 abreast, chatting along and I was enjoying sharing the trail with them.

RD & amazing ultra runner; Krissy Moehl

Chuckanut starts and ends with 10kms on the flat, non-technical interurban trail. As we drew into the first station at 10km I consciously decided to carry on right through. I had my Nathan pack and shot bloks so didn't intend on using the aid stations for anything more than some coke and chips in the later stages. As I moved through I got a little ahead of Darcy and Jenn, and hoped that I could gain a lead; with hills not being my strong point I didn't really want to be running side by side them and feeling pressured on the climbs. I moved up the inclines and could still see Darcy behind me. A few men were in eye sight ahead and they carried on running as I moved to a powerhike. This didn't concern me too much - I powerhike more readily than lots of runners and I'm pretty fast at it, plus I could feel the effects of my cold on my breathing and just couldn't run some of the climbs. As the climbs progressed I really felt I should be running more than I was and was conscious that Darcy and Jenn were likely still hot on my heels, so I struggled on up, ran as much as I could and I realised that I was going to have to use the downhills and the flats if I was to maintain a lead.

I came blasting down into an aid station just before a sustained climb up a fire road and to my pleasant suprise had caught Topher (CEO, Mountain Hardwear) and Scott Jurek. Again, I didn't stop at the station but moved onto the fire road, knowing this was going to be tough. I tried to keep up with Topher as Scott pulled a little ahead but mixed running and powerhiking and slipped slowly back. I stole a couple of glaces back, convinced that Darcy and/ or Jenn must be gaining on me - but they weren't there. As I approached the top of the climb there was a scattering of fresh snow on the sides of the trails and a wind blew through but I was still glad that I had ditched my jacket earlier as the sun was coming out too.

With the fire road done there is a mix up ups and down and more technical trail. The highlight of Chuckanut course has got to be the ridge trail, I stole a few side glances at the awesome views down into the ocean and skipped along the undulating trail. I was totally alone at this stage - I had lost Topher and Scott ahead of me and I wanted to catch them, if for no other reason that I didn't want Darcy or Jenn to catch me from behind.

The main final climb is Chinscraper, famed for being a gruelling climb. To be honest, I think it's not as bad as it's made out to be - at the worse it is a 15 to 20 min powerhike interspersed with running on the flatter sections, and I didn't feel bad hiking quite a bit as some sections are so steep that trying to run them would gain little time for a lot of effort. Up, up, up, a quick smile for Glenn who always takes photos on this section and soon the uphill grind was over - yay! Before starting up Chinscraper someone had said that I was 24th overall, but I was more concerned that I had no idea how close or far back the other women were so I knew I now just had to push the downhills and the flat interurban to the finish in case they were close. I powered down the fire road and love this section; wide, non-technical and down, down, down, getting time in the bag. So I rolled out at the aid station before the final 10km along the interurban and could once again see Topher and Scott just ahead. A quick pit-stop for some coke and I was off. My garmin read 3h29min - ok, 50mins to get the CR and I'd run 44min on this section on the way out. I passed Topher and Scott who encouraged me along and on the long straight section ahead I could see several guys spaced at intervals of about 100m apart ahead of me; moving targets and I was going to get them! This is when my garmin came in useful, I could glance down and see I was clocking about 4m10s per km, good enough to get CR but I couldn't slack too much. However it was also painful to feel how slow some of the kms were going as I literally counted them down one by one. Of course the CR was pulling me to the finish line but also the fact that I had no idea where the other women were behind me pushed me along too, I didn't want to get passed so close to the finish when I might run out of trail. But I was safe as I pulled back into Fairhaven Park and enjoyed the hundred metres or so of downhill tarmac to the finish line - 4:12:22! Female CR!

Jenn Shelton, Darcy Africa and I heading out on the Interurban. Photo: Glenn Tachiyama

All in all, a better race than last year. I was 7 minutes faster and ran a smarter race as went out faster so had enough left at the end but not too much. It might also we worth noting that by running 7 minutes faster I moved up only one place in finishing positions from last year (16th overall from 17th overall) despite the general consensus that that course was a little muddier and therefore slower this year. Geoff Roes knocked 7mins off the mens CR and there seems no end to this race getting more competitive by the year. Bring on Chuckanut 2012!

Pacific North West trails at their best! Photo: Glenn Tachiyama

Fast, Female and Inspired

2011-03-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I took part in my first Fast & Female event since I became an ambassador for this great cause. Fast & Female was set up by Chandra Crawford, Olympic Gold medalist in Turin, and since it's inception 6 years ago the foundation has gone from strength to strength, now regularly hosting events all over North America. The idea of this not-for-profit foundation is to empower young women from ages 9 to 19 years old through sport. One day events are held with the aim to inspire young women to participate in sports, encourage them to lead a healthy and active lifestyle, and to foster confidence in their everyday lives.

So at Canmore Nordic Centre (cross country ski venue of the 1988 Calgary Olympics) the girls had a really fun day set up for them. The morning was spent out on the snow (and it was a gorgeous sunny, zero degree spring day) with national level female cross country skiers teaching them drills and helping them with ski techniques. With an awesome goodie bag for every participant it was great to see them all in their pink toques and pink t-shirts as they later cheered on some of the competitors at the National Cross Country Championships that were taking place that weekend.

As I was taking part in this event as an inspirational speaker I feared I might have a challenge getting their attention indoors for 45mins when I was sure they would prefer to still be outside skiing. But as I did my presentation (focusing mainly on perseverance in the context of my World 100km Championship win) they all listened on attentively and I was super impressed with their focus and interest, especially as I was talking about running to a group of mostly skiers. They had keen and relevant questions, and it was great to hear that some of them have already started running as an activity and to help with their ski training.

The afternoon was then filled with yoga and zumba dance so by the time the event was winding down it had been an action packed day for everyone involved.

With Fast & Female still expanding and developing in its set up, I can only recommend that you click on their logo to the right of my blog to find out more. If you know any young girls who get a chance to participate in an event, please encourage them to do so, or if you can get involved in volunteering or donating - it's an awesome cause.

My favourite question after my presentation had to be one that was asked with a small hand raised very politely and rather cautiously, in a quiet but interested little voice:

'Do you get butterflies in your stomach before you race?'

...and yes, I might not be 9 years old any more, but I still get butterflies before I race :)

... the butterflies will be flying this weekend. Roll on Chuckanut 50km in Bellingham!

Snowshoe-tastic!

2011-03-10T19:56:00.000-08:00

K-Country, Alberta

Best view in the house

I feel the need to start this post with the reassurance that I spend 99% of my working hours behind a desk, in front of a computer, plugging away on email and the phone doing various admin duties. I like my job...especially on the 1% of the time when I am not doing admin and get to go heli-snowshoeing!!!

It has been a snowshoeing themed week after I was contacted by the Canadian rep for Dion snowshoes who offered me a pair to trial. Yes please!!! I think Derrick had read my blog and thought, 'Wow, has this girl not learnt how to embrace Canadian winter yet? Get off that darn treadmill, get out of the gym and get yourself doing some snowshoe fun'. Afterall this is what real Canadians do to stay fit and have fun when their running trails are waist deep in the fluffy white stuff.

I am absolutely thrilled to have some Dion snowshoes, they are a running/ racing specific model so super leight weight yet durable and not heavy and cumbersome at all. I can tell that I will be running like a natural in them in no time. Plus it will be exciting to have another way to get a running workout in whilst adding some variety and embracing the wintery weather that we get for many months here in Banff.

And just when I thought snowshoeing could get no better I got the chance to really get off the beaten track this week with a FAM trip with Kananaskis Heli tours. Working for a tour operator we sell their products to our clients, and wow - I can only recommend them. 3 of us hopped in the heli for an outstandingly scenic 20 minute flight over the Rockies before landing on a frozen lake. There we strapped on our snowshoes and went for a little outing to track wildlife prints and just soak up the silence of the back country......

Not a bad day at the office.

Check out more details about Dion snowshoes at http://healthandadventure.com/dion-snowshoes/ or by clicking on the logo to the right of my blog. You can even by them online direct from the site

Or if snowshoe running is not up your street and heli-snowshoeing is a little more your cup of tea check out http://www.kheli.com

Calgary Marathon Style, Shoot & Run Contest!

2011-03-07T20:52:00.000-08:00

Want to win $100 worth of Running Room gift certificates? Well it's nice and easy and you have four chances over the next four weeks! This is an online photo contest being organised by Calgary Marathon, check out the details at http://calgarymarathon.com/ and then click on 'Contests & Promos'

Get you photo submitted by Sunday each week for a chance to win!

NEW Montrail Website!

2011-03-02T20:06:00.000-08:00

Just a quick shout out to remind you to check out the new Montrail website http://www.montrail.com/. For those of you unlucky enough not to be able to get Montrail shoes in your local running store yet lucky enough to live in the US you can now buy the loveliest, zippy-est trail shoes around direct on the website! For the Canadians out there, Montrails can be purchased online from trusty MEC http://www.mec.ca/

Where there's a Will there's a way...

2011-03-01T20:40:00.000-08:00

It would be fair to say that we're having a pretty serious winter in Banff this year. The snow came a little late but pretty much since January rolled around we have been in serious winter mode. Living in the Canadian Rockies this should come as no real suprise but even locals are remarking at just how cold and snowy it has been. Normally we get cold snaps of a few days and then the temperatures warm up again (relatively speaking) but this winter is has been more cold with a few warm snaps thrown in. Not the best running weather for sure!

This past weekend I wanted to get two long runs in and due to working in the week, long runs are either done at the weekend or not at all. On Sunday it was fairly mild (minus 15 or so, and yes I am serious when I say that is pretty mild!) and it was mostly sunny so perfectly ok to bundle up and head out onto the trails and roads for 4h30mins. Unfortunately Banff runners have been forced onto the roads more as with the recent snowstorms the trails are pretty inaccessible right now. There are always a few options like going up Sulphur mountain which is a well used trail so the snow is always packed down, but most trails around here see little human traffic so it's often a case of knee-deep exploration. So Sunday's run was ok - I was glad to be outside, I enjoyed the fresh air and I managed not to get too frustrated with the amount of snow on the trails.

Monday was a different matter. I woke up and it was a snow storm. Ok, I thought - I'm not planning to head out until the heat of the middle of the day so likely the snow will ease off. At about 11am I headed into town to run a few errands and that was enough of a mission: it was still minus 22, but that was before windchill and there was decent wind driving the snow right into my face. I hunkered down into my down jacket and trudged through the drifting snow on the sidewalk home. For while I considered doing 2hrs outside and then going to the gym to finish of my run but I think the point when I decided not to run outside at all was when I was seriously considering ski goggles and a headlamp (so traffic would see me through the blowing snow). Yeah, this was not going to be either fun workout or a quality workout.

So I trudged up to the gym (a friendly local stopped to offer me a ride the weather was that bad). I had one aim - beat my 2h30min treadmill PB!!!

Luckily as this was middle of the day Monday the gym was pretty quiet so I got all set up on my treadmill, it was kind of like getting the car ready for a long drive - everything within easy reach to make this as enjoyable as an experience as possible. Four bottles of water and Clif electrolyte drink, shot blocks, gels and the all important iPod (with fully charged battery). In I plugged myself and off I went.....

As I had run Frozen Ass 50km the week before which is a very flat course I had really wanted to be on the trails to get some elevation and variable terrain in the mix. Well, there might be no roots and rocks on a treadmill but I varied the pace and the incline and even threw in some very steep power hike hills to add to variety.

As the treadmill automatically times out after 30mins this nicely split the workout into manageable chunks as did switching my music every 30mins. It would also be worth noting that 2hr treadmill sessions have become pretty standard for me this winter so to try do a long run on the treadmill was less of a mental challenge for me that for someone who never runs on a treadmill. I had some good company with another woman who was on the treadmill next to me for over an hour, a definite sense of solidarity as I think we both knew that we weren't just running, we needed to run because we were training. There were also the demoralisaing companions who walked on the treadmill at a pace slower than a stroll, and they looked younger than me and not especially unfit. I just tried to ignore them as I ploughed on.

I did have to chuckle at myself as I chomped away on Clif shot blocks, tested out some gels and chugged back my fluids. I would say about 50% of the people in the gym I go to go in order to lose weight so what they thought of me happily muching away on all these calories I'm not sure! But who cares, I kept well fuelled and it was good to practice doing so, sometimes when it is so cold outside the temptation is to not stop to drink or eat so being in a warm gym was good to get back into that rotuine. I also figured that even if the gym was not super hot, it was a darn sight nearer the temperatures that I will be running in at Comrades and Western that it was outside!

So all in all, I plodded on, got a solid work out in and tumbled off the t-mill feeling still suprisingly sprighly 4hrs after I had got on. T-mill PB smashed!

Now please, could we just have some warmer weather please?

Frozen Ass 50km - kicking off the Ultra season

2011-02-21T18:03:00.000-08:00

So far I think I have been pretty lucky; today was my 2nd year of running Gord's Running Store Frozen Ass 50km in Calgary and both years the temperature has started out around minus 10 and crept up to just below zero - positively balmy for Alberta at this time of year!

I really love this event, it's so well organised, great sponsors, low entry fee and low-key atmosphere. Although big races are fun it's great also to have races like this that have less frills, less fanfare and are just about getting some miles in with some company.

I signed up only few weeks before once I knew I was pretty much over injury and could likely tackle the distance, but went in with a 'training race' head on. With Banff getting a tonne of snow this winter outdoor running has been challenging so I wanted to do Frozen Ass just to get training in.

However Calgary has received more than it's fair share of snow so far this winter too and as we set out along the bikepath at the edge of the canal it was clear that there would be very few sightings of tarmac today. The course is simple to the extreme - basically 25km straight out to an aid station, turn around and run back. It was kind of funny to watch us all at the start - whichever path through the snow you chose it looked like the runner ahead had a better path so we were zig-zagging from one side of the path to the other in search of the best route. This went on for the first few km and then I think we all realised that it was best just to pick a line and go for it. A couple of detours led us down onto the ice-covered canal and after one everyone just decided to stay down on the canal where footing was better than up on the snow and wind blown bike path. So for a good few kms we ran along the frozen surface with nothing but snowy canal and bluebird blue sky in sight, it was so so pretty. I had put my yak-trax in my drop bag at the turn around but was glad not to use them. I find yak-trax great if the trail is 100% snow covered but there were a few breaks where we hit tarmac which is not good to run in yak-trax and I was getting great traction with my Montrail Rockridges.

With just over 100 runners in the event there were a few guys within eyesight and it was good to strike up some conversation as we ploughed on towards Chestermere Lake. A few kms before the turn around we all popped back up onto the bike path, this section of which was totally bare. Ahhhhhhhh...it was so nice to be able to pick up the pace a little and cruise into the aid station. Angela, a Calgary runner I know, was there volunteering and helped me with my drop bag (thank you Angela!) and I took on some coke at the aid station. Gord pretty much leaves the stocking of the aid stations to the volunteers so each have their own speciality and at this one I was glad to have the excuse 'I'm vegetarian' when I turned down a peanut butter and bacon tortilla (though other racers later reported that they were actually really good!).

Turning around at 25km I was just over the 2hr mark. I hoped I could pick it up a little to squeeze under 4hrs for the finish, my time from last year was 3:47 but I knew I'd not got quite as many long runs in this year and didn't want to race this event hard, it was just about getting some miles in.

The lead guy was way ahead but I felt confident I could catch some other men and this became my target for the return trip. It was also great to have the company of runners still on the outward direction as we all cheered each other along. I know lots of people don't like out and back routes, and although they are not always the most exciting I tend to find that the return trip goes by pretty quickly as you are already familiar with all the little twists and turns and landmarks.

All was going well and I passed a few guys and steadily gaining on Carl, a Calgary-Brit who I had met at pretty much exactly the same point last year. I was glad to have Carl to follow on the one section that detours off the bike path for a few hundred metres. With only 8km to go it wasn't essential that I stopped at the aid station but I decided to as it was a usual dry Alberta day and I knew keeping fluids up would help for the final stretch. So I stopped momentarily at the station only to see a freight train approching, the bar come down, Carl nip underneath it and me be left waiting on the other side. Aaargh!!!! Oh well, I waited out the few minutes, used the time to take on some more Clif drink and then set out again once the bar was up - trying once again to regain all the distance I had gained on Carl and then lost with the train passing!

The last few kms were a steady push and with about 5km to go I passed Carl and kept moving. Although I wasn't overly bothered if he beat me I also decided I'd prefer to come 2nd overall - which I would if I could stay ahead of him. The last few kms were particularly icy packed snow so it was by no means a sprint finish but I managed to keep up my pace to squeeze in under 4hrs - 3:58, 2nd overall and first female.

Massive congrats to Ian who ran 3:39 - a pretty darn fast time for the conditions underfoot and the time of year.

And a big thanks to Gord and all the vollies - once again a great event and the only event where I think I have ever eaten my race entry in Dominos pizza at the post-race buffet :)

http://www.gordsrunningstore.com/frozen_ass.htm

Pacific Road Runners 'First Half' Half Marathon

2011-02-16T19:50:00.000-08:00

Ok, I am going to have to change the name of this blog, 'Trail Running Tales' is getting stretched a little thin when I am posting about road half marathons. I would by and large call myself a trail ultra runner, but why then did I find myself at the start line of a road half marathon this past weekend? Many reasons! An excuse for a trip back to Vancouver, the race is (in my humble opinion) the best half marathon in Vancouver, I hadn't run a proper half for 3yrs, and importantly ... leg speed. I have seen many road runners cross over to trail running and after a few months wonder why they are getting slower. My answer would be that on moving to the trails runners can get slower as they hike the hills, move over technical terrain and often start running longer distances. So one reason I like to still run roads and throw in some short races is I think it can help maintain all out leg speed which is invaluable even in trail ultras.

Race day was perfect - the torrential rain of the day prior stopped entirely, it was a mild 7 degrees and very little wind. After the usual pre-race brekkie of a cup of tea, a bagel and a banana I headed down to the race start at the Roundhouse Community Centre in Yaletown. I got there about an hour before the race but already there were lots of familiar faces milling around especially in the form of PRR club members who volunteer and organise the entire race. Bag check done, washroom visit - check, and I headed outside about 20min before the race to escape the crowds (about 2000 runners compete in the race).

I had been lucky enough to get an elite entry so was near the front of the race start next to friends Johnnie A and Dave Papineau. Soon we were off and I was careful to monitor my speed to try keep a 3:47/km (or 6:06/ mile) to go for a sub 1h20min finish. It was going to be a careful balance as I was not really sure of what tiem I was capable of running but thought 1h20 seemed reasonable, despite being 3.5mins faster than my PB. I checked my pace with my garmin as I knew that this being a shorter race than I was used to I had no time to lose a few seconds here or there but also if I went too fast I would fry my legs too soon.

I was a little daunted to be side by side with Kristina Rody who is a road speedster, but felt ok that I was just behind Dave and Johnnie. Kristina said something that implied that she was not on top form so I felt a little more confident to run with her and soon move a little ahead. The first mile was a little fast but everyone questioned if the marker was spot on or a little short, plus with their being a gradual downhill in the first mile I was not too concerned. Another female who I didn't recognise pulled slightly ahead but I let her go, maintained my pace, and hoped to catch her later.

It was great to pass each aid station as I knew PRRers on each one so was buoyed along by their cheers and encouragement. As I passed English Bay bathhouses and climbed a slight up hill I saw John Hill - VFAC coach - another club I used to belong to in Vancouver. I shouted out to John cheerily, 'I have no idea what I am doing here' - meaning was my pace right? could I maintain this? but John called out that I looked relax and at this early stage (probably about 4 miles) I certainly felt comfortable. As we moved onto the Stanley Park seawall I looked up to absorb the harbour views and ocean air that I miss so much, but as this caused me to swerve a little too close to the edge fo the seawall, I pulled my focus back to the race - I didn't want to go for an impromptu swim in the ocean!

