Cascade 10k

As of this week, I am officially training for a marathon! But all the tempo runs, lactate threshold runs and marathon pace runs scare me so I am racing myself into marathon shape instead (well, and doing some of those other things, too). I've got a half marathon lined up in two weeks.

The Cascade 10k is kind of a special race because I ran it in 2008 two days after deciding I was done breast feeding and I was ready to get serious about running again after having my kids. Two days is not very much time to train and it took all my effort to achieve a 55 minute finish. But I've come a long way since then! So no better place than to jump into training once again than the Cascade 10k seven years later.

Not much to say about a 10k except they are hard. Like by mile 2, I was ready to slow down. But I didn't! Well, not until the turnaround at mile three, when the wind hit us all straight in the face along with pouring rain. I did manage to cross the line before any other women, but mostly because the fast ladies did the half marathon. My time of 39:36 is light years off of my PR (37:20) and reminds me that I have A LOT of work to do, but it's a lot better than starting from a 55 minute 10k time.

So the win doesn't exactly make me feel all warm and fuzzy but this week of training does. While I did three weeks with higher mileage than this week before Worlds, it was all slow miles. This was the first week in 6 months that I got in all my planned workouts including track, tempo, one day of weights (normally I like two, but I was scared with the race and my first week back), and a yoga session: 81 miles with no significant long run (I'm not worried about being able to finish 26 miles!). But mostly I am so happy just to enjoy running again and pushing my body hard without feeling destroyed afterwards.

Megan and Liam came out to race, too, only in the 2 miler. No racing for Mac- he's got a new coach who has him doing base miles only right now- but he volunteered. The course was incredibly straight forward for the two miler - run straight down a road for a mile and turn around at the cone - and with so many other people out, we figured this would be a good time to let the kids run a race by themselves, instead of jogging alongside them as we have done in previous 5k's.

Megan is just like me: no speed but a lot of heart. She wasn't racing for any podium spots, but she was about 5 seconds behind this girl as they came up the school driveway, and Megan gave it her all to edge her at the finish (for 6th place female) for an official time of 18:26 (Clock is off 15 minutes due to the half marathon early start and chip timing knocked off a couple seconds). She was all smiles at the finish. Afterwards she told me, "Mom, I was trying to run so hard I couldn't feel my legs at the end. It was like I was numb from the waist down!"

Things were a little different for Liam. He's never liked the cold and when it started raining right after the gun went off his happy attitude melted quicker than the Wicked Witch. He told me he had to walk because he was too cold to run. I tried to explain that that didn't make sense, but he was adamant that being cold meant he couldn't run. When I asked him if the race made him cry he told me, "Well, I wasn't crying but I had tears in my eyes." Let's just say, it wasn't his best race, but he finished (because he had no choice - he had to get back to the gym if he wanted a ride home!) I do feel sorry for him, but I also know he can be a big whiner. We took him home and got him all warmed up in our bath and then he was all smiles, too. 

Sponsorship Post Follow-up

Thank you everyone for the comments and positive feedback on the sponsorship post. The post got more than 5,000 views which is about 10 times the usual traffic on my small-time blog. And some of the comments were the nicest things anybody has ever said to me, so thank you. As Sarah, Liza and Scott said (all three awesome 40+ parent ultra-runners themselves, BTW), we relate best to people we find similar to ourselves. I hope to be an example to others that 40 isn't old (despite how many jokes I make about it!); that having kids is a reason to keep pursuing your dreams, not a reason to give them up; and that you can train even with kids and a full time job.

Sponsorship and professionalism are in their infancy in this sport and I think it makes sense that we as a community are talking about it and that we have a general understanding of it. Glad I could help start a conversation. And I do want to make it clear that in no way did I ever say 40 year olds aren't attractive! 

As I mentioned in the previous post, I have a few other points of discussion on sponsorship that I'd like to cover as well as another little blog "series" I'd like to do. Of course, I'll still do all the personal race and family posts, too, but I really like the idea of "blog journalism." I enjoy the writing and I like the interaction. There's just not much to discuss after a race report and there are a million other ones already out there! I do apologize for not being able to respond to all the comments: firewalls at work prevent me from using FB or blogger during the day and my early bedtime means I don't always get around to it at night. Just know I appreciate all the comments.

