Me Won Miwok!

Miwok was a late addition to my racing schedule as I didn't actually get in to the race until early April. Even though I was really looking forward to racing it, it was kind of an after thought in my training, since Mad City and making the 100k team were my Big Goals for this spring. Not only was my training not geared to this, but I didn't go mental obsessing about the race. In fact, I didn't check out the online course till the day before, I never checked weather.com, and my diet? Well, I may have gone back to eating junk food once or twice (a day) in the last 4 weeks. You know, "recovery" calories after Mad City...oops! Just 'cause I gave up ALL sugar for over a month before Mad City does NOT mean I lost my sweet tooth!

Going into this race, I knew my fitness was really good, but I was a little concerned about my lack of trail training. Since Bandera, nearly all my running has been on the roads. I did Hagg Lake 50k in February (lots of mud, almost no elevation change), Gorge Water Falls 50k in March (really good trail running with lots of gain), and one 13 miler last weekend. Not exactly ideal training for a trail race with 11,000' gain! Could good fitness/leg speed trump lack of hill/trail training? I was about to find out!

We flew down Thursday to Sacramento so we could leave the kiddos with my parents while Mac and I were at the race. Mac and I left Friday morning for the Bay Area. We told my parents it was to avoid traffic and because we had to go to race registration, but really we just wanted to get away from the kids! What can I say, sometimes it is nice to get a break from being a parent. We rocked out to tough chick rock the whole way to get psyched. Woohoo - no mind numbing children's CD's!

I knew I wanted to test myself and be competitive in the women's field, so I had a strategy that I thought would push me to be a little more aggressive in the beginning and then capitalize on my "staying power" for the second half. Essentially, I wanted to keep the front runners in site the first half and then at the turn-around, I hoped I could slow down just a little less than everyone else. And that is almost exactly how the race played out.

The start was a mad dash across the sand and then a major traffic jam funneled onto the trail. Fortunately, it opened up pretty quickly so we could all settle in to appropriate spots. On the road, I passed Amy Sproston and Helen Cospolich on the climb and caught up with Jimmy Dean Freeman. We had similar time goals and the night before, he had invited me to run with him, but I declined, telling him I wanted to run with my eye on the women's field. So when I caught him, he pointed up ahead on him, "That's Krissy. I think she is the only girl ahead of you."

I was a bit behind her on the next climb and Helen was climbing strong and passed me here, too. After the next downhill, Meghan joined us and all four of us were bunched together for a bit. But Meghan, The Queen of downhills (and many other things, too) took the lead on the next descent and into the first aid station back at the start, with Helen close on her heels.

I caught up with Krissy right around Tennessee Valley and we ran to Pan Toll together and I enjoyed getting to chat with one of the icons of ultrarunning. We caught Helen right at the top and we all three came in to Pan Toll pretty much together. Meghan was still out in front. Krissy left first, but I quickly caught back up to her. Helen took a bit longer and never really regained contact.

One other guy fell in with me and Krissy through the fields to Bolinas ridge, and we had a little train going with Krissy in the lead. Every now and then, when the trail made a sweeping turn, we could see Meghan off in the distance, but she must have been at least 5 minutes ahead. I was pretty convinced that I was not following through on my strategy to keep with the front runner, and that we were giving Meghan too much of a lead. But I also knew I didn't want to be going much faster - there is a difference between aggressive and stupid!

Krissy was setting a good pace for us and I told her so and thanked her. She said she'd like to switch off at some point and I agreed that was fair. So when the trail turned onto the road for a brief stint and I could pass easily she told me to go ahead. But this came right at a downhill section - not my strong point - and I worried that I was going too slow for Krissy. She just said,"Make every step a good one - That is Roch Horton advice." It seemed wise enough, so I just watched where I was going, trying to get in a good rhythm and when the trail turned back uphill, I just kept that rhythm going, unintentionally pulling away from Krissy. Some pacer I turned out to be!

After Bolinas Ridge I expected the trail to crash downhill, but it actually undulates for about 5 miles before the screaming descent to Randall Aid Station. I like this litte up-little down kind of stuff and I guess I still had my good rhythm going, for somewhere around mile 30-31, I caught up with Meghan.

I told her to let me go ahead of her for one second, so then no matter what happened, I could say I was leading Miwok. ;) After two steps, I said,"Ok, now get back up here."

"Do I have to?" was her response, but I told her yes, she needed to be in position for the downhill. We ran together for a short bit, but still, I managed to creep out in front a little. Then the road just plummets to the turnaround and I kept waiting for Meghan to go storming by me, but I got to the turnaround and she was still behind me, albeit only by a minute at most. Krissy was about three minutes behind Meghan, and Amy just a couple more. Thirty-four miles in and the top four women were only six minutes apart! Too close for my comfort, so I focused on running strong, especially the uphill, on the way back to Bolinas Ridge.