One of the great things about the seawall is despite twists and turns you can see quite a long way ahead. My pace seemed steady but I was gradually passing a few men and not being passed by anyone. At the start I had not been sure what ladies had gone out ahead of me, I thought that I was in 3rd place but wasn't sure until I could see the lead female bike a ways ahead with Lisa Harvey (Calgary) in the lead. Ok, she was ahead and I could see the other woman too but the distance was not so far so I knew I could still hopefully move up in terms of position. As I passed half way John called out my finishing time of 1:20:30 (I think) based on the pace I was at, I took note of this but not seriously - I was moving at a pace that felt right and didn't want to pick it up too soon.

As we came around the full circle of the seawall I moved from 3rd to 2nd and I was gaining on the lead bike. But then to my dismay I saw a baby pink toque ahead - who was that?! As I gained on the pink toque I began to study the very toned legs more closely - and as I passed I called out to Sparky, 'geez - I thought you were a girl for a good few minutes there!' Now I was close enough to Lisa Harvey to know for sure that I was in 2nd. I passed Dave Stephens (gulp, he's fast!) and Johnnie A (he can still get sub 1h20 I thought) and was now right behind Lisa. My friend Chloe was lead female bike; the week before the race she had emailed me to tell me that and to jokingly ask 'So what pace do you want to go at?'! I had told her - Ellie might win races, but no road half marathons :) I could now see Chloe checking over her shoulder with a grin on her pace like it was 'told you so!'. I crept past Lisa and took the lead. There are many runners I am not phased to pass but Lisa, although in her mid-40s, is a former Olympian and had far more road and race experience than I even will. She looked tired as I passed her (I later found out she was fighting a bug) but even so - I now knew I just had to push the final 3 miles to the finish as who knew what Lisa would pull out of the bag, or indeed what other females might be gaining on me.

I trailed along behind Chloe, now at 10 miles I just hoped I could cling on for the final 3.1. I lack experience to know what pace I could hold but I so didn't want to lose the lead now I had taken it. I might have imagined it but I thought I saw Chloe on her radio, and I figured that if she was radio-ing the finish line to tell them that I was in the lead There was no way I could let my PRRers down now! I came past the English Bay aid station again and glimpsed some friends, but now it was head down and push the pace. With one final haul up a short hill under the Granville Street bridge and I was on the home, and slightly downhill, stretch. Normally I never look back during a race but in that final section I stole a few backwards glimpses to check that no females were on my heels. Brian and Dave were right ahead of me but there was no chance I was going to catch them - and at this moment in time that didn't concern me. I just wanted the win and it was fantastic to cross the line with so many friends there. 1:18:47 - 1st place female! PB by 4m46secs!

I am so happy with my race. Having started the year injured I have worked hard to get over injury and line up at the First Half in decent shape. I knew a PB was on the cards but not to the extent of running 1:18 something! I'll take the win and enjoy it, even though I know it is a slow winning time for the race and that lots of females did not make the start line for one reason or another. A great way to start off the racing season...and racing season is now coming thick and fast - Frozen Ass 50km next up - on Monday!

And on a final note - a big shout out to all of PRR for once again organising a superb race!

www.pacificroadrunners.ca/firsthalf

Fast & Female Ambassador

2011-01-27T20:45:00.000-08:00

In the words of Chandra Crawford, Fast & Female founder and 2006 Olympic cross country ski medallist, 'At Fast & Female girls aged 9 to 19 years build confidence and leadership through exciting sporting events'. One of the great things about living in the Bow Valley is that there are world class athletes, cross country skiers in particular, who call Canmore or Banff home. They live here, they train here and they inspire children here to follow in their footsteps. So I feel pretty honoured to have been asked to be an Ambassador for Fast & Female - especially as I am the first ultra running Ambassador to date!

Fast & Female host events all over Canada as well as some in the US where the aim is that the events are inspirational, innovative and have an impact on the personal and athletic development of young girls primarily in cross country skiing but also in biathlon and complementary summer enduro-sports. The events are fun days - a mix of skiing, presentations, yoga and dance. I will be speaking at the Canadian 2011 Cross Country Ski Festival in Canmore on March 13th for my first Fast & Female event. As well as being such great events one of the things that I think is just as important is the full day costs just $15 making the day very accessible and non-elitist. Plus coaches and parents can attend too and participate in parts of the day themselves to better help them to support their young female athletes.

So check out more information about the Fast & Female events by clicking on their logo to the right handside of my blog, or www.fastandfemale.com

Sundog Eyewear

2011-01-19T20:46:00.000-08:00

I am really excited to have been approached by Sundog Eyewear and come on board as one of their Athletes! Of course, if I still lived in rainy Vancouver this sort of sponsorship might not have proved so useful, but being in bluebird blue sky Banff, sunglasses - even when it's minus 30 in January - are essential!

I visited their Calgary offices the other day and had my eyes opened (literally) to the world of sports sunglasses. It always amazes me the work that goes into products that we use on a daily basis yet never really think too much about. One of the trademark technologies of Sundog is Mela-Lens which is basically like the melanin in your skin that protects you from HEV & UV light, and overall reduces glare and reduces stress on the eyes. With races like Comrades in sunny South Africa and Western States in sun-drenched California, becoming part of the Sundog Eyewear team could not have come at a better time.

Check out some of the details at http://www.sundogeyewear.com/, and I'll be posting some reviews just as soon as I've had a chance to get out running in the sun and snow!

New & Improved for 2011

2011-01-19T19:23:00.000-08:00

This blog post is to announce that the 2010 version of Ellie has been discontinued and will no longer be available. We are excited to announce the New & Improved version for 2011! The 2011 model features core strength, regular physio and massage visits, improved running form, and glutes and hamstrings that will power the legs forward with increased efficiency (thus easing up the strain on the SI and reducing the work on the quads). Wow! This new model is currently making it's first major trial runs on the roads of Banff and the treadmills at Sally Borden Fitness Centre.

It had taken close to two months to develop this new model, with refinements and improvements continuing to be made by the day. It's a work in progress but we are sure you will be impressed with the results! Of course it has not been plain sailing in the development of this product; several minor set backs were encountered and not all changes resulted in immediate improvement. A lot of patience and hard work was required, but through trial and error, as well as working through niggles that arose along the way we are pleased with the product as it stands at present. This is not a final product, the team continue to assess the performance by the day, monitor the outcome of adjustments and most importantly of all continually question and monitor the impact of new introductions and practices.

Results of the current model include:

- 2 x 90min treadmill runs

- Running approx 5 days a week

- Minimal walk breaks

- Initial attempts at bringing some speed back (these are still very much preliminary results as the focus has been on slow, steady running)

- Runs without physio taping (though taping has proved successful in ensuring correct running form and will be continued, at least to a certain extent, for some time)

The official unveiling of the New & Improved Ellie will be in just over 3 weeks time at the First Half Half Marathon (Vancouver, BC).

For more information regards this Press Release, please post a comment to this blog.

With special thanks in the development of the New & Improved Ellie to Hugh Simson (Action Motion Physiotherapy, Banff, AB)

A Little Race Schedule for 2011!!!

2011-01-03T15:50:00.000-08:00

As I am still recovering from injury and hobbling along with short runs, gym sessions and physio exercises a lot that has kept me going is the exciting line up of races I have for 2011. I have a lot to get better for :) Body and mind permitting I'll be at some awesome start lines this year and I can't wait for the new experiences that they will bring. I'm sure I'll also be slipping in some other races throughout the year but here are the key races so far.....

- Feb 13th, First Half Half Marathon, Vancouver, BC.

This is organised by one of my former running clubs, Pacific Road Runners, so it will be great to see lots of familiar faces and hopefully post a solid time (injury permitting)www.pacificroadrunners.ca/firsthalf/

- March 19th, Chuckanut 50km, Bellingham, WA
I have raced Chuckanut twice and I love this event. Typically a stellar line up of racers yet a low key atmosphere is maintained. Pacific Northwest trails at their best - great forests, great views, and I might be one of the few - but I love the out and back, fast n flat, interurban section at the start and finish!
http://web.me.com/krissymoehl/Chuckanut_50k/Welcoem.html

- April 9th, American River 50miler, Sacramento, CA

I keep saying I'll race more in the US so threw this one in as from what I hear I think it's my kind of course (in otherwords, non-technical and fast!) Part of the Montrail ultracup series so good racers often show up and wil be fun to hit some totally new terrain.

www.ar50mile.com

- May 29th, Comrades 89km, Durban to Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
I've heard about this race for years and can't believe I'll be there for 2011! 18, 000 racers, run every year since 1921, all tarmac, it's an uphill year, and hey - I love road racing and ultras so it seemed like a no brainer. Heat training may be required.....
www.comrades.com

- June 25th, Western States 100 mile Endurance Run, Squaw Valley, CA

My first 100miler and I've always sworn anyone crazy to do Western as their first 100miler, but there I will be to see if I can run 100miles! Absolutely stoked to be racing Squaw Valley to Auburn, I'll be training seriously hard for this and pinching every bit of advice I can get from anyone and everyone. I've already got an awesome crew and pacer. Again, some heat training in the sauna will be required, because it's going to be a little warmer in those canyons than in Banff.
www.ws100.com

- September 9th, World 100km Championships, Winschoeten, Netherlands
One thing that kept me going at the Worlds in 2010 was I swore I never wanted to run 100km on tarmac again. But a few weeks later, with painful memories already fading, I knew I had to tackle the distance again. I like to think I can improve on my Gibraltar time and if there is a place to do it it's on this course (10 x 10km loops, fast, flat, lots of supporters). And before you ask ... I'll be on Team GB :)
www.runwinschoten.nl

- October 15th, North Face 50miler, Santiago, Chile!
My prize for winning Canadian Death Race in 2010 was an expenses paid trip to any TNF race in the world. Wow! So I'll be running 50miles in the Andes, and of course I'll be racing, but more than that I'll be soaking up this experience on my first trip to South America and I think I'll find space in my nathan pack for my camera! Definitely more for the fun and the experience rather than racing my guts out.
www.ultramaratondelosandes.cl

So with that said, I'm off to try run for 56mins - my physio prescribed run for the day. I am being patient and not pushing it as I know I need to get back into running easy if I want to make these start lines this year. Although it's tempting to push it, I know ultimately that would be likely to set me back further. One step at a time to make it to these races...

Wishing you all a fun-filled year of running!
Ellie

Empowered U - Banff Community Evening

2011-01-03T12:08:00.000-08:00

In November I had the pleasure of speaking at Lululemon Athletica Banff, a great community store who do lots to get things moving and happening in the Bow Valley. They will be hosting another community evening, this time about goal setting. Details are below. Come along, bring a friend and if you need more info contact Tom at tsouthee@lululemon.com

We are on the cusp of yet another new year… and with each passing year change is inevitable. This is often a time when one begins searching for purpose or direction. Goals give you this sense of direction in all areas of your life. They are a source of passion and purpose. Join Lindsey Williams, Leadership Instructor and Coach, for an evening of discussion and goal setting strategies to empower you to define who you are and set a clear vision for where you want to go.

When: Tuesday January 18th from 8-9pm.
Where: lululemon athletica Banff. In-store

Snowflakes and Smiles on the Road to Recovery

2010-12-28T20:13:00.000-08:00

Today I ran for 9 minutes, walked for one. I repeated that 3 times. I am ecstatic! It was a dark and snowy run. It was about minus 5 as I headed out after work and ran listening to the crunch of the snow under my feet and seeing the street lights reflect off the bright white snow. And I ran for total 27 minutes!! Yes, you are reading the right blog, Ellie the ultra trail runner is ecstatic with a 27 minute road run :) Since getting injured (SI joint) about a month ago I have not been able to run at all until last week. Instead it has been regular physio sessions, twice daily physio exercises and the stepper and recumbent bike at the gym. It's been easier than it would have been at any other time of year as I had planned to take December as an easy month anyway but to go from running almost daily to no running at all has not been fun! Skiing has been my saviour to at least somehow be able to get outside and enjoy the mountain air.

Last Wednesday, about 30mins after getting the ok from the physio, I was trying my first run on the treadmill. 1 minute run, 1 minute walk. 5 times. It was slow, it was painful and it was frustrating after all the work I had put in to heal fast. But having stuck to my run schedule I am seeing I can now run 27mins in less pain than I could run 5 minutes in just 7 days ago - yay! After my first attempt at running on the treadmill I have done all my runs outside, at first I thought this would be frustrating to head out of the door for a run to come back less than 30 minutes later but at least it seems like a real run rather than a painful treadmill session.

So if all things carry on going well then I hope to be running for one full hour in a weeks time! Of course, I am sure there will be set backs and there is still some pain when running and it is hardly at a killer pace but at least it is moving in the right direction. My first race of 2011 is a half marathon in Vancouver in mid-February. I had hoped to get some short fast work outs in the try improve my half marathon time, and there is still some chance of that, but if not it will be a race for the fun of it and I'll just be glad to be back racing!

My 14 day schedule, of which I am now on day 7, has been:

Day 1 - 1min run, 1 min walk, x 5 = 10mins

Day 2 - rest

Day 3 - 2min run, 1 min walk, x 5 = 15mins

Day 4 - 3min run, 1 min walk, x 5 = 20mins

Day 5 - rest

Day 6 - 4min run, 1min walk, x 5 = 25mins

Day 7 - 9min run, 1min walk, x 3 = 30mins

Day 8 - 9min run, 1min walk, x 4 = 40mins

Day 9 - rest

Day 10 - 14min run, 1min walk, x 3 = 45mins

Day 11 - 20min run

Day 12 - 9min run, 1min walk, x 5 = 50mins

Day 13 - 14min run, 1min walk, x 4 = 60mins

Day 14 - rest

Ellie's Gear of the Year 2010

2010-12-10T18:40:00.000-08:00

In 2009 Montrail's Mountain Masochist won Gear of the Year award from Outside Magazine, and ever since then has consistently left the shelves of Canadian running stores and hit the trails within days of arriving in the store. I know lots of friends who always stock up on Masochists each time they visit the States as they are like gold dust in Canada. Well here are some of my picks for Gear of the Year from the Montrail and Mountain Hardwear line ups from 2010 (it's a hard job to have to test out awesome gear but someone has to do it ....)

Run Jacket
I LOVE the geist jacket. Small enough and light enough to stuff in a pack or tie around your waist, yet warm enough to keep out a chill and block out the wind. My go-to running jacket for a wide range of temperatures. Great reflective pattern that is subtle yet higly visible. Nice ventilation and pockets to keep the essentials safe.

Trail Shoes

The Rockridges are a super all round shoe. I happily wear them on road to get to the trails yet they'll take a fair amount of abuse from some pretty gnarly trails too. Light weight, roomy toe box and you forget you are even wearing them (a sure sign of a good shoe). Can handle lots of miles. If you like these, look out for the Montrail Fairhavens for Spring 2011, another great all rounder that is designed for both road and trail, and lets face it - we all have to run on a bit of tarmac from time to time!

Run Tights

It can get pretty darn chilly in the Canadian Rockies so winter running in shorts is just not on even for the toughest of runners (please, I don't want anyone to try prove me wrong!) I love MHW's Super Power Tight as they are snug without being too skin-fitting tight, they have good length so no chilly ankles come popping out and they are basic and black, which to be honest, might not be exciting but let's not bring attention to ourselves when running in spandex!
After Run Jacket

It's so pretty! It's so cosy! It's the MHW Nitrous down jacket! The Nitrous is not a heavy down jacket but ideal for those slightly chilly days when you need something quick to warm up in after a run. It packs down small so I often take it in my pack in case the weather turns nasty mid run. And it looks great for everyday wear too!

So there are my favourite run peices of 2010, maybe a few ideas of what to buy your favourite runner for Christmas! http://www.mountainhardwear.com/

Happy trails,

Ellie x

Socks: the Worst Christmas Gift?

2010-12-10T18:04:00.000-08:00

Socks are typically one of those Christmas gifts where you think someone is seriously lacking in imagination if they buy them for you. But not all socks are created equal and I think I will be finding this out more in the next few months of running as I test out all the various types of socks in the Drymax range. I had the chance to get some samples and as they fell out of the package that arrived in the mail yesterday I wanted to get them right on and test the Cold Weather Running ones out in the snow, just too bad I'm injured right now! So maybe instead I'll hit the stepper or the recumbent bike in the gym and try out a pair of Hot Weather Running socks or Running Lite Mesh socks...there are just so many different sorts tailored for every running environment possible I'll have to be doing lots of runs to try them all out.

I used to wear any old socks I found in my drawer but as I moved to one or two favourite pairs I realised that this meant not all socks are created equal. On moving to Banff I certainly learnt that you can't confortably run in the same socks all year round - minus 30 to plus 30 and even the feet feel the difference. I'm particularly looking forward to trying the Drymax Cold Weather socks after I got frost nip on my ankles when running the other week in snow (with the wrong socks on). I'll also be keen to try out the Maximum Protection Running socks which are specifically designed for us ultrarunners: I'd never thought of the importance of different socks for different lengths of run until I wore the Team GB kit issued socks at the Worlds. Initially I thought I wouldn't like them as they were to thick - but after 100km of tarmac pounding I was so glad of that extra cushioning to help protect my all important toes.

Anyway, if you are looking for Christmas gift ideas this year for that hard to please person....maybe some Drymax running socks will be the best gift they could receive! Click on their link on the right hand side of my blog to learn more...

Next blog post for you Christmas shoppers will be my favourite Montrail and Mountain Harwear pieces of 2010!

Skipping a race, riding the recumbent bike, it can only mean one thing........Injured!

2010-12-06T20:07:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday was TNF Endurance Challenge 50 miler at Marin Headlands in California. With a $10, 000 pay day for the win and not bad earnings for 2nd and 3rd place either the sign up list soon become an all star role call of North American, and some European, ultra runners. Given I was racing the World 100km roads 4 weeks prior TNF would not be a key race but I couldn't resist signing up to pit myself against some serious competition and to hit some new trails.

After Worlds I took a full week off running, I was in the UK with family and friends so plenty to do and I squeezed in one awesome hour road run in Tower Bridge area of London before jumping on the plane back to Banff. Within 2 days of being back in Banff winter and flu season hit with avengance. It was minus 35, I had a cough, a runny nose, I ached and had headaches and an unsettled stomach. It was all I could do to stagger into work, sit at my desk and stagger home again. On a few better days I began gym season and got some good short runs in on the treadmill, some elliptical work outs and even did some swimming and weights, which I notoriously avoid. I got over the worst of my cold and got some hill work in - a trip up Sulphur mountain in the snow and some steep inclines on the treadmill.

The weekend before the race I decided to do another trip up Sulphur - nice and easy but just get some hill memory back in the legs. I hiked/ ran up to the base of the trail from my house and began to feel a nagging pain in my SI. I had felt tiny (and I mean tiny) twinges once or twice the week prior but now it was much more intense. Having had this injury before and it being the only injury that has ever stopped me from running entirely, I relucatantly made the call to head downhill and home. Downhill hurt more so it was a long slow walk home (and I was super glad to have stuffed my MHW nitrus down jacket in my pack!)

As soon as I was home I messaged two Banff friends both of whom recommended the same physio and I got an appointment for the Monday, 2 days later. Until Monday I couldn't walk the 10mins into town and got the bus instead. I got a taxi to my physio appointment. This wasn't looking good. Hugh worked wonders and sent me away with some exercises and optimism that I shouldn't cancel race plans yet. Wednesday saw another physio appointment and on Thursday I flew to San Francisco hopeful I may still be able to race.

Friday was a fun day spent at the Mountain Hardwear offices in Richmond with other Montrail runners. It was great to meet more of the team and talk about exciting Montrail and Mountain Hardwear product developments (ssshhhh, it's secret!) In late afternoon Ryne, Jackie, Kristin and I headed iout to the hostel which was right by the race start. Before we headed out to pick up groceries I decided I better see if I could run for 5 minutes, afterall it's one thing to drop out of an ultra but I'd look damn stupid dropping out only 5 minutes into a 50 miler! I ran on the grass , first on the flat and then testing a very short incline as I suspected that downhills would be the worst. After less than a minute I knew I couldn't race. Ryne told me to run 20 feet without limping, I focused on my breathing but I couldn't run without a limp. I contemplated running on the toe of my right foot but then figured this wasn't really feasible for 50 miles. I considered side stepping down hill, but again figured that this method would be far too slow! Basically I so wanted to race I was willing to consider anything but I shook Ryne's hand, gave Jackie a hug and agreed not to race.