Happy Trails (or roads, I am an equal opportunity runner)! -Pam

On Sponsorships

It is common knowledge that ultra-running is a burgeoning sport, and with the explosion in participation there has been an influx of sponsorship money and sponsorship opportunities. Not only are some of the top runners able to scrape together a living from the sport, but there is a broader sponsorship net, such that one no longer has to be in the top echelon to get financial and product support.

So I guess it shouldn’t be surprising that no less than five times in the past few weeks have I heard something that went like this: “I am pretty good at ultra-running and have some awesome results. How do I get a sponsor?” Ok, nobody actually said it like that, and, in fact, in this humble crowd, three of these incidents were a friend or a fan asking why some other awesome athlete didn’t have a sponsor. Most recently, Eric Schranz of Ultrarunnerpodcast.com ponders why Traci Falbo and Joe Fejes don’t have major sponsors despite being in the top 10 for UROY voting this year.

But here’s what people need to understand: companies don’t give ultra-runners sponsorships because they are good runners, they give sponsorships to runners because they think those runners will bring attention to their product (and in turn more business to the company). In a nutshell, top runners aren’t getting sponsorships because they get good results, top runners get sponsorships because they get attention. Yes, these things are closely related since a great race produces a lot of media attention, IF those results are at races that the media is covering. 

And results aren’t the only things that garner attention. Companies are aware of an athlete’s social media presence: How many Twitter and Instagram followers do they have, do they have a blog (and how many readers does it have), how many ‘friends’ or ‘likes’ do they have on Facebook, Are they on Strava. Active on-line athletes have a much bigger influence an ultimately this is what companies are looking to leverage. One hateful letsrun thread questions how Sally McCrae could get a Nike sponsorship based on her racing history. Sally McCrae has a series of You Tube videos getting an average of 2,500 views a piece with one particularly popular one nearing 40,000 views. She has 7,000 Instagram followers and 3,500 Twitter followers. Her big smile, good looks, upbeat attitude and hearty laugh get her noticed at races. Teaming up with Billy Yang in Western Time, she got more attention for her finish at Western States (10th place) than pretty much any one else outside of the winners. Sally McCrae is not only a great runner, she is a social media super-star. Sally McCrae is a sponsorship dream.

One letsrun commenter chimed in: "[People] mistakenly believe that fast times result in money. Before the internet, this was indeed the case. Today being cool/popular through social networking gets you money." 

Other great examples of this are Jenn Shelton, Scott Jurek, Dean Karnazes and Anton Krupicka. Besides Anton, are any of them really running ultras any more? And yet they remain some of the most heavily sponsored athletes in our sport. Why? People know who they are - and not just ultrarunners. They have written or been in best selling books, they have big social media presences, and they are overall just very popular runners.

And it doesn't hurt that they are all good looking. Because looks get you noticed, too. Young, tan, chiseled athletes in the habit of running shirtless are going to have more companies seeking them out. Does this seem unfair? Well, I can tell you it kind of sucks to have a company basically ignore you because you "don't fit the image" they are looking for, but at the same time, I get it completely. Sex sells. Sponsored athletes are basically models for a company's gear and what company wouldn't want good looking models?? When consumers make a purchase, they believe that product will somehow make their life better. In the world of ultrarunning, the fantasy ideal is being young, carefree and able to run through the mountains all day. Models who have the looks and lifestyle that embody those qualities make it easier for a consumer to get the idea that a certain product will help them feel younger, look better and be able to run through the mountains all day. Who wants to buy a product that will make them feel like a 40-something year old who has to cut their runs short to get to work on time and take care of their kids? Most ultrarunners are already living that life!

But I also completely understand the desire for sponsorship. In 2009, when I started winning ultras, I was definitely keen to get a sponsor. It wasn't about the money or free products at all; I wanted the validation. But as I have gotten older and had more successes, I realize the running and the results are validation in themselves for all the hard work. Still, I am extremely thankful and appreciative for my sponsors. I have a huge amount of gratitude to Injinji, La Sportiva, Ultimate Direction, and Honey Stinger for supporting a pasty skinned, hash-tag challenged, plain Jane mom who is more comfortable running with her shirt on than off (my armpits rub. How does no one else have this problem??).