I had Mac and Aunt Kate out crewing for me all day and they were great. We hadn't really planned for Mac to pace me at all, but I wanted to talk to him a bit as I came into Bolinas Ridge the second time (where pacers can start), so as I came in to the aid station, I yelled at him to run with me to the road. So he takes off jogging with this huge backpack on and I am like, "drop your pack and run with me to the road." Well, about 20 feet after the aid station, you cross a road. And then you run a mile and the trail comes back to the road, which, of course is what I meant. But apparently, Mac has these really high expectations, like clear communication, so he didn't understand. So he gets 20 feet, crosses the road, and just stops. WTH? I mean what kind of crew can't read your mind?? ;) So I just yell back, "get to Tennessee Valley and be ready to run." I knew I was pushing hard and was going to be tired, and I knew if I was still in the lead, I wanted everything in my favor to preserve it.

Back across the beautiful grass fields, I realized I listened to a bit too much Pink in the morning, because I just kept thinking "Slam, slam, oh hot damn, what part of party don't you understand? Wish you'd just freak out." At one point I was even thinking, "Yeah, I am your underdog, Pink!" But I guess Pink is a good pacer, because I ran this section really well. I am allergic to grass, so there was a lot of snot-rocketing, but I did my best not to hit any hikers. I did take one major spill about two-thirds of the way in, scraping up my right side and somehow rolling on to my back, so that I managed to bloody up the back of my shoulder. It was bad enough, that there was some girlie screaming on impact. But I bounced back up and was pleased to see that there were no witnesses (so it is a total mystery where that screaming came from!) and no running implications.

The section out of Pan Toll I dubbed the danger zone: another big downhill section where I thought the other women could eat into my lead, but I guess I did well enough. By far the worst part of the course for me was when the downhill was over and the course turned toward Muir beach. First off, the trail was encroached by stinging nettles, and when you have open flesh wounds, these things, well, STING! Then the trail got really exposed, hot, and dusty and it seemed to go on forever. That is partly my fault as I thought it was 5.3 miles to the AS but it was actaully 5.7. At one point, I saw a guy coming up the trail and I asked if he knew where the aid station was. "Oh, yeah, like a quarter of a mile." After about a quarter mile, the trail popped out onto the road and a course marshall told me, "about a quarter mile to the aid station." I ran the appropriate distance, and then got to a gate with a cars parked all around it. "is this the aid station?" I asked some guys. "Oh, no. But at your pace it's probably only two minutes away." I look down at my Garmin; it says 8:01 mile pace!! I was stuck in some sort of warped quarter mile Hell! But finally the aid station appeared.

The next section had two big climbs, but I kind of enjoyed them because I knew they were going to be hikers for everyone. There were two guys about 50 yards ahead of me, who were really helpful to me. They looked good, so when they walked, I knew it was okay for me to walk, and when they ran, I knew I needed to be, too.

Coming into Tennessee Valley for the final time was kind of fun, because I knew Mac would be there to pace me to the finish and also because there was a little bit of a crowd. A bunch of hikers had gathered to find out what was going on and they were told it was a 100km race. After somebody converted this to miles for them, they wanted to know how many days it took people to finish. When they heard the men's winner finished in 8 hours and that the women's leader was on her way there, they decided to stick around and cheer.

Having Mac here was great, as I was spent! Funny how at the beginning of the day 62 miles doesn't sound so bad, but at the end of the day 5 miles seems like forever. Well, not only can Mac not read minds, but that guy is a slave driver! He just kept telling me to run! And then halfway up the hill, he turns to me and says (without knowing what's been stuck in my head all day), "It's so on right now, so f*ckin' on right now!" OMG, seriously, we will be implementing a moratorium on "Raise Your Glass" in our household! This was my only really bad part for the day as I was dying; Meghan ran almost 30 seconds per mile faster than me here. But hooray for 8 minute leads with only 5 miles to go!

Coming to the finish line with Mac keeping me on task.

A gorgeous finish line (photo: John Medinger)

I am not going to hide that I was fading fast there at the end, but I feel good about that. After so many second places, I knew I could run well, but I think I had to prove to myself that I wasn't holding anything back, that I was willing to take some risk and not shy away from competition. I can without a doubt say I gave absolutely everything I had at Miwok.

Totally Spent

Post race photo op - so there is one half way descent photo of me in this post!

I was psyched to have a great day. I think the only reason this worked out so well is that the trails are all really runnable with almost no technical footing. The downhills are almost all on fire roads or wide trail, with smooth footing and wide sweeping turns, so that my road training and faster running was actually an asset rather than a liability. And my fitness seemed to be enough to tackle the uphills. My quads aren't too bad off, but my calves, on the other hand, hate me for making their first hill run one with 10,000 feet of gain!

And while a great run is a reward in itself, I must admit, I am VERY happy to get that second place monkey off of my back! And I find it fitting that as a mom of two young kids, I took home the win on Mother's day weekend.