The next morning I woke at 3.30am as Jackie was racing the 50 miler and Kristin the 50km. Just to be sure the vitamin I of the night prior had not performed supersonic miracles I went out to try abother run. It was 4am, it hurt, and in the pitch black with my headlamp and few sounds. I knew that more than wanting to race I just wanted to run. 8 days with no running and I was craving a run.

What can I say? I am disappointed, Ryne (who was ill) and I hiked up to Pirates Cove to cheer on runners and then went to offer any aid to our friends running through Bootjack and just glimpsing the trails made me want to go explore the course. But I am putting this in proportion - lots of other runners were ill or injured too so this made a bitter pill easier to swallow (Devon C-H & Tracy Garneau didn't start, Krissy Moehl dropped) as I was not the only one on the sidelines. I have had a stellar year beyond all my expecatation so I have a lot to be very happy with! When I once talked to Gary Robbins, whining about my constant aches and pains, I so remember him saying, 'Ellie, we are all running that tight rope betwen training as much as possible and being injured'. Let's just say I have fallen off the tight rope at the moment, but I will be climbing back on just as soon as my body allows.

It was a lot of fun to see the race from the sidelines, Montrails Geoff Roes and Dakota Jones lead a strong mens race until Miguel Heras blew by them in the closing stages. Geoff finished 2nd, Dave Mackey 3rd and Dakota was 4th. In the womens race I was cheering for fellow Montrailee Joelle Vaught but also fellow Brit Lizzy Hawker. After Lizzy's 3rd place at the Worlds I so wanted her to find redemption and win in Marin, but she finished 2nd (behind NZs Anna Frost) - an outstanding effort given Lizzy was fighting a serious cold/ flu. Joelle came bounding over the finish line, smiling for her 4th place, and to top off the Montrail results Luanne Park placed 4th in the 50km (rocking her new Montrail Rogue Racers).

Full race details are at www.2.thenorthface.com/endurancechallenge/races/2010.ca/index.html

And Bryon Powell of iRunfar.com probably ran more miles than anyone in covering the race on his website and twitter. He really got the buzz going around the race, so check out http://www.irunfar.com/

Happy Trails, whether they be snowy or muddy!

Motivation Night - Banff Lululemon Athletica - Tuesday Nov 30th

2010-11-23T16:00:00.000-08:00

If you live in the Bow Valley come our next Tuesday to the Banff Lululemon store (121 Banff Ave)! I will be speaking along with some other locals on how to stay motivated over the winter months. I'll be sharing my thoughts and experiences on how to keep training on days like today when it's minus 33! Come along at 8pm for about 1.5hrs. No actual running required! Details below:

Guest speakers:

John Coleman – Performance Coach with the National Para-Alpine team and National Ringette team.

Ellie Greenwood – Elite Runner:
Second in the infamous Canadian Death Race in Grand Cache
Winner of Elk Beaver 100km on Vancouver Island , setting an unofficial world trail 100km record.
Winner of the Scorched Sole 50-miler in Kelowna , BC
Winner of both the Edmonton and Calgary Marathons
World IAU 100km Champion

Kat Feeney – Nutritionist at NuRoots, Canmore.

Discussions:

John and Ellie will combine their experience of maintain motivation from the psychological and physiological aspect.

John will focus on the 3M's that matter; meaning matters: “What is the meaning behind what you do? Why are you doing what you do and or why are you interested in starting something new?” Momentum matters: The question isn't “am I contributing to my momentum”, it is “how am I contributing to my momentum”. And the next question is “what momentum am I contributing to?” Moment matters: John will talk about the importance of being present in the moment when deciding to be motivated.

Ellie will speak about how she stays motivated during the cold winter months in order to get enough mileage in to remain competitive in the spring. Ellie will touch on the importance of goal setting (both short and long term), discuss a healthy training routine and talk about how the balance between being tough on yourself and also knowing when to step back can keep you motivated.

Kat will focus on seasonal whole foods and strengthening immunity. She will also be providing a list of recipes for you all to take home.

The floor will then be opened to discussion.

IAU World 100km Road Running Championships

2010-11-15T17:58:00.000-08:00

Just before I headed off to Gibraltar for the World 100km Championships I read Devon Crosby-Helms blog about her course record setting win at the USATF 50 mile champs at Tussey Mountainback where she had a perfect race; everything came together and she ran strong and fast and felt great throughout the race. It reads like a runners dream. It would be fair to say that I didn't have a 'Devon-day' at Gibraltar but this was a race that I had logged several 140 mile weeks for and many more 100 mile plus weeks, it was my first time I was proudly wearing Team GB kit and I wasn't going to give up without a fight.

I flew to the UK about a week before the race. I chilled with family and focused on having fun, getting over jet lag and going on a couple of easy runs to spin the legs out. Early Friday morning Team GB assembled at London's Heathrow airport and a few short hours later we touched down in Gibraltar and made our way to our floating Athletes Village, a cruise ship, our home for the next 3 nights. That afternoon our whole team headed out to recce the course and stretch the legs. Although on a map it looked like a pretty straight forward course (few wiggles around before hitting 19 x 5km loops) we soon saw that it was some tight twists and turns, uneven surfaces in the docks area and some hills which would be sure to take their toll by the 19th time we hit them. I think everyone adjusted their predicted pace after seeing the course.

Saturday passed quickly, last minute preps of bottles and food, a team meeting to go over the finer details of race rules and organisation and lots of carb loading at the buffet meals provided on the cruise ship. Like someone said, I think the ship's crew were rather bemused that such a slim looking bunch of people could consume so much food! I'd had my usual niggling hamstring pains and was rather concerned that despite a 2 week taper they were still bugging me more than I would like. I therefore decided to risk putting myself in the hands of our Team GB physio David and was glad that I did so as after some stretches and ultrasound my legs felt much better.

The opening ceremony on Saturday evening was a great chance to properly see all the other countries represented and catch a glimpse of the other racers, but after the lively ceremony we all headed back to the ship for an early and eerily quiet dinner before hitting bed by just after 9pm.

I don't think neither I nor my cabin-mate Emily (Gelder, 2010 spartathlon winner) really needed our alarms as we were eagerly out of bed my 4.30am quick breakfast, throw on the kit and by 5am we were wondering what to do for the next 1.5hrs other than pose for silly photos in our GB kit in the small cabin.

By 6am we were off the ship and walked the few hundred metres to the race start line. It was still dark (and would be for the first hour or so of the race) and it looked like it was perfect racing conditions, mild yet overcast. Soon the race was off and I almost immediately settled beside by GB team mate and 2006 World 100km champ Lizzy Hawker. With not being allowed to race with a garmin and there being no km markers until 10km we had to go by feel for our pace. All was going well until the lead bike faltered on which direction to take and suddenly all racers had stopped and we were standing in the street shouting for directions. Someone took the lead and we were off again, I suspected in the wrong direction but we then got back on course and I held my pace back as others rushed off at a much increased pace in mild panic.

After the initial twists and turns we then moved onto the main 5.06km loop which we were to complete 19 times. The first few loops were good to preview and assess how to tackle each part of the loop and I was feeling calm and strong. I soon needed to hit a pit-stop and after not spotting the port-loos on one loop I then found them on the next loop and nipped inside leaving Lizzy to carry on ahead.

My mum, dad, sister, brother-in-law, neice and aunt were all there to cheer me on and after a few loops I was glad to be able to check with them as to how many loops I had done as I was already losing count by the sixth! I was so focused on trying to track my splits per loop that I couldn't count the loops too. I aimed to run about 22mins per loop which would be approx 44min/ 10km and a 7h20 finishing time. Initially Lizzy and I went faster than this so in a way I was glad of my pit stop as this meant Lizzy and I were no longer running side by side as I feared if we carried on that way we would run each other into the ground and both blow up early.

I focused on taking on fuel from the start. At the start/ finish of each loop each country had a feeding station set up where I was grabbing gatorade and Clif shot blocks, whilst leaving picking up plain water from aid stations out on the loops. It was great to come into the start/ finish area as I had not only my family cheering me on but also the Team Canada crew!

I rolled past the marathon mark in about 3h02, this I thought was ok - fast but not crazy fast. However I was already getting a little concerned by how much I was feeling my hamstrings. I know I can run on mashed hamstrings but was worried whether I could run 55 more road kms in the state they were feeling already. It was around the 50km mark (about 3h34) that I shouted out to Team GB crew as I rolled through one more loop, 'my hamstrings are shot'. I was preparing them for the fact that I might need help by the end of the next loop. So it was at about 55km that I made my first stop at the feeding station, on all others so far I had grabbed a bottle or Clif shot blocks on the move. David immediatly had the physio table up and before I knew it his elbow was working wonders on my hamstrings as I downed a couple of paracetemol with gatorade.

I got up off the physio table and was back running. I knew I had lost time but knew it was unavoidable, without David's elbow working it's magic my race would have been over, at least now even if I had lost maybe 5mins I was still on the race course. My hamstrings felt much better but my legs felt just plain heavy. I had not forseen this being an easy race but I was scared by how tough it was feeling already. I still had about 45km to go and I was seriously considering dropping. My pace had slowed, my legs felt awful and I knew that one day my racing streak would come to an end but so didn't want it to be here at the World Championships. A French coach had been calling my splits behing Lizzy (rather kind if rather odd) and now it got to 5mins I said 'Merci Monsieur France but don't bother now' and I could tell he agreed, I was clearly not looking strong.

Here I decided on a few things - 1) I couldn't drop so early, I at least had to go a decent distance, 2) the wheels were falling off but they were still attached by a tiny strand of dental floss and I was going to use that dental floss to get them fixed back on more securely, 3) I was going to crawl to the finish even if if took over 9 hours, we only had 3 women on our team so all needed to finish to be in contention for a team medal, I wasn't going to let Emily and Lizzy down as both of them still looked strong, 4) I never want to run 100km on tarmac again so I better finish it this time as otherwise I'll have unfinished business and will need to run 100km on tarmac again, 5) this is crazy as I really never want to run this again but I may change my mind and if so I won't get on Team GB again if I look like a pansy trail runner who drops when the going gets tough on roads, 7) Three team GB guys have already dropped, Team GB are going to look right flaky if I drop too (note guys - this is no criticism to you, I know you were all ill & ailing!), 8) my friend Jackie is the toughest coookie I know who completed her first crazy hard 100 miler in 42hrs, Jackie must have felt way worse and I'll do this for her.

So off I was again running and with far happier hamstrings but still feeling awful and with all these thoughts whirring in and out of my head. I was going through ups and downs and can so clearly remember thining '7 more loops, I can do that' but then I got the 6 more loops to go and just had a melt down on team GB crew. Suddenly 6 more loops seemed unfathomable. I would feel ok coming into the feeding station but within a few hundred metres of leaving I was wondering how I would get around the the next 5km. So I split it down; they had shortened one loop due to our wrong turn at the start and Norman Wilson of IAU/ Team GB was directing runners onto the short loop so now I was running from the feeding station to Norman, then onto the BP gas station where a local was cheering me on, 'C'mon GB, lookin' great darlin'' ( this was a blatant if well intended lie on his part, I was looking deathly). I had given up all hope of winning or even placing well and was just doing this for the team. On leaving the feeding station with 6 loops to go I knew I would be ok if I got the 4 loops to go and I knew that 6 loops/ 30km was the same distance as one of my standard evening run routes in Banff. I thought of all the times I had run the Lake Minnewanka 27km loop exhausted after work, if I could do that then then I could do it now at the World Championships.

As I came into the feeding station with 5 loops to go I could see Team GB crew looking at me warrily and then stunned, I flew through, grabbed a coke and was off. I have no idea where this second wind had come from but I was a new caffeine-charged-woman and I could do this! Now don't get me wrong, I was still;not doing great but I had picked up the pace significantly and a switch had been flipped in my brain. I had even got my humour back and shouted out to Pete, Brian and Matt of Team GB, 'I'm never running on tarmac again', but it was said with a smile :)

With 3 loops to go I stopped at the feeding station again, I needed some chips as I had gone off my Clif Shots. I was munching away on my Walkers salt & vinegars when Andy said, 'You're only seconds back from 2nd place Ellie, and the longer the your spend eating those chips, the more time you have to catch up'. That was it, I was out of that station ...without even saying to Andy that I had thought I was in 2nd already.

Monsieur France was as stunned as I was by my second wind and began calling rather more optimistic splits. On entering the penultimate loop Norman who was standing on the side of the course casually said, 'You can catch them Ellie', to which I calmly replied, 'I know I can'. I picked up the pace a little more and began searching for an Italian singlet and Lizzy in the crowd of runners looping the loop. With about 7km to go I saw both Monica Carlin and Lizzy. For a millisecond I contemplated sitting behind Monica quietly but I knew I had no time for that so I floated past her and less than a minute latter I passed Lizzy with the words, 'She's on my heels, we need to go now'. I knew from Lizzy's sigh that she was struggling to pick up the pace but I didn't dare look back to see if Monica was following. I just ploughed on and came into the start/ finish with one loop to go and I was in 1st place at the World Championships! I so didn't want this to come to a sprint finish so I focused on extending my lead and praying that my now painful quads would hold for just 5 more km. As I hit the uphill out of the dock area I thought back to pushing the final hills in Chuckanut with Ryne of Montrail urging me, and as I got to about 1km to go I ditched my coke bottle and went for it. I had to take a corner wide around a slower runner I was lapping and the thought crossed my mind that I would be so annoyed if taking that corner wide meant Monica caught me! But I needn't have worried, I crossed the finish line in 7:29:05, about 90 seconds ahead of Monica, and with Lizzy a couple of minuted back of her.

When people have said to me this past week, 'Wow, what an amazing race you had' I don't think the have realised that in many ways I ran a bad race and ran a lot of pretty ugly miles. I won, I'm World Champ (and stoked to be so!), but like I said at the start of this post - I didn't have a 'Devon-day'; I didn't win by running beautfully, I won by being stubborn, determined and dedicated to my team....

A couple of other thoughts...

- Thank you to Team GB - it was a real plaeasure to meet you all and race with you. Look forward to seeing you at many more races to come! Congrats to us ladies for World Team Gold and to the gents for European Team bronze. Woo hoo!

- Thank you to Team Canada - you cheered for me as loud as if I was wearing a maple leaf and it was great to see you all (especially Denise McHale who ran sub-8hrs and Mel Bos) run so steady

- Thank you to 'Lookin' Good Darlin' BP gas station-guy. I really meant it when I said you kept me going.

- Am I happy with my time? ....Well it's a PB so no complaining here, but I may have to revisist 100kms on tarmac to see what can be done...

- Walking down stairs sideways can be an alternative when going forwards or backwards is not option post-race.

And here are a few links to a little more info about the race....

http://www.gbc.gi/television/tv-player.php?programme=360&episode=2501

http://www.iau-ultramarathon.org/

One Toadally Awesome Running Get Away

2010-10-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

This year was the 3rd year that I raced at Run for the Toad in Cambridge, Ontario as part of Team Montrail. I love this event for so many reasons; with a Montrail booth at the race expo it is a great weekend to reconnect with the guys from Montrail/ Mountain Hardwear office and learn about exciting new product developments, with 1350 racers in the 25km & 50km races the event has a great buzz and I love chatting to fellow runners, and set in Pinehurst Conservation Area the race is a beautiful 12.5km looped course on easy trails with pretty fall colours.

Ryne and I jetted off and flew to Kitchener, just about 30mins from the race course, were met my Mike of Montrail/ MHW and then started off the weekend with a catch up over a pizza carbo loading meal in a great pub, whilst holding off on the beers!

The race expo is open the day before the race so we all headed down to the site to get ready. Ryne and I went out for an easy 10km run to check out most of the course and it looked like it was in great shape. RDs George and Peggy Sarson pay amazing attention to tiny details and pride themselves in their preparation of the course. Since last year, narrow sections of the trail had been widened (a real bonus given the number of racers), a set of stairs has replaced a worn out section of trail, mulch had been used to fill ruts in what had been mud, and it honestly wouldn't suprise me if the course had been vacuumed of leaf debris! It was in excellent shape. After our scouting out of the course the post-race massage therapists were already there so it seemed a shame to not let them practice their skills on a couple of eager runners! It was then back to the Montrail booth to talk the racers who were coming by to pick up their packages. I always really enjoy this part of Run for the Toad - chatting to runners (many of whom are new to trail racing), sharing stories and reconnecting with faces from the past 2 years. Before we knew it the afternoon had flown by and itwas time to head back to the hotel and get ready for race day - yay!

With Ontario being 2hrs ahead of Alberta I was glad of the 9.30am race start - not too hard on the body clock and no super early wake up call. After a pretty standard pre-race brekkie of bagel and a cup of tea (thanks for the Starbuck run Mike!) we had time to hang out at the Montrail booth and do last minute preparations. Rain had been forecast and it was pretty cool (about 6 degrees), so it was just a matter of hoping that the rain would not be too heavy and might hold off for at least some of the race. Although this wasn't a key race for me I'd got a decently fast target time in mind, in part so I could see where my training was at for Gibraltar 100km in 5 weeks time. The Toad course is non-technical trail, a small amount of tarmac and flat trail with gentle ups and downs, so it a very runnable and fast course. I'd decided to start out with Ryne and aim for 55mins per 12.5km loop, for a nice round finishing time of 3:40, which would be 14mins faster than my CR time of last year (and also rather conveniently it would be one minute faster than Gary's finishing time of last year)!

Wtih the 25km and 50km both starting at same time we let a few runners go off ahead and then I settled into pace by Ryne and Andrew of the Guelph Running Zone store (who was racing the 25km). We hit the 1km marker at dead on 4.00mins. I wasn't panicked by this fast pace as I was prepared to take some risks in going out faster than I normally might. With 4 loops I had my strategy; loop 1 - set the pace, loop 2 - solidify the pace, loop 3 - over half way, loop 4 - push to the finish.

On loop one there was a fair amount of company on the trail, I was with Ryne and Andrew for a bit, I chatted a little to 2nd place female in the 25km, and before I knew it I was done one loop in 53mins and change. I heard Steve, the announcer, call out that I was leading the 50km race but I also heard him call out Ryne's name so knew Ryne was just behind me, which I was more than happy with. On the 2nd loop I could see 1st place female in the 25km just ahead of me and although it took me forever to catch her it was great to have her pull me along and help me maintain my pace. I passed her about 1/2 way around the loop (and reassured her that she was still 1st in the 25km) and now worked on keeping my pace and calling out to 25km walkers who I was passing. The 2nd loop was definitely the most challenging for the volume of slower people I was looping past and having to weave betweeen in the process. As I fields of the 2 distances are mingled it wasn't overly obvious to the vollies that I was lead in the 50km which I quite liked, I was just running along, running my own pace and not attracting any attention - stealth racing!

I completed the 2nd loop again in just over 53mins and was glad to have Steve call out my name and then spot Mike and Bruce of Montrail/ MHW who passed me a new bottle of Cliff drink and a pack of shot blocks. By now it had started to rain (after only about 20mins or so into the race) and although I wasn't cold it was miserable weather and it was definitely a case of just keep moving and get this job done! On the 3rd loop the trail was starting to get a litle muddy in sections but was still holding up pretty well and I had the company of more 25km runners who were on their 2nd loop. This was great because although I was out on my own in the 50km race there were lots of other racers around me and I used them as moving targets to catch! The course really is nicely rolling, some trail in woodland and other sections out on grass in the open. There is only one short steep hill, which as Westerners Ryne, Gary and I always have a little laugh about. Admittedly it is very steep and grassy but it is also literally a few metres, so it's tuck the head down and your at the top in 5 seconds, but the way some locals describe this you might be mistaken for thinking it's Mt. Everest!