I still have lots of thoughts on the notion of ultrarunners "deserving" to be able to make a living off of their running (as I have seen in a few comments) and how much sponsored athletes influence the sale of products, but I'll stop here. I do think sponsorship is improving the level of this sport and bringing in more talent and that is a major benefit to the sport as a whole. But I'd love to hear everyone else's thoughts on sponsorships in ultrarunning because I am sure there are many of things I haven't thought of (and talking about ultrarunning is almost as good as ultrarunning itself!).

Looking Ahead

So one week in to 2015 and I am happy to say I haven't tried to change my life in any major way. 

My friend Meredith came up with the idea of "15 for 15 in 15" meaning do something for 15 minutes 15 times a month for the whole year of 2015. I like this concept a lot, but I am guaranteed to fail at something that specific and with that much time commitment. I have a list in my head of things I'd like to spend more time doing: reading (actual books, not running related), writing, being outside in the winter for reasons other than running, organizing photos, decluttering the house, yoga/stretching, etc. Maybe I'll do more of these things in the coming year and maybe I won't. I am pretty happy with the Big Picture right now and I don't feel like I need to spend a lot of time changing the little things.

Of course, I have spent plenty of time dreaming of running adventures and upcoming races for the year. I am planning to start the year by pushing a bit out of my comfort zone. Yep, I am training for a marathon! Yikes! I have to give credit to Liza Howard and her "I am not getting any younger speech" for inspiring me to do this. I have no wild aspirations of OTQ but I'd still like to see what these old legs can do and I could certainly use a little speed injection. After that, I'll head back to the much more comfortable 50-100 mile race range. ;)

2015 Race Plans:

1/18 - Cascade 10k

1/31 - Roaring Run Half Marathon

2/28 - BMO Phoenix Marathon

3/14-15 - Pac Rim One Day with Megan (I think Liam and Mac are going to go/run this year, too!)

3/29 - Pacing at Gorge Waterfalls 100km

4/11 - Lake Sonoma 50M

May - a training 50k, probably MacDonald Forest or Sun Mountain, and a one hour track time trial (Titus van Rijn) for kicks and giggles

May 23-25 - Western States training camp

June 27 -Western States

July 25 -US Mountain Running championships?? - not really my thing, but it is in Bend, it might be fun to be a part of

July 26 - Aug 1 - Wonderland trail (pending permit). This isn't an FKT or even a fast pack, just old fashioned back packing and hanging out in the wilderness

Aug 22 - Pacing at Leadville. Wish I were running it but it is just too close to 100km Worlds

Sept. 12 - 100km World Championships, Winschoten, Netherlands. I have an automatic spot and Worlds won't be held again till 2017

Fall - nothing planned yet. Would love to get around Mt. Hood one weekend

Dec. 12 - Desert Solstice - what can I say? I am a glutton for loops!

I hope everyone else has great plans for 2015! Who's coming with me to any of the races above?

Recover From the Holidays 50k and 2014 Wrap Up

Well, 2014 is a thing of the past, but I didn’t let it slip by before squeezing in one more ultra! We spent Christmas with my sister and her family in Huntsville, AL and since there just happened to be a 50k in the same town...well, it seemed like the only logical conclusion was to run an ultra! (Nevermind that I decided to kick off 2015 with a marathon and should be running fast road tempos, not long trail “jogs”).

Recover from the Holidays is another “loopy” course - ten 3 mile loops after an initial mile, but with 350’ of elevation gain per loop, there was good variation in the terrain. It was nice to see the sun, but 28 degrees is below my comfort zone. The shirtless guy only made me feel colder! I fell in with Alabama legend Dewayne Satterfield when he asked, “So did you come here just for this race?”