Coming into the start/ finish for the start of my 4th and final loop I was on 2h41mins. Steve called out that I had 1h13min to get the course record and although my legs were tiring I knew I would get under 3h40 unless I totally died. Throughout the race I didn't really think about being caught at all. I was pretty sure that there was not too much female competition and having not had any of the guys challenge me earlier in the race I doubted that they would be able to catch me now unless I just hit the wall. One advantange of my recent road marathons is I know that if I can race the last 8 tough kms of a road marathon then I can hold a pace at the close of a trail race because nothing compares to the last kms of a marathon!

By the 4th loop practically all of the 25km runners and walkers were done so there were much fewer racers on the course although I was starting to pass some 50km racers. The couse was now really chewed up as the rain was still coming down and with about 1200 runners doing 2 loops and another 150 or so doing 4 loops, a lot of feet had squelched in the mud. Some sections were fine but others were a total mud bath and reminded me of school cross country. I walked some short hills as I simply couldn't get the traction to run, I skirted along the sides of the trail and I helter-skeltered down some of the hills with zero control (demonstrated by the fact that I body-checkied 2 fellow racers and fell over once)! To be honest I was having a hard time on the muddy sections as I was trying to maintain my speed and also having to avoid fellow racers who I was passing. The one bonus was that focusing on the trail and staying upright made the last few kms fly by :)

Before I knew it I had summited Mt Everest for the 4th and final time, which marked 1.5kms to the finish line and I put down the hammer for a solid finish. The last section was thankfully not too muddy so I could get a good push to complete the course and roll over the line in 3:37:30. 1st place overall - yay!

So all in all a result I am very happy with! Of coure placing not only depends on how you run yourself but who else shows up, so I'd like to thank Taylor Murphy for being a no-show (and also wish him a speedy recovery). Big thanks also go to Gary for giving me a time to beat from last year, and to Ryne for his coaching (but don't think that means I'll start paying you for it Melcher!) Thanks also to all the Montrail peeps for a fun filled and inspiring weekend, and for designing the Montrail Fairhaven - out in sping 2011 and I'm on love with them already having worn them at the Toad. But the biggest thank you of course goes to Peggy and George and all the vollies, what an amazing race you put together - look forward to seeing you next year!

http://www.runforthetoad.com/

Turning Up the Speed!

2010-09-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I raced in Melissa's 10km road race in Banff, my first 10km race in four full years! I have squeezed in a few 8km and 5km races in the past few years but to be fair my racing resume definitely has more ultras than anything else on it. I'd initially signed up for the 22km version of the race but will my other races lined up decided to step down to the 10km and in a sense was excited to do so as I knew it would be the more competitive of the 2 distances. I was mainly excited just to be racing in Banff, being in a National Park there are few organised races and lots of restrictions but Melissa's has been running for over 30years and attracts over 4, 000 runners - most of whom are from Calgary.

We have had a pretty bad weather summer and 4 days before the race we got our first dump of snow in town and temperatures were hovering just above zero, but come race morning it was a balmy 12 degrees and sunny and everyone was smiling knowing how lucky we were.

The race started at a leisurely 10.30am so I jogged the 10mins to the start line from my house with a friend, did bag check and a warm up. Even doing a warm up is not usual for me, but with such a short race I knew it was essential. A last minute visit to the bushes proved fateful - as I scrambled back out I hit a marshy section and got both feet soaked - nothing like wrining your socks out 5 mins before a race start :) It was also now kind of irreleavnt that I had my light weight road shoes on - any shoes are like bricks when wet!

The start was a little scrambled as someone muttered 'go' andthen about 2 seconds later someone let off a horn and in a slightly confused dash we were off. I started 3 or 4 rows back as I knew there would be some fast runners and didn't want to bolt out too fast. I tried to see how many women were ahead of me and had my position soon confirmed by a cheerer who shouted out I was 3rd woman. It was fun to run down the main street, Banff Avenue, before we peeled off to start a significant climb (check out the profile on my garming link below). This is where I knew I would have the advantage and without feeling like I was pushing too hard I passed a few runners and moved into 2nd place woman. At the turn around at the top of the hill Lisa Harvey could see that I was not too far behind and I chased her on the long downhill stretch. By the base of the hill I was just seconds behind Lisa but I knew she would have the advantage, the experience and the speed on the flats. As she pulled further ahead at about the 6km mark I didn't chase, I knew that with 4kms still to go I had to run steady. It was great however that I always managed to kep Lisa in sight as that pulled me along the gradual ups and downs and she was my focus rather than pace or anything else. At 2kms to go I saw my friend Leslie, who had just come home from a crazy mountain ultra in Italy, she yelled out 'You're Banff''s only hope Ellie' which made me chuckle and the thought of only 2kms to go rather than Leslies' multiday mountain epic made me push a little harder. Here we had a gradual uphill that seemed to go on and on and I just longed for the turn around. Lisa made the turn, I followed a good bit behind and crossed the finish line 19 secs back of her in 37:37. PB!! I had hoped for a PB, even though Melissa's is not a fast course and I have not been speed training, I have improved a lot as a runner since by previous PB at Vancouver Sun Run in 2005. Now of course I am tempted to try more faster road runs to see what I can do... Afterall, I did a one day taper for Melissa's and in the 7 days prior to that ran 128miles in training - likely one of my highest mileage training weeks yet!

One week until Run for the Toad 50km in Ontario....

Six weeks until World 100km Road Running Championships in Gibraltar....

Best go run!

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/50477577

Geeky Garmin Girl

2010-09-18T18:08:00.000-07:00

Well, ok - that might be a bit of an exageration but I have joined the ranks of runners with a GPS tracking my every move and after two runs with it I am very much in love with my new toy! Until now all my training has been done based on time goals rather than distance goals and even with my shiny new Garmin I think I am going to keep it that way. I found last winter when I first moved to Banff I decidely did NOT want to know how far I was running when I was adjusting to the altitude, slogging through snow and skirting slowly over ice patches. I was happy to come home knowing I had logged X many hours and that time on my feet and effort was more important than precise miles.

That said, it has been fun to already do two of my fairly regular training routes and find out how far I am running. Fortunately the distance has been a pleasant suprise, I half imagined I would think I was running further than I actually was but in fact it is the opposite :) I'm also looking forward to the element of I will now track my mileage with zero effort. At the start of the year I started a training log with all my workouts but that lasted all of a few weeks until I would forget to do it and then try to remember my workouts weeks later. With my Garmin all I have to do is put it on and then once in a while plug it into my computer and hey presto - lovely maps and stats of my runs!

Being a bit of a techno phobe I opted for the pretty basic model - Forerunner 110, and I have so far managed to use it with no problems which shows how user friendly it is. Ok, it might not have all the bells and whistles of some of the other models and it might 'only' have 8hrs battery life, but I will be honest here - I never log 8hr training runs so the battery life will be no problem! And for any races longer than 8hrs, well there are usually some mile markers along the way so I'm not going to obsess about splits.

So all in all, I think it's going to be lots of fun and I think that's as good a reason as any to use a GPS. Got to go, I'm off to analyse my splits and pace of todays run.....

Vote for Vancouver's Homeless Community

2010-09-13T20:02:00.000-07:00

The running link to this post is tenuous, but hey - it's for a good cause so please read on...

Pepsi Refresh Projects are set up sp not for profit organisations can nominate themselves for funds to support projects that benefit a community. Organisations set up their profile on the website and then anyone can vote for a project every day until voting closes (2 month cycles) and the project with the most votes wins the funding.

In the current cycle (just started so lots of time to vote daily until October 31st), First United in Vancouver is trying to win $25K of funding to support their storage facility for homeless people. This is such a simple but smart concept. How hard must it be for homeless people, they have so few possessions and yet those possessions must mean so much, but there are times that those possessions become a burden. How often when living in Vancouver did I see homeless people fiercely guarding their few bags or shopping cart of possessions? Yet their possessions barred them access to many things we take for granted. What to do with your shopping cart of life when you want to go take a shower at the community centre, or even buy something in a store? First United therefore has a storage box system where homeless people can check in their things knowing they are safe and giving them the freedom to go off and do what they need to do without carting around their things and giving them the automatic label of 'homeless'. Such a simple idea yet can have such an impact on homeless people's lives.

So you can vote every day. Click on the link, keep it in your favourites and vote every day til Oct 31st. http://www.refresheverything.ca/firstunitedchurch.

Also, if you are on facebook, do a search for 'Run Change' - in August the first 5km run/ walk for homeless people was held in Vancouver. I'd read about a similar project in US cities in Runner's World but this is the first I have heard of in Canada. Homeless people were invited to come out and participate in the 5km run/ walk in the False Creek area. I just love this concept, I mean as runners we all know that if we're having a bad day or feeling down, we can just pop on our shoes and go for a run - it's like a happy pill to many of us. That feeling of freedom and relaxation, the joy of the the pure and simple movement, of being able to chat and laugh with fellow runners and escape from the stresses of every day life, the sense of achievement of running distances we never thought possible. I can only imagine what stresses and hardships homeless people must face, and I can only hope that some of them will be able to experience the joys and self-confidence boosting feelings that running brings. And if I am going on a run I don't want to bring my wordly possessions with me, I want to drop them off somewhere safe..like the storage facility ar First United.

PLEASE VOTE NOW & EVERY DAY UNTIL OCT 31st!!

Where are my road shoes anyway? Edmonton Marathon Race Report

2010-08-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

It was the usual sort of scenario that got me to the start line of the INTACT Edmonton Canadian Derby marathon this weekend. A friend sent me the link to the website, I figured it was a fast course and it was in my new home province so why not? Always fun to try a new race and winning Calgary marathon in May had got the road running bug back into my legs and mind. Of course, before August 22nd rolled around I had got myself in way too many trail races and instead of my initial thoughts of training specificially for a road marathon I once again found myself tapering down from ultra-trail mileage and quickly trying to get some turn over back into my legs in prep for the marathon.

Despite being in my home province, Edmonton is still a good 5hr drive from Banff but it was a fun road trip and Mike and I soon arrived at our accommodation for the weekend - Mrs. Cherniwchan is an 83yr old Ukranian lady and a close family friend of Mikes, and simply the best person to stay with for a race. We had food in our mouths practically before we were in the door and the beds were snug and warm with 100s of covers like no hotel bed ever can be.

Saturday afternoon was spent eating, relaxing, picking up race number and checking out the expo. The expo was small but I spotted a booth selling compression socks and calf sleeves. I'd been looking into getting some for a while and as my legs had been feeling pretty lead like after hoping back on the running band wagon pretty much right after Death Race I soon snapped up a pair of calf sleeves and figured I needed all the help I could get. For some reason the pre-race fuelling led us to West Edmonton Mall (largest shopping mall in the world. I hate shopping) and into the fun-fair area where Mike and I got our competitive mentalities honed on a few rounds of 'whack-a-mole'. I am sure that such a game can only be found in Alberta! Later in the day a friend of Mikes was kind enough to drive us around a good portion of the race course, which although I never think essential it was great during the race to have an idea of the course and landmarks ahead. Having not slept much the few nights prior I was in bed by 9.30pm, asleep by 9.35pm and the next thing I knew my alarm was blaring at 5.30am.

It was a short and worryingly bumpy 30min drive to race start where we could park within 100m of the race start/ finish at Northlands horse racing track. The reason for the bumpy ride become evident as we parked up and realised Mike's car had a flat, oh well - we had a race to run and car mechanics could be dealt with later!

The race venue at Northlands was awesome - tonnes of indoor space, lots of parking and well laid out. After a quick few hellos to some Vancouver friends who were also racing the full and the half, we made our way to the start line for the 7.30am start. A quick rendition of O Canada and we were off! I was confident to go out in the front of the pack as I was hoping I could scrape together a 2:55 or so finishing time despite the Death Race legs, and if I could post that time I figured I would be in top 10 to 15 runners overall. That said, I went out a little too strong and at the 1km mark posted 3:49 - oops, best calm down a little as I was meant to be on 4:08 kms! I reined in the pace a little and settled into a rythm and kept diligently checking my splits at each km. I was a little up but getting back on track and noted that Mike, who was out for a training race and aiming for 2:59, was on my shoulder. I yelled at him that we were 2mins up on my pace and this was only about the 5km mark, but I knew it would be easier for me to tell Mike to ease of his pace than for him to actually do that!

The course basically goes out and back to the start and then out in the other direction and back again, and pretty much remains pancake flat the whole way. On a map it looked simplistically dull but with the main route being along a pretty tree lined street, through shopping and well-to-do residentital areas it was suprisingly scenic. And of course the advantage of any such route is the steady stream of runners moving in the other direction to distract you when the going gets tough.

I passed throguh the 21km (and therefore almost 1/2 way) mark in 1:23:50 and had a little chuckle at myself. I have not run many half marathons so my PB is a not overly speedy 1:23:34, and now I was cruising along in a marathon only seconds off that. Although I realised this was a fast split I wasn't too concerned as I'd got 2mins ahead of pace in the very early kms and since then had held much closer to my intended 4:08 kms.

Because both of the turn arounds were loops it meant I couldn't see where 2nd place female was behind me so for all I knew she could be 20 seconds or 20 minutes back. This in a sense was good as it meant I never relaxed and never took my lead for granted, I just had to keep pushing in case I only had a small lead. Come the 30km mark I rather feared that my Death Race legs might get the better of me. I was tiring and thinking that maybe I had gone out too fast but I so didn't want to look stupid and post a slow finish to the race, so I dug deep and nestled in with a small pack of men and ploughed on. The 3 guys were chatting away as if they were out on a Sunday morning training run and I was rather glad that they didn't spark up too much of a conversation with me, as I was clearly breathing and working a lot harder than them!

I can vividly recall the last 8kms of Calgary marathon (in May) being tough, like really, really pushing-it-to-the-brink tough. But this time that toughness never really quite got me. I was pushing hard, I couldn't go any faster and I now just wanted to get this race done, but I was always in control and feeling mentally strong. At 36kms we hit the only hill of note in the race but with marathoners now in steady flow in the other direction they cheered me along and got me up the hill. By this stage I was churning out pretty solid 4:00kms and knew that if I could hold that pace that a sub 2:50 time was on the cards...just. I was blown away that I had come to this race really thinking my legs were toast and now a landmark PB might be happening.

For the final few kms I was urging on the next red km marker and toeing behind the lead-female bike. I had two bikes with me for good chunks of the race, both were ladies and it was great to have a little female company on the road :)

I pulled into Northlands, spotted the tower that I knew was near the finish line and powered in focusing on that. I was passing half marathoners and peeled into the finishing chute seeing 2:49:40 on the clock. There was no way I was letting that clock hit 2:50 before I was over the line so a final sprint push brought me over the finish line at 2:49:57 (or 2:49:54 chip time). Wow! I was stunned at my time and the fact that 2 TV cameras and 3 mikes started following me around until I could compose myself enough to spout out some incomprehensible-elated-excited-shocked-finish-line-ramblings.

Overall I am stoked with my result. The course is undoubtedly fast - very minimal elevation and not too many twists and turns. However I had not specifically marathon trained, my legs were not feeling chirpy pre-race, and although lower than Banff, Edmonton is still at 2200ft. I would totally recommend this race to anyone; the venue is awesome, the course scenic, the field large enough but not huge, the post race brunch tasty and the welcome from the elite director Brian Torrance superb. A few other things to note:

- Have you ever had blueberry perogies day before race day? Me neither, but they worked (thank you Mrs. Cherniwchen)
- Calf sleeves - I raced in them, they felt great, I'd wear them again. Hard to tell if they helped but I'd like to think they did.
-Congrats the Marilyn Arsenault, Katherine Moore, Mike Palichuk and all other sea dwelling Vancouver-ites who raced with less oxygen than they are used to. Nice work!
-A post race brunch of eggs, pancakes, fruit and coffee included in race entry and consumed sitting on real seats in a marquee is awesome for an event of this size!
- It takes a really long time to drive from Edmonton to Calgary at max 80kms/ hr on a spare tyre :)

Happy running and enjoy the end of summer (or at least that's what it seems like with the chilly mornings here in the beautiful Canadian Rockies)

Ellie x

www.canadianderbymarathon.ca

Your Favourite Trail Race!

2010-08-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

So often I talk to a friend or read a magazine and find out about some awesome race....the day after it took place. Hurumph, means you have to wait a full year to go run said race, far too long for any impatient runner. I mean there are the big races that everyone hears about but there are so many other little gems out there too that are just fun to be part of. So let's get this discussion going...what's some neat race that you've done, got on the cards or are hoping to get into? Doesn't have to be big, doesn't have to be official, certainly doesn't have to be an ultra.

For my part, it's the Rubble Creek Classic held nr Whistler, BC on Sept 26th this year. 26kms, but oh my, it's one massive climb, the fun n flat and oh so scenic alpine cinder flats, and then one blasting, knee crushing descent. Big on scenery, low on hype and only one friend cracked some ribs last year!
http://escaperoute.ca/ rubble/

Please leave your comments, I'll look forward to seeing if there are any...when I'm back in from my run...

Happy Trails,
Ellie x

A Date with Death. 125kms of Mountain Magic

2010-08-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

Eight short weeks ago I was kindly offered a spot in the Canadian Death Race in Grande Cache by the Alberta North Face rep (TNF sponsor the event). I ummed and ahhed, took the plunge and then began haring madly up any hill in sight in my quest to become a mountain ultra runner in less than 2 months. This would be my longest race to date and with 17, 000ft of elevation change it wasn't going to be a walk in the park, but more a hike up a mountain (or two).

Come race day I was pretty confident that I would finish the race when I listened to many people (who promised that the race was not as deathly as the organisers tend to imply) but still knew that only about 1/3 of starters completed to full race in 2009 and had warning from some who said it was one seriously challenging enterprise. Needless to say after the 6hr or so drive from Banff with my friend Mike I arrived in Grande Cache feeling much nervous anticipation. We arrived middle of the day, day prior to the race, but the afternoon seemed to zip by with package pick up, prepping drop bags, pre race meeting etc. But my most important task that afternoon was to meet up with the Adventure Science guys who were doing a study on gait analysis at the race and had got me on board. They filmed me doing some short runs to camera and I answered some surveys for them, they also explained the questions that they would need to ask me at each of the 5 aid stations on the race course. It was a great way to feel part of a team and importantly the Adventure Science folks would act as my crew at the aid stations. This was a big relief as Death Race has only one drop bag on the course (at 87.5km) so having access to gear at 4 other points would be invaluable rather than having to rely on aid stations.

Death Race is a little unusual for an ultra in that it starts at 8am in order to allow as many racers as possible the 'oppotunity' to run in the dark! This is just one indication that Death Race is a little quirky. The other main quirk is that at 110km you take a jet boat across the Smoky River, but only if you have not lost a silver coin that you are given at the start. No coin, no boat ride and you are DQ'd...at 110kms into an 125km race! Many competitors run Death race as a 5 person relay so I would hate to be a relay runner that loses your teams coin!

The 8am start and the fact that Grande Cache is a small, isolated town meant that setting the alarm for 6am was plenty time to crawl out of the tent, wolf down some breakfast and head over to the start line. Lots of locals were already lining the streets and starting their cheers 'Go Death Racer' that we would hear throughout the day.

As the gun went off (a mountie firing a rifle into the air - this is small, mining town Alberta afterall!), we raced over the line and jostled to get a good position on the opening 1.5km road section before we squeezed into the trail. With 418 solo starters and probably about the same number of relay teams it was a busy start to an ultra. I immediately fell alongside Denise McHale who introduced herself and we chatted on and off for the first leg. I knew that Denise would be my main competition and that being an adventure racer she had far more experience at long duration racing. Everyone had warned that with a net downhill over 19kms that on leg one it is easy to go out too fast so I checked that I was taking it easy. Pacing, pacing, pacing would be key to finishing this thing. On the first small inclines I saw Mike ahead of me slow to a power hike, I took note and followed suit - no need to try run the hills now - save the legs for later.

The first aid station was a zoo, I ran in, filled my hydration bladder with water from the aid station and then moved along to the Adventure Science tent which stood out nicely. There I popped gatorade powder into my bladder, took some extra bottles and answered their survey questions whilst draining a coke and grabbing a bag of chips. I was pumped and moving fast until one of the crew, Keith, said 'you've only been in 2mins'. Ok, I could slow a little and make sure I refuelled properly. For legs 2 and 4 I had planned to use my poles, Ally thrust them into my hand pre-set at the correct height, wow - this crew were pros!

I headed out and was excited to be getting really into the race with the 1st 'easy' leg done. As I didn't know the course I wasn't sure where the real climb up Mt Flood would start but I soon adjusted to running with my poles in my hands even if I wasn't really using them on the flatter sections. I can honestly say that even so soon after the race there are whole sections I cannot recall at all and the climb up Flood and Grande are two of them. I have brief recollections, chatting to Clint who I know from Banff, advising an ultra runner on how to try recover from already being sick, passing a runner who was struggling, but other that that I have vast chunks of amnesia about this section of the race! I can only put this down to the fact that I was so focused on the task in hand that I really was not taking note of the surroundings like I normally would. I do recall heading down Grande, a famed steep and teacherous descent. I met up with Simon (Denato) and Steve (Russell) at this point and it was great to chat and follow in Steve's confident steps down the dusty and sometime rocky, steep, steep trail. Leg 2 circles back to the start/ finish line in downtown Grande Cache so I enjoyed coming in and being cheered along by spectators. Again, it was a quick transistion as I Denise was literally seconds behind me and I headed out to leg 3 for 19kms of running with total 1000ft of elevation loss.

I enjoyed leg 3, it was easy to check off the kms and feel that you were making real progress, there was a rubbley descent that reminded me of the North Shore trails in Vancouver and then we hit grassy sections and what looked like prime bear territory! When I saw some bear poop and what I was convinced were bear prints I started hooting and hollering as a cruised along pretty happy (I later found out that a friend had been charged by a bear on this section during a training run!). I crept up gradually on Ricky, a young US guy with only 4 marathon finishes under his belt who was out attempting his first ultra. It was super to chat with him for about 15mins as we plodded along, he was so eager and as a 2:26 marathoner with such an obvious love of running I really hoped he would do well.

The aid station at end of leg 3 marked the 65km point. I rolled in at 6:49. One of the questions Adventure Science asked us at each station was 'Are you exceeding or meeting your expections?' At this point I was far exceeding my expectations but a little leary that I may have gone out too fast. I was feeling the heat a little (it was 3pm and super sunny), I was only half way and I had the infamous Hamel mountain looming. To top it off I looked up and saw that my friend Phil (Villeneuve) had dropped. Seeing Phil at this point was proably the toughest part of my race day, if he had dropped what was in store for me? But I knew that I was going to finish this race even if I had to crawl to the end, I'd not signed up to go away without my finishers silver coin and I didn't care what I had to do to finish.

I zipped out and up onto leg 4, poles once again in hand. I was blown away by the fact that I was now 2nd overall in the race, with only the demi-god of ultra running Hal Koerner about 30mins ahead of me. The first section up Hamel was lush and leafy and jungle like but very steep so I was talking to myself to keep going and chuckling at the thought of Hal Koerner being the only soloist ahead of me, certainly not soemthing I had envisioned pre-race day! Emerging from the forest at the base of Hamel I continued to power hike and was blown away my the amazing mountain scenery - rocky, rubble trails, views for miles and the sight of stick-men like vollies silouhetted on the ridge that we were making our way up to. There was no way I was running this, but I hiked as fast as I could knowing that Denise was probably still close behind. On the ridge there was a short out and back section before we began the rocky descent down. Denise was no longer in sight and I was now running totally solo, save for the occassional relay runner. My hydration bladder was drained so I stopped and refilled it with water from bottles in my pack and willed myself to run the flat sections even though even the slightest incline was now proving a challenge. I clearly recall the 80km marker and mentally noted that I was feeling pretty ok about the thought of another 45kms to go, now that the main climbs were over. Soon I popped up to the drop bag station manned by vollies at the start/ end of Ambler loop. I set out to do the 5km loop and once back grabbed my headlamp from my bag and dumped my empty bottles. At the pace I was going I doubted I would need the headlamp but it was race rules and who knows what could happen over the now 32.5 remaining kilometres. As I headed out of Ambler I saw Denise come in, ok - that meant she was 30mins behind me but I knew I should keep pushing in case she had a strong finish. I barrelled down the dirt road, great downhill grade to pick up the pace and soaked up the cheering and shouts of 'Go Death Racer!' from locals passing by on their quad bikes. At 100km I popped out of the trails and into the roadside ditch for 2kms to the 4th and final aid station.

By this point I was totally pumped. Jason of Adventure Science had been my main crew for the day and exceeded himself at this point. He told me to come get my coke (which I'd forgoten about by this point) and he had tipped out the contents of all my drop bags for me to see. Seems a minor thing but my this stage I coudl hardly recall what I had in the bags so to have it all laying there on the ground for me to pick and choose was awesome! I had contemplated changing shoes and socks here as my feet had begun to fell it a bit of the last leg, but now I think I was so pumped all pain had gone. I left the aid station, spirits high and said to Jason, 'I'm on 11:21, I've got 3hrs and 23km to get this course record'.

Immediately out of the aid station was a steep hike and I spotted a guy coming down, he was confused by the routing but I said I'd seen no other flagging anywhere so we carried on up. The trail soon levelled to beautiful single track traversing the hillside in a forest. It rolled up and down and I'd got energy back in my legs so was even running the hills. My only concern was there was zero flagging. The course had been immaculately marked all day and I was cursing the fact that we were now so close to the end and I was doubting the route. Luckily I had packed the course map so pulled it out and was reassured that I was going to right way. 10kms soon passed and I dropped to river level, handed my coin over to the ferry man (I hadn't lost it - phew!) and soon I got a personal jet boat ride across the river. The river had steep canyon walls and with the light diming at about 8.20pm it was simply stunning. I hoped out the boat, thanked the vollies and hiked up the trail. Was Denise catching me? Could I snag this CR? Could I get sub 14hrs? I had so many things to keep me pushing and with the finish line almost in sight and the evening light fading on the beautiful flat to rolling Sulphur Rim trail, I truly was loving this race even in the closing kms.

There was a final uphill on dirt road which I hiked and then out I was on the tarmac of Grande Cache. Even though I didn't know the road I knew it was a small town so the end must be in sight. I turned the corner, saw the finish line and sprinted (well, it felt like it even of it might have been more of a hobble!). Final time: 13:28:39! 2nd overall! New women's CR by 52mins! I'd even broken the previous mens CR! - of course so had Hal Koerner (in 12:45:38) but that meant I had run the 2nd fastest time ever on the Canadian Death Race course!!

Canadian Death Race is one beautifully scenic and challenging course. Not once did I get bored as the course was ever changing and challenging. The volunteers and community of Grande Cache are exceptional - never have a felt a race take over a town so much and be truly welcomed and appreciated by the community, from honking their horns when they saw you running the short stretches of highway, to the local church organising the breakfast before the awards, they fully embrace and welcome the race.

Check out the race website, details of Adventure Science and an interview with the Calgary Herald at:
http://www.canadiandeathrace.com/
http://communities.canada.com/calgaryherald/blogs/calgaryrunner/archive/2010/08/04/greenwood.aspx
http://www.adventurescience.ca/

World 100km Championships Here I Come!

2010-08-03T18:58:00.000-07:00

After much waiting (or so it seemed to an imatient runner!) I found out last week that I have been selected for Team GB for the World 100km road running Championships in Gibraltar in November! My time at Elk Beaver got me on the team and it is still taking time to sink in, afterall only one year ago I was daunted at the prospect of running 100kms anywhere, let alone at the World Championships! The only thing that is really daunting now is the thought of running that far on tarmac! Still, I plan to mix up my training with plenty of mileage on flat, fast trails, along with road running and even getting back on the treadmill in part to reduce the impact on my body and in part to get some variety in. Also if anyone knows anything about Gibraltar it is likley that is basically a rock in the sea on an incline! This had me worried on what the course might be like (just how many loops and how hilly!) but I have since found out that it is pretty flat 7 loop course - phew!
I am so looking forward to representing GB, wearing the team kit, taking my training to a new level and racing with the best from all over the world (including lots of Canadian and US friends).

More officialdom about the race can be found at: www.gaa.gi

Returning to the Knarly North Shore

2010-07-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was 'Canada's Knarliest 30-miler' - the Kneeknackering North Shore Trail Run - which winds it's way up and over the mountains of Vancouver's north shore from near Horse Shoe Bay all the way to Deep Cove. With 200 racers making the journey along the Baden Powell trail this is one of the biggest ultras in Canada and numbers would be far larger if it was not for a cap imposed by the various districts the trail passes through. With a lottery to get into the race, many who don't get picked end up volunteering anyway and so come race day there is one volunteer to every racer! Needless to say this is one seriously slick and professional trail race with a kick ass party atmosphere of sunshine, great trails and practically the whole of Vancouver's trail running community out in force. I love it! In 2008 I didn't make it through the lottery, so in a sense I trained for 2 years for the 2009 edition of the race and ended up far exceeding my goal of 'about 6hrs' and posted 5h36mins, placing 1st female, 8th overall and 4th fastest female time ever!

Coming back in 2010 (with a lottery exemption) I was unsure how the race would unfold. I had not been on the technical north shore trails since Septemeber of last year and was unsure of my climbing fitness. Might seem lame - but just get out on a section of this trail and you will realise why I had my doubts - there are rocks and roots all over the place like no other trail I know and the first 1/4 of the course involves pretty much a power hike up Black Mountain (some of which involves clambering over boulders). The course climbs 8, 000ft and descends another 8, 300ft so flat sections are few and far between!

I had got to Vancouver the week prior and went for a couple of runs - one from Cleveland Dam up to Hollyburn Lodge and back, and one from the Dam to Deep Cove (the final 1/2) - on the course to refamiliarise myself. This was great, I was pleasantly suprised that some sections semed to have got shorter (!), but I was also mildly alarmed that I appeared to have lost my nimble footing on the technical terrain. I therefore went into race day knowing I was fit but doubting my ability on the course. I took it easy the week prior, maybe not the best game plan for Death Race in 3 weeks time but I couldn't bear the thought of hitting KK tired given the nature of the course.

The course splits neatly into 4 quarters - start to Cypress (mostly the Black Mountain climb), Cypress to Cleveland Dam (lots of downhill, little significant uphill), the Dam to Lynn gazebo (ups, downs, twists & turns), the then to the finish (inc. Seymour mini-grind and a downhill blast to the finish). I knew that I was never going to fly up Black so I went out steady and focused on getting this least favourite section of the course out of the way. Suprisingly I found I really enjoyed it and for 20mins even had the privelege of being ahead of Gary Robbins - a new race experience for me! I didn't think I would have much female competition so hoped to stay fairly close to the top 10 men and also had my sights on Suzanne Evans' CR of 5:18:57. When I had finished last year I thought 5:18 would be tough but possible, and came into the race this year in the same mind set. With this being a pretty competitive race of 22yrs standing and Suzanne being an amazing runner I would be priveleged of I could snag the CR at KK.

After peaking at Black I powered down to Cypress and passed two men just before the aid station. Friends from Pacific Road Runners man this major aid station each year so it was great to see familiar faces, though I didn't want to get too caught up in the party hoopla this early on. Later on RD Kelsy Trigg said she had noticed that I had my 'race face' on - into the station, grab a few mouthfulls of coke, and off! As I left Cypress I knew I was in 11th place (and I later found out, about 1 min up on my time from last year).

As I had just passed 2 guys I didn't want to get caught so this kept me pushing on the ups and downs that were to come. Soon I had hit Hollyburn Lodge from where it is practically all down hill to the dam. I LOVE this section, I was skipping and dancing over rocks and logs and just enjoying myself, as well as being happy to see that there was really very little mud on the course. I was totally on my own (and pretty much had been since the start of the race) but didn't mind at all. It was also great that the temperature was still cool and cloud cover was keeping us out of the direct sun on the open sections, it had been upto 28 degrees in the week and there had been a lot of talk about the humid heat being a factor in the race. Down the Hollyburn chute, over Brothers creek and I spotted a vollie by a sharp turn that we had to take. I cornered tight and bam! Man down! Feeling a little silly I got right up and carried on running without so much as dusting myself off. As I ran I got over the shock and knew it would just be some surface scrapes.

Cleveland dam is an open section - a tarmacked parking area and lots of walkers out and about. I knew that Sibylle of Club Fat Ass was manning this station so it was great to get cheered in by the 20 or so vollies and lots of speactators there. I decided not to spend time filling my Nathan pack and instead drank off the stations (water and gatorade) and just use my pack for my Clif electrolyte drink and shot blocks in between. I had purposely decided not to check my 1/4 splits from last year either, I didn't want to be obsessing about time the whole race. I'm a true believer that you have to run what you feel on the day and can't look at targtet times too much. I later found out that I was 6 mins up on my 2009 time at the dam and I knew at the time that I was lead female and about 9th overall.

Leaving the dam there is the only real road section of the KK - one mile all up hill to the base of the Grouse Grind. I ran a bit, walked a bit, ran a bit walked a bit. And in doing so passed one guy and spotted my friend Mike up ahead. I had to laugh at this, only days prior Mike had claimed that he ran this road every single time in training. Well I guess not on race day - though to be fair his power hike wasn't slow either! We got back into the trails and negotiated a few minutes of lots of hikers heading off to go up the Grind, and we bracnhed off to continue on BCMC. I was feeling pretty good and although hiking a lot I soon caught Mike. We chatted for a bit, I hadn't expected to pass him so soon but he wasn't having the best day so it was good to talk a bit and check in on each other. But I knew I had to power on so I left Mike and was glad to get to a more rolling section where I could get back into my running groove a bit. Once again I was on my own on the trail but didn't mind as I was feeling good, the course is exceptionally well marked and I know the route inside out so didn't have to worry about taking a wrong turn.

I popped out to cross Mountain Highway and stopped briefly to take on some fluid at the aid station and hear that Gary was only about 5 mins ahead! I soon passed my friend Kerry who had pre-swept some of the course and was now running to the finish whiist shooting a cool little video montage. Kerry gave me some encouraging words and told me I was running faster than the guys ahead of me, which I wasn't sure whether to believe or not!

The three quarter mark at Lynn gazebo aid station is at the top of a little hill which I sometimes struggle to run, but today I didn't have to force the run just to look good coming into the station! Again, there were lots of familiar faces ready to assist at the aid station if needs be, but with a quick check on my watch whilst taking on more fluids (it was getting hotter) I knew i shouldn't hang round if I wanted to still have a shot at the CR. the next section is in the busy Lynn canyon area but I managed to avoid knocking over any tousists by just shouting loudly - figuring that they would hear me even of they didn't speak English! This section also forms part of the Dirty Duo 50km and I was recalling training runs on these trails from years ago - every little section of trail has it's own memories! After some downhill there is quite a stretch of gradual uphill before the approach to the Seymour grind. The Seymour grind is a short, steep hike made hard because it is at a stage in the race when you are feeling tired. Just at the base section I saw a runner ahead and was alarmed to se it was Peter Findlay!! Peter is in his early 50s, held the KK course record for years and is KK royalty! He looked like he was running steady but slower than me so I snuck past him with a quick hello and tried not be be psyched out that I had just passed the KK King! At this stage in 2009 I was tired. I remember strumbling and tripping simply because I wasn't picking my feet up enough. This year, I was obviosuly getting a little tired but basically felt strong to power up the hills and to the top of the grind. From the top of the grind it is downhill to the finish, bar a few little killer ups very close to Deep Cove. I got to the top of Seymour grind and saw my watch flick over to 4h40 even. I had exactly 38min 57secs if I wanted to get this CR! I knew it was possible but could be tight and I could not let up at all. I didn't pause for a second, I simply hit the downhill and began to hammer. Down, down, down, try avoid mountain biker. Down, down, down, little up, down, down, cross first road and be very glad the vollies were there to stop the traffic. Down, down, down, oh..runner ahead ...oh, that looks mighty like Mark Bennet..oh, I've gone past him..oh, he's quite (ok, very) fast..oh well, down, down, down, gotta try for this course record and really don't want sprint finish. Down, down, cross next road (more nice trafffic warden vollies, thank you), freak...that's Gary ahead, re-enter trail, down down, 'Hey Gary, how's it going'. 'Ellie!!!!! What the.....?!!'. 'Excuse me Gary, I don't care about beating you but I'm just sneaking past, I need to get this CR!'. Down, down, chit chat to Gary, down, down, oh... little ups, little ups seem like mountains, Gary blast past, try keep up, man can he power hike, down, down, lost sight of Gary, up, up, man these ups are tough but gotta keep powering, gotta get CR. Feel better than last year, no drunken stumbling into tourists, good footing, down, down, oh, there's the daylight of Deep Cove-yay! Outta the trail, onto the tarmac, woo hoo, darn that Gary-man, he's just finished, sprint, push hard, only enough energy to raise one arm at the finish, oh, I do believe I just ran 5h 06 something!

So, I managed to snag 5th place overall, 1st place female and a CR by 12m48s. In charging for that CR at the end I also manged to run the fastest time of the day on the final leg. On the 1st 1/4 I gained 1min on my 2009 time, on the 2nd I gained a further 5 1/2mins, on the 3rd leg I was picking it up and ran 9 mins faster than in 2009. But on the 4th and final leg I had smoke coming out of my Montrail Rockridges and ran 14m29s faster than in 2009! Nothing like a good bit of running scared to get those legs a'movin!

By the finish it had got to be a pretty toasty day so ideal for hanging out at Deep Cove, soaking the legs in the tepid ocean and catching up with lots of friends and fellow runners. Definitely for the slower runners it would have been a tough day out there as the cloud cover lifted and the heat really hit come midday. But there were only a few runners that dropped or didn't make the cut off, everyone else was clearly powered along by the thought of Kelsy waiting to present them with their medal at the finish line, and the thought of Honey's donuts at the finish line aid station :) It is amazing that of just over 200 starters, 120 were first time KKs, and I would guess many of them, first time ultra runners. It is a credit to the immaculate organisation of Kneknacker that so many runners are prepared to pit themselves up against some of North America's knarliest trails.

Full race details are at http://www.kneeknacker.com/

and race results are at http://www.raceheadquarters.com/

Side note: I should concede that although I can say that I finished 17secs behind Gary Robbins, in all fairness he had placed 6th at Western States 100miler just 14 days previously. But at least I made him sweat a bit.

Scorched Soles, Icy Ankles

2010-06-28T16:03:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I headed over to Kelowna to take part in race #4 in the BC Ultra Trailrunning Series (http://www.bcuts.ca/), Scorched Sole 50 miler. I raced in the 50km event (there is also a 25km) 2 years ago and loved it - dusty dry trails, long climbs rewarded by stellar views of Lake Okanagan below and a fun, low key yet slickly run event. This year I decided to sign up for the 50 miler, which I was very glad I did as it was going to be a great training race for Death Race in 5 weeks.

As the name and location suggests this can be a hot race so I was excited to pack just singlet and shorts...until I heard that someone had been out in snowshoes on the upper section of the course just 4 days earlier! The course changes a little most years and this year we were going over Little White which appeared from some photos to still be very white with snow! Nevertheless the forecast for race day was still 28 degrees and full on sunshine so I was glad of the 6am start.

The different race distances start at different times so although there were about 150 racers overall it was a pretty low key group, with lots of familiar Vancouver faces, for the 50 miler start. The course profile is pretty unique with mostly uphill and some flats, but zero descent, for 25km, then down over the otherside of Little White, a flat forest service road loop and then retracing steps for a downhill and flat 25kms to the finish. Dave Papineau (running his first 50 miler), myself and Steve Russell from Vernon headed out in the lead. I stuck with the guys for a good while but soon started to powerhike some of the steeper sections whilst they continued to run meaning that they gained some distance on me whilst still occassionally being in view. I was feeling the effect of zero taper (other than taking the day prior to race day off I had run all week and clocked 19 hours of running/ powerhiking in th preceding 7days) and my legs were heavy on the uphills but I figured that this was a training race so I wasn't too concerned so long as I made it to the finish. At the start of the day I had said to myself that if the going got tough I was just going to think of everyone running Western States at the same time, who would surely be working much harder than I was!