“Of course!” I joked and then got to chatting with him for the rest of the loop. There was a well stocked self-serve aid station at the start/finish, but I didn’t need anything and pulled out ahead of Dewayne. I thought he’d catch right back up, but he tailed me by just a short bit the rest of the day, so I was pretty much on my own. But a short loop with a few out and back overlaps meant I was never lonely. And I got an extra boost with three laps to go from my kids, nieces and nephew who came out to cheer (along with their parents!). I felt pretty good all day, and even ran the short, steep hill all ten times to finish 1st F/3rd OA and 13 minutes under the old course record.

An appropriate but seriously ridiculous champagne glass "trophy." It did make it home safely.
My sister said I looked like a "homeless person" with my beanie on, so she made me take it off for this picture.
I am not so sure that was a good idea!

This is a low key event and certainly the loop format won’t appeal to everyone, but I have to say this race is hands down the BEST value in ultrarunning! Fifteen bucks for a fully stocked aid station, beer steins for every finisher, pizza and hot chocolate with real marshmallows! Plus they had a TV with cartoons set up in the heated tent for the kids and the race director just gave a gracious southern smile when all five of the kids in my “fan club” asked for pizza!

And with that all there was left to do in the year was pass out at 10:30 pm, knowing I didn’t have a chance of making it till midnight (but my 9 year old daughter did!).

2014 Races and Results:

2/1 - Rocky Raccoon 100M - DNF.

3/7 - Hill Billy Half Marathon, 1:52 - 5th place

3/16 - Pac Rim One Day with Megan (34M) - 51 miles

4/12 - Mad City 100km National Championships - 7:47, 1st place

5/19 - Titus van Rijn 1 hour - 15,279m, CR

6/1 - Beacon Rock 25k, 2:25, 1st place, CR

6/28 - Western States - 19:10, 4th

8/2 - Angeles Crest 100M - 21:04, 1st, CR

10/5 - Condor 25k - ran with a friend

10/25 - Autumn Leaves 50k - 4:04, 1st

11/21 - 100km World Championships - 7:59:13, 10th

12/31 - Recover From the Holidays 50k - 4:07, 1st, CR

Plenty of races and great adventures this year with lots of good results, but still, I felt like I struggled quite a bit this year and didn’t hit my full potential. The big lesson was respect for all the non-running stresses in life, although I should’ve figured it out in February not October! I am running my easy days A LOT slower now and I cut out one hard workout a week. I finally feel like I am back to just having regular fatigue, not excessive fatigue. ;)

So how did I do on my 2014 goals:

1) Make the USA 100k team - check! Help the team to another gold medal - A hard fought effort by the US ladies, but we ended up with the bronze. I am proud of my race at Worlds, but it was a ways off my PR. Looking forward to Winschoten in 2015!

2) The 18/21 Western States/Angeles Crest double: Well, I missed finishing in the 18 hour range at WS by ten minutes, but in honesty I wanted to break 18:00 and 21:00. Went 19:10/21:04 - not too shabby, but off the mark.

3) 100 Mile world record attempt - 100km Worlds were originally scheduled for October 25th. When they got moved to November 21st, it was too close to Desert Solstice to make an attempt. This is a high priority for 2015.

4) Get blinds and fix the bathroom - Went 50% on this one. Liam’s bathroom is looking pretty good. The living room still needs blinds!

Before:

We lived 8 years with this crazy bathroom! But bathroom carpet and little boys are a very bad combination!

He's cute but he has terrible aim!

It's like the Sunday comics all over our walls!

After:

No wall paper and no carpet! Changing the tomato sink and shower were not in the scope of this project, so I added a nine dollar tomato vase to the toilet and voila, the whole room just comes together. ;)

5) Take a non-running vacation - Double check! We spent spring break in Cabo San Lucas and then took a 9 day family trip to Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Craters of the Moon in the summer. So that makes up for not getting blinds, right?

Sun-kissed kiddos in Mexico

This could've been a cool photo of a moose without the four tourists messing it up 

We coincidentally all coordinated when visiting Artist Point in Yellowstone. Can you say Christmas photo? (Well, just imagine I sent out glossy holiday cards with this photo!)

I also tried to write a few blog posts of more general interest/ultra-running advice this past year. I'd love to do more, but time is just so hard to find!

Hope 2014 was a wonderful year for you!