Overall the trail markings were very clear save for a few sections where I got a little panicked as they didn't seem at all obvious. But I would glimpse Dave ahead or soon see some orange flagging so overall knew that I was on course. Although the open sections very bone dry dust bowls, quite a bit of the trails in the shade and up high were muddy and wet from the still melting snow which made for some fun foot work hoping around the really bad sections. As we made our way to the apporach up Little White I caught Dave and was glad to have someone to chat to for a while. We soon hit the snow and zig-zagged acros it following the orange spray markings. The summit of Little White marked 25kms (and the turn around for the 50km racers) but us 50 milers carried on over the top and Dave and I soon saw the extent of the snow! The summit was wide open heathland (which reminded me of the Norwegian fjells) yet with the trail covered in snow and semi melted pools of snow we whacked our way through brush following the markings from one tree to another. Steve had gone out ahead so I could see his feint footsteps which helped too. Dave is one speedy road runner but I think fair to say that he is none too keen on the sort of technical trail that this course had now morphed into! I therefore got a lead on him just before we had to descend a particularly steep snowy bank with the aid of a rope that had been fixed up. All I could think was that we were probably only 27kms into a 76km course (they cut out 4kms due to the snow!) and this was way tougher than I had anticipated and who knew what else was too come! After scrambling down the slope I popped out on sheer bliss - a dry, dusty and slightly down hill forest service road - time to get some kms in the bag! The bliss however was short lived, I couldn't see Steve ahead or Dave behind me so I was totally on my own, clueless of the layout of the upcoming course and unsure of the facilities at the 42.5km aid station so trying to conserve my supplies a bit (some earlier aid had turned out to be just water when I had hoped for some food and electrolytes - note to self: read the website in more detail in future!) At least I knew I was on track as there were regular comfort markers and I just ploughed on knowing that each step would bring me closer to the aid station. After what seemed like an eternity I turned a corner and was stoked to see a fully-manned tent with gatorade, food, my drop bag and two helpful volunteers who informed me that Steve was literally a few 100 metres ahead.

As I left the aid station at 4h32 my spirits were restored - I had liquids and food, had had some conversation and now had motivation to run the gradual uphill forest service road back - I could catch Steve! And sure enough, I soon did. We exchanged a few words but I ploughed on and greeted fellow 50milers running in the opposite direction still on their way out - again, great to see some familiar faces.

At the base of the steep climb back up Little White I saw Jess, who despite not being a super speedy runner is always smiling and is so determined she is a real inspiration, so I was really glad to see that she looked like she was having a good time. I was trying to powerhike the climb as fast as I could, aware that Steve was probably faster than me on the uphills, so I only had a chnace for a brief chat with Wendy, Martha and George on their way down before they hurried me on as they could see Steve approaching from behind. All in all, the climb back up took about an hour and mentally it was great to be at the top again - ok, I still had 25kms to go, but it was all either downhill or flat - woo hoo!

My strength is definitely downhills so I blasted away and loved running through the rocky upper sections that were now flowing wih snow-melt water. Mud and water were splashing up my legs, my feet were soaked and I was loving it! As I had never met Steve before I didn't know what he would be like on the downs and didn't want to give up my lead, now I was in full-on race mode and had given up the idea of 'take it easy, it's a training race'! It was 6h13 when I left the top and I figured I could easily be done in 2 more hours which was great as during the tough snowy sections I had been calculating a 10hour plus day. It's amazing though that although the way up had seemed all very steep, now I was heading in reverse there seemed to be a lot more flat!!! Probably the toughest section on the way back was a stretch along what had been a railway line - flat, steady and straight, with no distractions - time for mental strength to kick in. I hit 9kms to go at 7h19 so thought a sub 8hr race would be a breeze and although I was powering along and feeling good (despite the increasing heat from the direct sun) it was slow. I didn't even grab aid at the final station (4.7kms to go) and ended up running out of water but I just wanted to get to the finish at that point.

I was lucky enough to squeak in under 8hrs - 7:58:49 and proved that running scared in the lead can do good as I gained 25mins on Steve since passing him! As I bowled over the finish line my friend Ward was nicely positioned to slow me down with a hug as he stood in my direct line of running :) Susan (who won the women's 25km - yay!) greeted me and soon got me sorted with water and iced tea. By now it was a really hot day down at the start line and I wasn't seriously degydrated but definitely needed to get some fluids on board, so thank you for looking after one slightly dazed and confused runner Susan!

All in all Scorched Sole once again lived up to being a fantastic race. The oragnisers (Shirlee, Tammy and Dan - thank you!) are so welcoming and friendly and really go to great efforts to look after the racers. Admittedly with the snow this year the course was challenging but the struggles through the nasty sections were worth it for the views and the race experience. I think everyone who toughed it through the snow deserves a big congrats!

More race details and results are at www.scorchedsole.ca

Happy trails,
Ellie x

Montrail's Ellie Greenwood Talk at Kintec Port Moody, Wednesday July 7th

2010-06-18T16:37:00.000-07:00

Where: Kintec Footlabs, Unit 9 - 400 Capilano Road, Port Moody, BC

When: Wednesday July 7th. Drinks and light snacks @6pm. Ellie @7pm

Who: Ellie is a member of the Montrail Ultra Running Team, Club Fat Ass and the Vancouver Falcons. Recently she set the World Record for 100km on trail and four weeks later won the Calgary marathon in record time. Ellie is arguably the heavy favourite to win the IAU Wolrd 100km Championship this fall in Gibraltar, Spain.

Ellie will be talking about some of her experiences during these record setting runs as well as taking questions regarding training, nutrition, racing etc.

Prizes: Montrail will be providing some random draw prizes for those in attandance! They will also have a display tent available with all the line up of trail shoes, performance sandals and gear.

Partner: Kintec is proud to partner with Montrail to host this event. Kintec is Montrail Canada's largest distributor and specialises in performance footwear be it for 100km ultra marathons like Ellie runs or footwear to walk your dog in.

RSVP: rynemelcher@gmail.com or call 604-800-3338 for more information and if you are planning on attending. Or post a comment here!

Look forward to seeing you at Kintec!

Death-Fest Here I Come!

2010-06-11T20:38:00.000-07:00

This time last week I was contemplating how I was going to get good training in for Kneeknacker 50km on July 10th. Funny how things change in one short week 'casue now KK seems like a cake walk compared to what I have just got myself involved in: Death Race in Grande Cache!!! Of course I have heard a lot about Death Race and always said - no thanks, I'm not crazy enough for that, but now after one email from a stranger out of the blue and I'm signed up! I got a facebook message last Sunday from Richard Davies, the Alberta North Face rep (DR is a North Face event) saying he could probably swing me an entry to DR if I wanted. So basically the offer was 'Do you want to come to the 125km pain-fest that encompasses 17, 000ft of elevation change over mountain terrain in weather conditions that no one can predict?' Oh no! At first I almost wished Richard hadn't asked as now I was in a dilema and I am terrible at saying no to such things!

So I ummed and ahhed all week, got a few runs and run-hikes up Sulphur in and thought whether my hamstrings will be able to take the training involved and whether it was a race a really really wanted to do, as it is going to involve some pretty intense and mountainous training - in the next .... 7 weeks ... cause that's how long it is til race day! This was a key consideration as I have got lots of miles in this year but lots of real flat running miles and to put it into perspective, last years male winner (fellow Montrailian Sean Meissner) crossed the DR finish line in just over 15hrs and took 2.5hrs to climb the longest hill. Oh my!

But I have thrown caution to the wind and kindly accepted Richard of North Face's kind (if that's the right word!) offer, afterall apparantly no one has ever actually died at the Death Race so this is very encouraging news!

And I have to say that Richard's email is just one example of the super warm welcome that the Alberta ultra community has given me since I moved here. I've had offers to go for runs, offers to be in relay teams, and now an entry to Death Race!

So if I don't blog much over the next 7 weeks, please excuse me but I am probably out running somewhere :)

Check out the craziness at: www.canadiandeathrace.com

Press Release!

2010-06-06T18:21:00.000-07:00

This week in the follow up to Calgary marathon I had the fun of my first ever interview and photo shoot, courtesy of Calgary Herald. It was definitely a fun experience and intersting to see how an interview turns into an article! Check it out:

http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/Runner+tests+limits+endurance+sanity+chasing+passion/3118474/story.html

Marathon Madness

2010-05-31T19:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm afraid that this post is entirely about a road race but I'm a true believer that road running benefits trail running and I still enjoy the challenge of road racing! There is something so fun about racing against the clock, checking kms splits and going for a PB that is way easier to do on roads rather than trails.

When I moved to Banff in the fall I decided to run Calgary as it is my new home city marathon and I have not finished a road marathon since Victoria in October 2008 (I dropped out of Vancouver with injury in May 2009). I had already trained for Elk Beaver 100km four weeks prior so there would be no need to really train for Calgary in terms of mileage, I could just show up and hopefully put in a solid effort. Pre-race day I was aware that I lacked any speed training at all - I had focused so much on mileage that any concept of short yet fast training runs had long gone out the window. I had clocked 3h07m at the 42km split in Elk Beaver and had then continued to run another 58km, but even so would I have the speed to run much faster over 42.2km? Well, I decided to make a good stab at it and prepped my pace band for 2:55:00, with my existing marathon PB being 2:55:18 from Vancouver in 2008.

I was lucky enough to get a comp elite entry from elite organiser Jeremy Deere, one of the main benefits of which was having elite bag check right at the start with no lining up. I drove down to Calgary the day before the race and the closer we got the Calgary the worse the weather got. Low clouds were rolling in, the sky was grey and as the temperature barely hovered above zero the percipition that started to fall was as much snow as rain. Hmm, not exactly the weather I had hoped for but not much could be done other than figure out how many layers to wear!

Come race morning however as I peaked out the window just after 5am, I was pleasantly suprised to see that it looked like a dry and slightly bright morning and although it was still only 2 degrees it felt much warmer as it was dry. I wolfed down my standard pre-race brekkie of a bagel with peanut butter and a cup of tea, wanting as much time for my stomach to settle before the race. The race start area was less than a 2km walk from our hostel so it was good to stretch the legs and also preview the surrounding streets of the race start/ finish. I did an easy warm up, saw some familiar faces and then got in behind the start line, even with the half and full marathons starting at the same time the elite field was pretty small so I was close to the front.

The gun went off and we were away! I was careful not to get carried away with too fast a start but it was hard to guage my pace when I have not road raced in so long and didn't know any of the runners around me. I only knew Graeme Wilson of Vancouver, a sub 2:30 marathoner so I just made sure that I stayed well back from Graeme! First km I was a little fast - 3:50, when I needed to hit 4:08's but it was slightly downhill so I wasn't too worried. In the first few kms I was glad to see that the km markers were super clear and although I was a little fast I soon reined it in so by 5km I was about 1min up on a 2:55 finish time but back on track in terms of pace.

As the marathoners and half marathoners ran the first 13km or so together until the half marathon route branched off, I was trying to guage who was in which race. I got into a good rhythm with a female half marathoner and there were a handful of men around us but I didn't know if any women marathoners had gone off ahead. When we got to where the half marathoners branched off I just prayed that some of the men were marathoners, but as they all peeled away I realised they weren't and now I had one marathoner male about 100m ahead of me and he was the only racer I could now see. Ok, this would be tough if I was going to have to road race solo! At about 14km we hit a significant hill - a steady climb for about 1km that I had seen on the route map but this didn't worry me. Although I would class hills as my weakness in trail racing, I think I'm better on them than most roadies! So I climbed up and had caught the guy in front so at least now I had some company, plus when I crested the hill I saw a lead cyclist waiting for me - not only company but 100% confirmation that I was lead female. The cyclist immediately asked me my name and right away I knew she was going to be critical in my race, not only would I no longr feel like I was running alone but throughout she gave me helpful hints, like calling out my pace having checked that I didn't have my own GPS. After a few kms working our way through the university I had lost the male runner and had settled into my pace and the rolling terrain. The hills were nothing drastic but some nice ups and downs to break up the monotony. I was checking my km splits every 2km or so and was glad to see I was on pace for sub 2:55 finish but I was also feeling like I was running the unknown, having not specifially trained for a marathon. What is I crashed and burned? What if this pace felt fine now but I fell apart at 30km? But on the other hand I knew that if I wanted to try get 2:55 finishing time then I had to take a leap of faith and go out at that pace.

At half way there was a weird out and back in a cul-de-sac where we crossed over a timing mat and it also allowed me to see that 2nd place woman was probably a little over 1min behind me. I wasn't phased when I saw her as I was happy with my 1:26:47 split and knew if I could keep up this pace I was on for a PB. We then headed through what I found to be the toughest section of the race. We went into a nice residential area with large houses and yards but this was at about 9am on a Sunday morning and save for 2 residents there was not a soul in sight so there was little atmosphere and nothing to push you along. Again I was spurred along by the lead cyclist who cheerily shouted out to all the marshalls and occassionally said a few words to me. I was really impressed by the organisation of the race, at every possibly place that a runner could have queried which direction to take there was a marshall standing by to point runners in the right direction.

The advantage of having had to climb the long hill at 14km was I knew that we got to go back down it! I had checked out the km markers on my way up and knew that the descent began at about 32km, so this was a double motivation - get to the downhill and get to the 10kms to go mark! As I hit the downhill I let my arms pinwheel around and I enjoyed picking up the speed a little, although my legs were beginning to tire a little I know from trail racing that my quads can take a good downhill pounding so I wanted to take adavntage of opening up my stride and gaining some time. At the base of the hill we the course then was relatively straight to the finish, keeping fairl close to the river. It was here that I began to pass slower half marathon runners and got the boost I needed. I knew I was going to make it to the finish but was digging deep not to let up on the pace and lose what was now looking like was going to be a new PB. The lead cyclist was shouting out 'elite female marathoner coming though, move to the right!', I had to laugh, I felt like I had a VIP escort and lots of the ladies who were walking and jogging the half took off their iPods and cheered me on, which was a great boost. I really wanted to cheer them on too but now I was just clinging on to not losing the pace. My personal escort even went one step further and would tell some upcoming marshalls my name so when I passed them I got a 'Go Ellie!' from people I didn't even know. I tell you, this cyclist gets a gold star for how to lead a marathon!

In the last 10km I kept imagining that I was on my last loop of Elk Beaver and how fast that had seemed but this 10km seemed so much longer. I was checking each km split and realised that I might now post 2:51: something - woo hoo, that definitely kept me going! I was literally counting the kms - 5km = 20mins to go, 4kms = 16mins to go and by 4okm I was so excited to get this race done. In the last km there were a few uphills that slowed my pace and drained my legs to feel super heavy, but it was great to get cheers of encouragement as I came around the final corner and saw the finish banner. The cyclist peeled away, 'Go Ellie, it's all yours!'. I looked at this section after the race and it seemed so short - maybe 15om - but at the time it seemed miles away as I tried to sprint to the finish. The clock had clicked over to 2:52 but as I broke the tape to win I saw 2:52:21 - a PB by 2m57secs!!!

I am absolutely stoked at the time that I got. Having gone into the race on high mileage but blind to the course and what type of speed I had I did think I was maybe being optimistic to shoot for a PB. Of course, I am now thinking that if I can just throw in a few speed work outs into my mileage then maybe there is a sub 2:50 out there! And of course, Calgary is about 350m lower than Banff but it is still over 1000m, so maybe a race at lower elevation.....!

The Calgary marathon route was new as of last year so I got CR too, and fastest female time since 1990 (and apparantly the new course is tougher than the old course!), and 5th runner to cross the finish line. Fellow Vancouver Falcon, Graeme Wilson, narrowly missed the mens CR but still placed 1st in 2:32:14 - just 4 weeks after racing Vancouver! And I've got the bug back for road racing, so now looking at what marathons I can squeeze into my schedule and see if I can push that PB a little lower still....

The Calgary Herald did a neat little video montage if this link stays active for a while http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJaOXqfNbCE

And check out the race details and results at http://www.calgarymarathon.com/

Hey Ladies! No cat fights! Let's all just bliss out on our spa products!

2010-05-15T17:29:00.000-07:00

Today was my first ever women's only run. I found out about the Rocky Mountain Soap Company's 1/2 marathon through the Lululemon (yoga store) group that I have been running with every Thursday. It had already sold out but it's one of those events that let's you trade places at no charge and so I managed to get a spot via a Facebook trade.

Of course with training for my ultras I did no speed work in prep for today's race but was just excited to be participating in a local event (of which there are far fewer than in Vancouver) and looking forward to racing my first 1/2 in over 2 years! My 1/2 PB is 1:23:34 so I thought I could well beat that....oh how wrong could I be!

The race is held in Canmore (20 min drive from Banff) and I got there a good hour before the race to do package pick up, warm up and just scout out the area. The start/ finish was at the Canmore Nordic Centre (built for the '88 Olympics), already a little step above the valley with beautiful views of the mountains around. I had checked out the course profile and knew it was going to suck - pretty much out and back (that's all fine) but about 3km of downhill at the start...which would mean 3km of uphill at the end! And in between what had looked at brief glance to be a nice flat course was in fact a nice rolling course of small ups and downs at regular intervals.

In previous years there had only ben 6km and 12km events so I had no past results of the 1/2 to see (1) how tough/ easy the course would be and (2) what the competition would be like. Looking at the 12km times I figured I would be in the lead few.

Pre race I bumped into some ladies I know from Lululemon and also had the pleasure of meeting a local ultra runner, Brenda, who I've exchanged a few emails with but yet to get the chance to meet. Also to my suprise I knew one of the guys doing the race timing - Michael Campbell-Burns - a Lions Gate Road runner and a Vancouver trail runner - so great to see a familiar West Coast face :) I also got chatting to some fellow racers and it looked set to be a fun and social day.

Michael did the count down, the horn went off and away we were. Myself and another lady (Lynette) went out fast but within the first few hundred metres I was in the lead. I wanted to race hard so was not going to hold back and was very glad to have a lead cyclist as I didn't know the route at all. (Guys - I would highly recommend volunteering for lead bike in a ladies only race - Jay must have had a field day having several hundred excited, fit and lycra clad ladies trailing along behind him!). After a loop in the Nordic centre we hit the tarmac downhill to the valley/ town and I clocked 3:57 in the first km and 3 flat in the 2nd (Coach Hill, if you are reading this - I promise the 2nd km was fully downhill all the way!). Already it dawned on me that the last few kms were going to be killer!

Now you may think that 21.1kms would be easy for me but as I'm a slow, steady runner my pace felt hard and I was thinking that Elk Beaver 100km 2 weeks prior was probably easier in some respects! I'm just not used to running where I am heaving for breath all the time. But I settled into a pace as much as I could and found that a bulk of the race was on packed cycle path trail - some of which was flat and other sections of which had switch backs to work it's way up and down. Jay (the lead cyclist and I were by now on 1st name terms!) was awesome at pre-empting me of the sections up ahead and I knew he was a runner when he was talking about what pace I was on for 1:26 he thought at the time. Now 1:26 I would be ok with, but under 1:24 would be much nicer ;) But by the 6km mark or so I realised this was not an easy, fast road 1/2 marathon...

I was well ahead of 2nd place, but like Jay said it was a beautiful day for a solo run! And I looked up at the surrounding snow covered mountain, blue blue sky, and dried out yellow grass and indeed it was a stellar day. I was just perfect in shorts and t-shirt and was happy with my choice to wear my Monrail Rockridges. No doubt road shoes would have been fine too as the trail sections were easy but on the other hand I would estimate about 40% of the course was non-tarmac. I was carrying Clif Shot Bloks and using the water stations en route, although I felt vaguely guilty when two kids aged about 6 got reprimanded for not being ready holding out water when the lead runner came though! No worries - they were pros by the time I passed their station on the way back :)

After the loop around to turn back I was pleased to hit a section of highway - slight downhill, good response from the tarmac and real open-road running. I then got to pass the ladies who were still heading out and it was great to encourage each other along. Another little boost in was given to my rapidly fading legs when I got a cheer from my coworker Lawrence who was out cheering on his wife and daughter.

I had hit 11km in 45 even and that felt fast! But I was totally thrown when I hit the 14km marker at 64mins - I mean I know I was hurting but yikes - 7km to go and I was at 1:04 and still had the uphill finish. Oh yikes, this was all going horribly wrong! Yet I then hit 15km at 1:08 - had I got back on track or.....no, as we were to find out later, I think the km markers were a little out! Whatever, I couldn't run harder so just plowed on and at least I wasn't getting caught.

The last few kms were as bad as I expected, I just simply had lead legs, was breathing hard and yet I think I saw an ant pass me. I was sooooo slooooow. I trudged up and had to hit a short power walk on one particularly nasty tarmac hill, but the upside is that after a silly-steep hill, normal hills were now manageable in comparison :) I could hear the announcer calling in 6km finishers and the sight was in finish. But no - we looped past the finish and down a hill, and as all runners know - what goes down must come up. Oh *&?!*. So uphill I went and to my dismay yet another seemingly unneccessary steep uphill had been added just before the fun rolling downhill to the finish. I swear that we looped 7 sides around an octogon to get to the finish line! And my killer winning time was a staggeringly slow....drum roll....1:36:11. Oh well - only about 12 to 14mins off my goal!

At the finish line we were handed a bag of Rocky Mountain Soap Company goodies (nice smelly stuff), there were towels to mop your face and some organic-gluten free-vegetable-fair trade-tree hugging juice was handed to us. We were definitely treated like ladies :) But it was at the finish line that the intrigue started to unfold. I had felt slightly better when one woman said she was 20mins slower than she normally runs a 1/2, and then the 23km or so rumours started. I mean you can't fool us ladies especially when some have GPSs!! So it does for sure seem like the course was about 2kms long.

I then saw Lynette who I had chatted to at the start and guessed she had come 2nd, well...yes, but.... It seems likely that the woman who crossed the finish line 2nd went off course so Lynette crossed 3rd but should have been 2nd and Sandy crossed 4th but should have been 3rd!! Now no one was being nasty about it but the 2nd finisher claimed she ran past both Sandy and Lynette. Sandy and Lynette admitted they were running hard but they were also running alone so figure they would have noticed someone race past them, they were not that delirious! 2nd across the line (for some reason we never found out her name!) claims that she recognises my ponytail from running behind me towards the start of the race. Well that's pretty good eyesight given she crossed the finish 12mins back of me! All in all Lynette and Sandy managed to laugh it off, and it got us chatting so now I may have some familair faces to spot when I race Calgary marathon in 2 weeks time. However it was judiciously decided by the RD that for the 1/2 marathon only age group prizes would be announced and we had a good laugh that they obviously expected some cat fight to break out if they attempted to award overall 1st, 2nd and 3rd!

Anyway, to top the day off before I needed to get the rental car back to Banff I decided to make the most of having wheels and continue my girly day with a power hike up as much of Lady McDonald as I had time for. A steep forest trail in Canmore, with the smell of pine needles and the chirping of crickets in the warm sun it got my blood pumping for some fun times discovering new trails this summer. And just had a few minutes on my fav terrain - boulders and scree- before I ran out of time and had to turn back. All in all, a fab day of new people, new trails and new freckles to mark the start of summer trail running season :)

Happy trails xx

http://www.rmswomensrun.com/main.php?p=704

Elk Beaver 100km EPIC!

2010-05-05T16:25:00.000-07:00

Finally I can call myself a real ultra runner: I've checked my first 100km off the list! (you will note that I say my first, cause I think there may be more to come). So what made me finally step up to the 100km distance was a few things really. I did feel that having only run 50kms and 2 x 50 milers meant that I got some stick from the hardcore peeps that run longer distances - so yep, in part it was peer pressure! In addition, after Stormy 50miler last year where I logged a solid result I was really encouraged that I could tack on another 20kms without too much trouble. And importantly in the mix, Stormy RD Wendy Montgommery really encouraged me to try qualify for the Canadian 100km team for the 2010 World Championships in Gibraltar and that really appealed - not only was I going to try run 100km I was going to try run fast and with an extra incentive of the Wolrd Championships rather than just the distance itself.

When I moved to Banff in November I delcared to all my work colleagues that when they were out skiing in minus 30 degree temperatures I would be out running, and I'm not the kind of person to say something and then not stick to it. So as soon as I got to Banff training began, there were several races in the meantime but my real goal was to up the mileage and intensity so I wouldn't look stupid come May 1st.

I chose Elk Beaver as it's fast and flat. At first I thought that this would make it 'easy' but the closer I got the race I realised that in some ways it made it tougher - all flat, no hills I could walk and no downhills to shake out the legs on - it would be pure and simple hammer out 100kms with quick turn over. With this in mind, and the fact that the Albertan winter had hit, I spent hours on the treadmill - steady pace, minimal elevation and on my best session topped out at 2.5hrs on the damn thing! I also took to doing back to back long runs on the weekend and whereas in November a long run had been 2hrs, that time now became my standard after work mid week run about 3 or 4 nights a week.

So come May 1st I knew I'd make it to the finish line but to be honest was unsure about time. By this time I had found out that I'm not Canadian enough to represent Canada (I'm 'only' a landed immigrant) so had checked out the GB times and found that minimum qualifying time was 8h39 - so I set out with a pace band of 8h40 - manageable I thought but not crazy ambitious. Having never done a pace band for an ultra before even making that freaked me out a bit - splits per 5km was all I had room for! I would have to hit 52mins per loop/ 10k to get my goal.

I headed over to Victoria the evening before the race with my friends and newly recruited crew - Mike and Sukhi. EB is a small race - approx 50 racers over the 50km, 50mile and 100km distances - so I was super happy to have 2 really good friends to keep me company and I'd asked that they run one lap each with me (EB is 10 x 10km loops).

Race start of 6am rolled around too fast but with such a small field I didn't have the usual pre-race nerves - I was just happy to be back on the west coast among friends. I clicked into next to Sammy (Lofti-Pour aka Sammy Loverunning!) and a 50km runner. Sammy then pulled a little ahead so after a short chat with the 50km runner I was on my own and following Sammy. At each loop we had to pass through the start/ finish area where I'd set up my aid at the picnic shelter. First loop I was bang on 45mins, Sammy turned and saw me 'Ellie if you are running that close behind, you're running with me', and off we set on the 2nd and 3rd loops together chatting a long and catching up on running gossip. After the 3rd loop I was on 2h15 - wow this was fast! I nipped into the washroom, got a fresh bottle and headed out having lost Sammy ahead of me. I was a little daunted by my pace but it felt comfortable so I didn't see any reason to ease off. Even if I suffered later I thought, it was worth the risk. So loop 4 was the first on my own and I settled into a rhythm on the soft trails, not really feling alone as so many dogwalkers and weekend runners were out on the trail. Mike & Sukhi had also set up awesome banners for me that made me smile each time I passed them :) 'Go Greenwood Go!', 'Ellie Rocks' & 'As Fast as a Greyhound'!

I'd asked that Mike join me on the 5th loop, I did consider changing this to the 6th as I was still feeling strong but decided that some company would be good. We chatted along easily about Mikes goals for the Vancouver marathon the next day (2:53:37 - nicely done Mr. P!) and he gave me some good encouraging words to take with me on the next few loops. On the 5th loop I clocked 44minutes which included time at the aid station so I was half way in 3:42:40. This was a 50km PB of 6mins for me and I'd clocked 3h07 at the 42km mark - my 3rd fastest marathon ever! I was still feeling good, my hamstrings were seizing but they always do and I popped some ibuprofen - not something I would do other than on race day - and that definitely helped the pain.

Now I was half way done but just wanted to get to 60km mark, then mentally I would be on my way down to the finish. Mike and Sukhi took the opportunity to leave base for a while but there were so many other friendly faces at the start/ finish that I still felt encouraged. Myke Labelle was there supporting a friend and it was great just to have someone check I was ok when I came in for 60km. Throughout the race my pit stops at the start/ finish were pretty smooth, taking only a couple of minutes. I was very conscious that I needed to stay fuelled and shouldn't cut corners as that would be suicide for the final laps so I was prepared to spend a moment or two longer getting aid to save time overall. I was carrying a bottle of gatorade with me on the trail along with Clif Shot Bloks (love 'em!) and at the aid station I was hydrating on coke and salt & vinegar chips. Sukhi was diligently checking if I needed anything else like the P&J tortillas I had prepped but to be honest I was off the idea of any real food so just went for easy calories.

Lap 7 I ended up running abut 15mins with Joe Public and his friend who were out for a run and couldn't believe that they were now involved with a 100km race, but when their dog ran off I lost them and for the first time plugged myself into my iPod. Now, I never race with music, I use it a lot in solo training but never feel the need in a race but I thought that 100km would be different. I was wrong, after a while it really bugging me but I didn't want to get tangled in the wires so kept it on until I finished the loop - if nothing else it kept me pushing as I wanted to get rid of it!

Lap 8 and it was Sukhi's turn to accompany me. Until this point I was still averaging 45min per loop/ 10kms but now I could see I was easing off. There were markers every km which had first scared me but I soon came to love them as I could monitor my pace so easily. Sukhi asked if I wanted to go a little faster but now I was strguggling and decided best to let the pace ease a bit on this loop to save myself for the final two. Part way round the 8th loop Sukhi uttered words that were music to my ears 'I can do the 9th loop with you too if you want'. Do I want?! Oh yeah!! I was hurting at this point (more ibuprofen down) and picked it up a bit on the 9th loop but only becuse I was hangin on the heels of Sukhi. We didn't talk much (I couldn't!) and Sukhi was about 2ms in front of me, I tucked my head down and powered on.

Pulling into the start/ finish for the start of my 10th and final loop I was so determined and knew that 10km was a breeze but I was also pretty tired. Imagine my suprise when I went to grab some coke and saw Sammy, 'C'mon Ellie, let's do this together' and so I did a very short stop and we headed out together. I was totally envisaging us crossing the finish line together but maybe the comment of a supporter got my blood pumping a little ' Guys vs Girls!' - 'You better watch out with comments like that' I replied laughing as Sammy and I headed out. It was 6h50 as we left and my previous daydreams mid race of getting under 7h30 had gone but I didn't care - I was still wearing my 8h40 pace band and I was going to smoke that!

After about 1km on the final loop Sammy was cramping and he told me to go if I wanted. To be honest I knew I had to hammer as hard as I could otherwise I would totally lose my pace, so I kicked it up a notch and began earnestly searching for the next km marker. I so knew I could do this but the cheering of Mike and Sukhi at 7kms to go which I hadn't expected really helped too :)

There was a turn off on the trail at 1.5kms to go so as I ran along one particularly straight section I was willing on that turn and then I would be on the home straight. Sukhi had walked along the trail final km of the trail to see me in but I think all I said to him was 'I really want to beat Sammy' and then I got a little sprint on before grabbing one of the banners Mike had made to carry over the finish line, 'Tough as Titanium' - well the hamstrings didn't feel like titanium right now but who cares, I'd just raced my first 100km, just won my first overall race and just clocked 7h36m40s - wooooooooooooooooo hoooooooooooooooooooooo!

I'm still, 4 days later, on a little high from this weekend. A race where the fun-ness of the event and my result far exceeded my expectations, and the next day I volunteered and cheered friends on at the Vancouver marathon and half - so many good times of catching up with people that are part of the running scene. I've also had a few people wonder how I ran that time, and if I'm totally honest I don't know. All the stars were lined up for me at Elk Beaver and I just had a good day.

But what might have also helped:

- Logging more traning miles than ever before

- Runing lots of consecutive days so geeting used to running on tired legs

- I don't think I've lost weight but I might have leaned up a bit and have been eating healthy

- Living at an elevation of 4, 800m (I'm training even when I sleep!) and racing at sea level

- Making myself eat during the race - I was forcing fluids and Shot Bloks down, but at least I didn't bonk

- Chosing a pancake flat, looped course can't do any harm to running fast ;)

- Montrail providing me with one fine n' dandy pair of Rockridges that I can run 100km in without so much of a hot spot or hint of a blister.

- Having the ability on race day to run with my gut instincts - not being afraid to run at a pace far in excess of my plan, what's the worst that can happen? You bonk and you learn for another race.

So all in all, one fab race and I'm hopeful I might get a spot on the GB team for Gibraltar. Sammy - thank you - you rock! It was a privelege to race with you! Mike & Sukhi - is it an Elk? Is it a Beaver? No, it's a Lion!! Thanks guys so so much xxxxx I owe you one! And thanks to fellow Brit, RD & 50km racer - Carlos Castillos! http://pih.bc.ca/elk-beaver-ultra.html

Time to Taper

2010-04-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

One week to go until my first 100km - Elk Beaver near Victoria on Vancouver Island, so finally it's time to taper. Like for most runners, I have a bit of a love/ hate relationship with tapering. On one way it feels good to take it easier, not having to squeeze in runs around everything else going on in life and actually having time to do other things - catching up with friends, watching movies and just catching up on life in general. To be fair I am usually a little obsessive about my training so will cut out a tonne ofther things in life before I cut back on my running so It's nice to have time to breathe and chill a little. But on the otherhand it seems illogical having spent so much time training to now just cut back - little niggling worries start getting into my head that I am taking it too easy and that race day is yet to come so I should still be training! After spending months running and hitting the gym I start to feel uneasy by cutting things back. But at the end of the day I know I could definitely over do it this week but it would probably be hard to under do training this week - so less is better and will hopefully bring me to the start line refreshed and with a spring in my step! Of course I'm resisting filling my time when I would normally be running with other activities - I've thought of going for a swim or a bike ride but that would probably re-awaken muscles that have not be used in a long time and do more harm than good! I got a good cruisey downhill ski in yesterday and will run later today and also do yoga - but those are things I do all the time. I'm also trying to catch up on sleep (something I usually don't get enough of!), eating good and looking forward to some shorter, easy pace runs this week. I'll be heading to Vancouver on Thursday and so looking foward to catching up with friends and running with my Pacific Road Runners family that evening for the first time since September - yay! Lots of club runners will be racing at Vancouver marathon on the day after I race Elk Beaver so I'm confident they won't push the pace to much on Thursday and that they will be holding back on the beers too! Now time to rest....

Sweet Smell of Spring!

2010-04-18T16:46:00.000-07:00

Spring?! But it's mid April. Yep, well I live in the frozen Canadian Rockies and it is only this last week that it really feels like spring has sprung and OMG it is so lovely! It feels almost like it was worth putting up with all that snow and bone-chilling temperatures to experience the amazingness of warm sun and bare trails now. It's been warming up for a bit now but 10 days ago - bam - 25cms of fresh snow. I mean I should be excited - I live in a ski town afterall - but I had just begun to glimpse bare trail and it was yanked away from me :( But this last week we've been getting up to 15 degrees in the day and I've switched to 3/4 tights and a t-shirt for my runs which feels like total liberation from the bulky layers of winter. Yesterday I started my 4hr run at 3 degrees and by the time I got back home it was plus 15 - woo hoo!

Today I ran out to Lake Minnewanka which is an hour on pavement each way. There still aren't many runners out but cyclists are coming out of hibernation and we all greet each other with over the top hellos and smiles as we pass each other, clearly happy to be back at our favourite activities. Once at Lake Minnewanka I extended my run to hit the trails along the lake shore - and wow, no snow, no ice - just pure fun on some rocky mountain single track! The trail was pretty dry and even sandy in sections but what I loved most was the scree like tracks - a type of terrain that I always think of so typical of this area and reminds me of my first big hike when I lived here 11yrs ago and learnt the joys of scree skiing on the descent of Cascade mountain. I could have stuck to the trail forever but made myself turn around earlier than I wanted and I was glad I did as the hour back on the tarmac really pounded my hips.

I am so excited about exploring new trails this summer, lots of fun to be had I'm sure. Only trouble is with all this sun, beautiful trails and snow covered peaks, I keep getting flash backs of my summers spent in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland - one place that I would go back to in a flash. I can feel a return to the specacular Jungfrau marathon one year pretty soon...
http://www.jungfrau-marathon.ch/ws2/en/

Rave Reviews just keep coming in for the Montrail Rockridge

2010-04-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

Rockridge Picked as “Best for Rugged Terrain” in Shape Magazine

Richmond, Calif. (April 1, 2010) –The Montrail Rockridge™ has been honored once again in the April 2010 issue of Shape magazine, a premiere women’s fitness and lifestyle magazine. The Shape Shoe Awards testers selected the Rockridge as “Best for Rugged Terrain.” The Rockridge was also recently awarded “Editors’ Choice Best All-Arounder” in the April 2010 issue of Trail Runner magazine.

“The feedback we are getting with the Rockridge right now is incredible,” said Todd Lewis, Montrail Product Manager. “For the second year in a row, and the second time this season, Montrail has turned out award-winning trail runners, testament to the Product Development Team’s running know-how.”

The 2010 Rockridge™ is a low-profile, neutral shoe with outstanding cushioning perfect for dirt, rock and fire roads. It features the VEL last (think Velocity for speed) designed specifically for trail runners with its medium-volume fit and roomy toe box. The outsole has been optimized for moderate to technical trail conditions with deflecting lugs for cushioning and perimeter digging lugs for traction up and down hills.

Shape testers specifically called out the mesh upper that “keeps toes dry and cool” yet “withstands pokes from branches.” The newly designed outsole on the Rockridge “...makes you feel ‘secure enough to run anywhere without fear of slipping.’”

Running Sick. Running Yourself Sick.

2010-03-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

It's always a tough decision when you have a cold or are feeling 'under the weather' (nice British phrase!) whether to run or not. I usually carry on regardless, I never like to have anything unexpected interupt my training and I figure that if I can manage to run then I should and that running can even help clear out the lungs a bit.

Right after Chuckanut I got a sore throat which steadily by the end of last week turned into a cough. Now if I wasn't a runner I'd have been none too bothered - ok, a slightly annoying cough, not quite so much energy but other than that I was pretty ok. But as runners I think we are generally pretty in tune with our bodies and I was definitely feeling a little lethargic and sluggish yet still getting some good runs in when I felt great. However by the end of the week I was definitely feeling worse and oh no - it was coming up to the weekend when I needed to get my long runs in! I am definitlely getting a little paranoid about my upcomning first 100km on May 1st so had really hoped to log some good long miles this weekend. As it turned out I aimed for 4hrs on Sunday and headed back in the door after just 2. I was too tired and just struggling and couldn't get my legs going. I told myself that it was ok to go home as I would go the gym later, which I did - and logged 2hrs power walking at 15% incline on the treadmill! What!!! Ok, I know that was a little crazy but I figured it was time on my feet, something rather than nothing and mentally I felt better for it. Plus the treadmill is suprsingly ok when dancing along to Ricky Martin! Monday (the 2nd day of my weekend) I again ran 2hrs on the road, it felt easier than Sunday and I could have carried on but told myself not to push it and turn back. So I headed home, grabbed an hours sleep and then hit the treadmill for 90mins at zero incline and easy pace. So all in all, not the weekend of long runs I had planned but I still got some decent training in. But today I am not sure if I feel ill or whether it is now just the drugs! I am rarely ill and hate to take drugs but once a in while it's the smart thing to do. This invariably means that I stumble to drug store, really ill and am totaly bewildered by the array of expensive promises to make you feel better. In my ill state I forgot that if a medication states 'may make you drowsy' then for me that's pretty much 'will knock you out cold into an outer body experience for 24hrs or more'. Before my run yesterday I took some cough medication but don't think it had really kicked in by the time I was running. Today I took it before work and ended up being a computer staring zombie all day. After work I figured that I would be good for a 2hr run but soon at the door I realised that I was in some druggie-haze! I really had to plough on through and focus, though in another weird way my legs just kept, albeit heavily, moving. After 75mins I called it quits. Afterall there does come a point when the quality/ quantity aspect of running can get totally out of whack!

From this I think I have learnt that running when sick is ok, until you are sick to the point that you need to take medication and then it's best to rest! Likely I have got a quite few rest days ahead of me as my mum arrives for a visit from the UK tomorrow so I'll be entertaining and being the tour guide :) And even with all my doubts I do, deep down, know that even if my 100km doesn't go great I am pretty sure I can make it over that finish line even if a few training runs haven't gone to plan!

Chuckanut 50km Race Report

2010-03-23T21:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's taken me a few days to sit down and get the time to write this and I'll try keep it from being too rambling, but I am thinking that it could turn into a Gary Robbins stylee-epic!

I raced Chuckanut for the first time last year and loved it! So many great runners, Krissy is the most hard working and fun RD, and an awesome course that has a nice mix of laying down some speed and then also working some technical trails. Like 2009 I headed down the night before (us Brits can take a while to get into the US!) and with a few friends we stayed at an awesome friend-of-a-friends place on pretty Lake Samish - just 15min drive from race start.

We rolled up to the start about 45mins before the race and I immediately got excited by the number of familiar faces that I've seen far too little of over the past few months :) But no time to get excited - with about 300 racers and a bib to pick up Jackie and I switched saving places in the timing chip line up and the washroom line up to make sure we were all set for the 8am start. 10mins to go and I was at the start line, noticing that I was a little eager and was further up front that Team Montrail team mates Gary and Ryne! Uh oh, better shuffle back a bit!

It was the most perfect day for running so I was overjoyed to be outside in shorts, t-shirt and sleeves - having left the winter layers back in Banff. It was a little chilly for the first few minutes but soon the sun got warmer and the blood got pumping. Chuckanut starts with 6miles/ 10km along the pretty flat, non-technical Interurban trail. It's tempting to go out fast and wow - a whole pack of guys shot off and I thought I picked out at least 3 women ahead of me. I soon settled into a strong, without being crazy fast, pace with Dave Papineau and Chris Rennaker and clocked into the first aid station just shy of 6 miles in 44mins. The aid stations are super enthusiastic on Chuckanut and it was great to hear friends cheering me on and general merry making of the volunteers.

The mid section of the course is more technical and hilly terrain and I feared that my training hadn't allowed me enough hill practice so I figured I just needed to hang in on them and then get back to a good clip on the flats and blast the downhills. I was pretty content to be in 4th place female, I would never chose to go out in 1st place in a race as I always feel the pressure from being chased from behind. Sitting in 4th I was content I was running well and might be able to gain a place or two later on in the race, for a change I felt like I was running in the more advantageous position.

I was definitely not fast on the hills and need to get back to work on running them more but as usual my steady power hike often proved just as effective as others slow runs. On the section of steady climb up a fire road I inched back and forth with my friend Mike and I was also happy to see that although I walked more than most of the people around me my run/ walk splits meant that overall I kept up with the pack.

As well as the mind numbing slog of the flat Interurban trail and the fire road there is also some awesome technical rolling terrain at Chuckanut - the sort where you can work the downhills to power on up the inclines and all the while hitting soft, lush trail. Bliss :) The Ridge trail is one such section and although I lost a few places to some men on the ridge I also gained on a few others and knew that I could catch many of them on the downhill. And of course Chin Scraper is one of the more remowned sections on Chuckanut - for me it took 15misn of steady powerhiking to work my way up. There was no way I was going to run something that steep and still be alive at the top, so I tucked my head down, hands on my thighs and pushed my way at a slowly determined pace. Just before the start of Chin Scraper a specatator had called out that I was 3mins behind the lead females; this was the first indication that I was within catching distance so this spurred me along and by this point I was pretty sure I was in the top 3 women - extra motivation not to slip back into 4th.

The one good thing about Chin Scraper is that it is the last uphill of any note and I was so looking forward to blasting the downhills after. So I hit the hammer on the downs (shouting hello to Jonathon on the way past!), knowing that 1st and 2nd could clearly run flats so i needed to gain on them in the descents. But by the time I hit the final aid station I was still 1 1/2 mins back (according to spectators) of 1st and 2nd and had 6 miles of flat Interurban to go to the finish line. This I knew was not going to be pleasant but to honest I was so distracted by chasing the lead 2 that I soon settled into a strong pace. I was so busy looking for females ahead that I was stunned when I saw the Broadway Run Club singlet of Dave Papineau and I was gaining on him! I suspected that Dave would not appreciate being chicked by me but with his legs cramping he let me race by and offered up some inavluable words of encouragement. I always react really well to cheering and support from friends so Dave gave me the boost to push a little harder especially as I now saw a woman in sight and soon passed ahead of her.

Now in 2nd place I didn't dare look back; I didn't want to look like I was running scared and knew that I had to focus on catching first place! The next racer I saw up ahead bowled me over - surely I wasn't cacthing fellow Montrail runner, Ryne Melcher???! Ryne is one running friend I have utmost respect for and would never suspect coming close to in a race like Chcuaknut. So I focused on catching Ryne but also the fact that there was still one more female somewhere ahead of him. As I caught up to Ryne I was sure that he would lay chase but most of all he gave me the extra mental kick I needed right then, 'You've got to go now Ellie if you're going to catch her. You need to push hard - she was logging 6min/ miles on the way out so will be tired but she's fast!' That was it - I was exhasted and figured I had about 15mins to the finish line but dug even deeper and didn't want Ryne to think I was a flaky runner that didn't have a finishing push! Just ahead of Ryne I passed another guy and tried to ignore them behind me and instead just chase, chase, chase. Now the Interurban is flat - but there are a few hills, and I will totally admit that the main thing that kept me running up them was the fact that I knew Ryne could still see me and I didn't want to lose face!

Soon I was rewarded - lead female (later I found out was Susannah Beck) was sporting a mini-kilt and running strong - and I could see her ahead on the never-ending Interurban. The tough thing about the Interurban is that you can see racers so far ahead that even when you are gaining on the racer in front it is so slow progress it is painful and I knew that I was running out of trail! Just back of Susannah I passed fellow Canadian Darin Bentley (wow - did I really pass him too?!) and now Susannah was the next one to catch.

But the course was just a little too short and as I hit the downhill tarmac to the finish line I saw Susannah cross......13 seconds before I did. I was so stoked to have knocked 15mins 23 secs of my time from last year (and I'd say the course was in about exactly the same shape as 2009). Ok, it wasn't first place but I was 17th overall (same as 2009), a lot faster and ahead of many guys & ladies that I respect as awesome runners. Plus I later found out that Susannah's marathon PB is 2.34 (OMG!)

Such a super-stellar race that I would so recommend and the rest of the day was spent chilling and sharing stories with some of the best people on the planet (aka trail runners :))

1st place male was Andy Martin in a crazy fast 3:49:39 (6 men broke the 4hr barrier)

http://web.me.com/krissymoehl/Chuckanut_50k/Welcome.html

On the course I used:

- Montrail Rockridges (love them a little bit more every time I put them on)

- Descente arm warmers

- Mountain Hardware pacer shorts (my favs) and MHW short sleeve T

- Nathan HPL pack

- Pink socks (the brand is unimportant, the colour is not!)
- 1 litre of gatorade, 4 cups of coke, 3 chips (approx!), 1 pack of Clif shot blocks (mmm, lemon lime)

See you on the trails...

Battling the Elements

2010-03-08T18:06:00.000-08:00

This weekend I've definitely had two challenging runs mostly caused by the weather. Yesterday I wanted to get a 4 plus hour run in and it was a stellar sunny day. The skies were blue, it was calling for a high of plus 9 (!) and I even got my bike out for the first time since moving to Banff and ran my errands around town on my bike. So it was an awesome start to the day and the roads have been bare for quite a while now so I was lulled into a false sense of security for my run. I decided to do a pretty standard route - along Rundle riverside followed by a powerhike up Sulphur. I'd last been up Sulphur 2 days earlier and although slippery at the base it was do-able and fine after the lower section. Rundle riverside rolls gently up and down but yesterday it was a death trap!!! With the mild temps much of the snow had turned to ice and black ice at that so it was really hard to spot until the last minute when I then had to quickly find a spot of bare ground. A couple of stretches were beautifully clear dry trail but for the most part I welcomed when I hit real snow - trudging through that might not be easy but at least it was safe! The rest was not exactly the most relaxing running as I tried to hop and skip around the ice, with some interesting dance moves thrown in! I was pretty lucky to get off the trail with only one graze to my hand and one scrape to my elbow!

I was almost tempted to skip the Sulphur hike portion of my run but I wanted to get more time in plus I wanted to get some elevation in. My usual detour from running on the road to the base was slick with ice so I bailed off that and made do with running along the side of the reasonably busy road - not much fun. I was optimistic when I got to the trail head that it would be no worse than Friday but soon reaslised it was got waaaay icier and it was hard to spot the slippy sections as it was packed snow rather than real ice. I kept going but it was so slow and I'm not really sure it was much of a work out so I ended up turning around before I made it to the top as I was worried about losing daylight without my headlamp. The descent of course was even more interesting; I'm not sure that the Olympic luge run would have been any harder to attempt to run down. I pretty much ended up cautiously walking whilst clinging onto tree roots at the side of the trail! Or when it got really bad, I just sat and slid down on my but. Hmmm, not sure this can really be classed as run training!! So all in all, what would normally take me 4h20 or so took me 5h05 and it was definitely more of a hike than a run. Oh well...

So today I decided to embrace the season and get some skiing in. They'd forecast snow for tonight but I guess it came early and it was great to be up on the hill with the first fresh snow in a full five weeks. It was flurries all day up on the hill and was fun to get fresh tracks most of the day. But I still wanted to get a run in so headed down early and thought that if I hit the roads then I would be pretty ok. However just as I headed out the snow decided to get heavier and soon I was running head first into driving snow. Maybe I should have kept my ski goggles on because I sure couldn't see much! It was a pretty fun run but definitely a winter adventure. I headed out to the Banff Springs golf course where there is a closed road and at the turn around I could see that my tracks had got covered within about 10minutes. A really beautiful run though and definitely not just a boring 2 hours on tarmac.

So I guess it is wait and see for running over the next few days. More snow is forcast - my bike is back inside :( - and I'm thinking that it's back to the treadmill tomorrow...

Take a Break...

2010-03-04T21:53:00.000-08:00

What! I hear you cry! Take a break? But I'm a runner, or even worse (or better, depending on your perspective) I'm an ultra runner! I don't take a break. I log miles, I track vertical climbed, I record distance and pace and effort and if I take a break that means I don't run, but I do some other work out instead because I'm injured or hurting.

And I'm as guilty as anyone for not taking a break, I definitely find it hard to settle the quality/ quantity balance as my run is an important part of any day for me and all too often I vere in the quantity direction of the scale. So I had a short trip to visit family in the UK looming and I knew I wouldn't run for four days. Four whole, long stretches of 24hrs consecutively with no running. Ok, I could have run had I wanted to but with such a short trip back I knew I would be too busy spending time with the family to run. So I stock piled on runs before heading out, ending with my final run an hour before I got the bus to catch my flight! I'd not taken a day off running for over 2 weeks and not a day off since running Frozen Ass 50km so I was getting pretty tired and maybe in need of a rest.

And today was the post-rest test and man did I hammer that treadmill! I logged a solid two hours on the treadmill after a 9hr + day at work and it seemed so easy. I was flying and so full of energy, my legs felt fresh, the pace felt easy and I didn't tire even towards the end of the run. Awesome! I probably looked a little crazy as I happily mouthed along to the tunes on my iPod but I didn't care as I was just buzzing.

So I guess all in all it's lesson learnt (though I know I shall soon forget this lesson - old habits are hard to break afterall!), taking a break once in a while may not only not do us runners damage, but in fact it might actually do us good!

But tomorrow's run plan is already in the works.....

(random aside, but for some good alternative tunes from an old school friend of mine check out http://www.myspace.com/kezzstone)

Get a-clickin' to help some Kids...

2010-02-18T19:35:00.000-08:00

See the message below that I recently received from Mountain Hardware. Normally I'm not big on forwarding these things - but hey, it's pretty darn easy to click on a website (even if you're an injured runner I think your fingers are still ok, right?!) and it's all to help kids get outside - can't do much better than that....

Mountain Hardwear’s Send a Kid to Camp campaign is back again. For every click on the “Send a Kid to Camp” button found at www.mountainhardwear.com/givesback.aspx Mountain Hardwear will donate $1 to the cause, up to $40,000. You can and should come back each day until April 15th and click the button until we’ve reached our goal. The following organizations are part of the 2010 Send a Kid to Camp program:

Big City Mountaineers – Denver, Colorado
City Wild – Denver, Colorado
Girl Ventures – San Francisco, California
Kismet Rock Foundation - North Conway, New Hampshire
Outdoor Outreach - San Diego, California
San Jose Inner City Outings, Sierra Club – San Jose, California
St. Louis Inner City Outings, Sierra Club – St. Louis, Missouri
SOS Outreach - Avon, Colorado
Summer Search - New York, New York
Youth Enrichment Strategies (YES) - Richmond, California

So get a-clickin' every day!

Back on Track with a track-style 50k!

2010-02-16T15:06:00.000-08:00

After my little 'going off course hiccup' at Orca's last weekend I was glad to have another race coming up this weekend to get 2010 off to a better start. Yesterday it was the Frozen Ass 50km in Calgary, a pretty low key event that I was looking forward to to see some Vancouver buddies again and also get my first Alberta ultra checked off. I knew that the course was flat but didn't check out the specifics too much until a few days before the race when I found out it was 25km out, turn around and 25km back on a pretty straight cycle path that runs down the side of a canal. Montrail team mate Ryne Melcher confirmed on race morning that the course had 20ft of elevation change tops and I seriously think that could be right - this was going to be a road style ultra! Ryne also panicked me a bit when he told me that there was zero flagging on the course but as soon as we were en route I realised why - there were a few curves, a couple of road and bridge crossings but other than that it was run 25km straight to your drop bag, turn around and repeat. Ok, I think even with my sense of direction I could cope with that :)

Race morning was relatively warm as it has been so far this year and the temperature hovered around a few degrees above zero for the duration of the race. A couple of wind exposed sections were a little chilly but it was a 'no-tocque day' which is awesome by my standards! Certainly better than the minus 29 temperatures that I had heard of from the year prior. I went out at a good pace, trailing behind Ryne who went off in his usual bullet style fashion but in the lead train of runners. Pretty soon the straightforwadness of the route hit and I wished I had brought my iPod as we spread out and I found myself running about 100m behind the nearest runner. But with two aid stations on the out portion - at 8km and 18km - this was a great way to split up the course. I was amazed to see a few people out cheering along the course and it was nice to pass by some locals just out for their usual weekend run.

Ryne had predicted my finish time to be 3:45 which I thought was pretty optimistic but then I also know he can be scarily good at predicting my finish times so when I got to the turn around aid station, quickly downed some coke and left I checked my watch - 1:53 - pretty spot on for 3:45 if I could keep up the pace. The run back to the start/ finish was definitely easier psychologically - I now knew the course and I was on the home straight. Soon after the turn around I saw my friend Mike heading in the other direction, probably only 5 mins or so behind me. Given he is injured I was glad to see that he was still running at a good pace but I could see from his expression that he wasn't exactly having fun!

It was great to pass runners still heading to the turn around and get a boost from the other runners. As I started to approach the final 10km or so I caught and passed the guy in front. was feeling like I wasn't running well and was really focusing on my posture but clearly I was still running well if I was gaining on the runners ahead. Then just coming into the final aid station - 8kms to go - I caught another runner as we had to wait a few moments for a train to pass before we could cross over the tracks. We exchanged a few words but by this stage I was just gunning to get done as my hips, glutes and hamstrings as usual were starting to seize. I just wanted to get to the finish. I pulled ahead of the guy and now had the extra motivation to keep me going to the finish - I didn't want him to over take me!

The course was probably 50% snow covered and 50% bare tarmac cycle path but the last few kms were pretty much snow covered and about 1/2 of the last 200 metres was slushy deep snow - not exactly conducive to a stylish sprint finish! So I stumbled into the finish - 3:48 - 4th place overall, 1st woman, a 50km PB for me and CR by about 38mins :) I'd been chasing Ryne's red Montrail shirt for the last 8kms but there was no catching him, even with pneumonia he'd placed 3rd overall in 3:46. Mike ploughed in around 4:30 and promptly used the surrounding snow to ice his legs - an awesome effort given his injuries.

Overall the Frozen Ass is an awesome race. With a limit of just over 100 runners it is a low key affair but Gord of Gord's Runnng Store does an awesome job at putting together the event. For just $40 we all got a race hoodie, a race bag with water bottle, energy bars etc and after the race there was plenty of food even until the last finisher came in. And a really nice touch was a race photographer who had a photo of each competitor printed up to take home by the time we got to the finish line (well I guess it's a nice touch if you're looking good in the photo!).

I raced for the first time in my Montrail Rockridge's and loved them! I'd had a pair of old Montrail Streaks in my drop bag at the turn around just in case I needed them but never gave them a 2nd thought. For a race like the Frozen Ass with a mix of road and snow (or trail) I can't think of a better shoe than the Rockridges. I just love them - and they come in very cool purple :)

Knee Knacker 2010 - 16 more days to get your name in the lottery!

2010-02-12T16:20:00.000-08:00

Yep, that's right folks it's already time to decide if you want to race in THE Canadian 50km race of the summer - The North Shore Kneeknackering North Shore Trail Run - or KK as it is affectionately called. KK works on a lottery system for entries and deadline to have your name in the draw is February 28th. They'll then do the draw about 2 weeks later - LIVE at North Shore Athletics on Lonsdale!

I raced KK for the first time last summer and it lived up to it's awesome reputation. Great training runs, great camaraderie, awesome volunteers and such professional organisation. It's not the fastest of courses - men's CR was broken last year by Aaron Heidt in a killer time of 4h39 and the women's CR is held by Susan Evans in 5h18. So you can probably figure from those times and the name of the race that it is a course with lots of climbs and fun filled descents on some of Canada's best and gnarliest trails! But the trails are just stunning and the sense of achievement from racing this course are just out of this world.

Check out details and if you like the sound of it - get your name on the list by Feb 28th!
http://www.kneeknacker.com/

A New Year, Some New Shoes!

2010-02-10T20:55:00.000-08:00

There is nothing that makes me happier than getting a new pair of trail shoes! I mean after a few runs trail shoes soon become muddy, beat up and lose their shine so the novelty of having a brightly coloured, pristine looking pair of shoes that hold the promise of so many fun times ahead on the trails is just something else. And with the new Montrail line up for 2010 now hitting the shelves I know there are some awesome shoes out there all waiting to be laced up and hit the trails!

Of course the award wining Masochist is here to stay. Having won 'Gear of the Year' award from Outside magazine last year this shoe is an awesome all rounder and if you are thinking of getting a pair it might be best not to think for too long; I know in North Van for sure the Masochists were like gold dust in 2009, selling out in many of the stores who struggled to keep stocks coming in. I can highly recommend the Masochist (and check out my posting from Nov 17, 2009 where I reviewed them).

New in the Montrail line up for 2010 is the Rockridge. When I first got these shoes and popped them on I was yet to be convinced until I took then for a run. The Rockridge definitely have a rommier toebox than the Masochists which creates a feeling of more space for the foot. I was concerned this might make the overall fit of the shoe feel a little loose but with a snug grip at the heel this wasn't a problem at all. The Rockridge would also be an ideal shoe for those just transitioning from road shoes as the fit felt more like some road shoes so would ease the transition. That said, I wouldn't class this as a shoe just for new trail runners - it is a great versatile shoe that I would feel comfortable running on pretty much any surface in. Tonight I covered snow, tarmac, ice and even that crunchy gravely snow/ ice mix that accummulates at the road side and felt like I had good traction on them all! Due to the lightness of the shoe and the breathability of the mesh on the toebox I might be slightly hesitant on wearing the Rockridge on very wet runs but other than that it is an awesome shoe that I will be wearing a lot, especially on my runs which incorporate both road and trail.

Check out the Rockridge, Masochist and the other Montrail 2010 shoes at http://www.montrail.com/ where you wil also see what sparkly colours they come in, just waiting to get splashed with some dirt!