Miwok is stunningly beautiful and incredibly challenging. There is a reason this is a classic in the ultra circuit. I know it has a special place in my heart!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

(photo: Aunt Kate)

Mad City -All The "Gory" Details

Thank you to a couple of my close friends who told me my previous report on Mad City "sucked" and didn't have enough detail, because now I feel like I have full license to babble on endlessly! Be careful what you wish for!!

Spring break was three weeks before Mad City and I took it off work to be with my kids, but it also provided an opportunity to really up my training. I had a huge week (by my standards), getting in 96 miles. I was feeling pretty good about myself until I had this stupid idea to repeat Monday's track workout on Friday and then follow it up with a long hard Saturday, including tempo. The following Monday, I had a miserable 3x2 mile on the track and things never really got better the rest of the week till the point that Tuesday before the race I was panicking big time. I frequently have that anxiety/fear factor a few days before a race, but this time I even unleashed all my baggage on a few of my friends and started complaining that I felt too tired to race. Fortunately, they were very supportive, even if they do now think I am completely mental. Hey, I am not denying it; I just usually try to hide it better!

Anyway, I ended up taking three days completely off before the race - not my typical plan. I don't know if my body needed it or not, but I think my head did. Friday, instead of running, I walked around the Henry Vilas (free admission!) zoo. It was a cold and overcast day, so I found myself alone at the tiger cage. As I watched "Cyber" pace back and forth, a calmness came over me and my fear dissipated. Unfortunately, my zen moment was ruined when "Eye of the Tiger" popped into my head; it is hard to exist in a tranquil state when you are mentally singing Survivor songs! I decided to go with it and started rocking out for real to the song on my iPhone (my husband downloaded it, I swear!).

"Rising up, straight to the top, have the guts, got the glory; went the distance, now I'm not gonna stop; It's the Eye of the Tiger, It's the thrill of the fight..."

I knew I was as ready as I was going to get!

"I'm ready, ready to run." Wait - that's not Survivor, that's the Dixie Chicks!

The weather report even the day before predicted 70+ degrees and thunderstorms, but the weather was actually perfect all day: 50's and overcast, with SUN right after I finished. It was just a little chilly at the start, but apparently no one was in a hurry to get warmed up too fast, as the lead guys all took off really slowly and didn't really get out in front. In fact, I ran for over a mile with David Riddle, the men's second place finisher, before he picked it up. Devon Crosby-Helms was close on my heels, until she caught up to me at the 5k mark. That's when I joked with her that I was planning to tell everybody we were in a sprint finish (figuring that she'd be about a half hour ahead of me!) and she elbowed me to get ahead! To my surprise, she didn't immediately gap me and instead we ran together for the next two loops, which made for a very enjoyable 10 miles.

Devon and me through loop 2. This picture is way better than the Examiner photo of me and Devon, because I am a half step ahead of her (hey, live it up while it lasts!) and I don't look like a midget! ;)

Devon did get a bit of a lead after the second loop, but I stayed pretty close behind and just dogged her for the next couple loops. Even by lap 4 I was starting to feel the beginnings of fatigue - nothing major, just that little bit of achy-ness and enough to very definitely notice what parts of the course were uphill. Lin Gentling, the US Team manager jogged by me on that lap and yelled, "Just run your own race, Pam." I think she worried that I was actually running Devon's race and not mine. Indeed, I was going a lot faster than I had planned, but it just felt like the pace I should be at. I came through the half-way point in 3:53. My 50k PR is 3:51, so essentially I was attempting to run 100k at my 50k pace! But my 50k split didn't worry me at all, in fact I was elated to know I could run 9 minute miles and still get a team qualifying time and about 8:30 miles for the entire second half and still come in under 8:18 (the time I figured I'd need to beat to actually get on the team).

Starting around lap 5 I kept telling myself, "just go run a fun lap," meaning it was OK to back off the pace just a bit, but the luxury of being able to do that was really all I needed to stay mentally strong and so I never felt the need to consciously slow down.

At the beginning of lap 6, I found myself closing on Devon and caught up to her on the biggest hill. She said she was suffering from lack of motivation and wasn't having fun. I did what I could to encourage her, but when she stopped for a bathroom break, I pulled a bit ahead.

Well, on lap 7 at just abut the same place I caught Devon 6 miles earlier, she comes flying by me with a big grin, stating, "I found my motivation!" She was super supportive and urged me to stay with her, but when that girl says she finds her mojo, she really finds her mojo!

I stayed within 45 seconds through the 50 mile mark (calculated split at 6:17:26!!) but Devon seemed to be anti-fatiguing!! My final two loops were understandably my slowest on the day, but I still felt really good about my pacing with a 49:04 final loop and a 3:59 second half. But Devon was an animal on these two laps, running her fastest split on the final loop (45:07 - holy cow!). I broke Meghan Arbogast's course record by seven minutes, but how can I compete with someone who negative splits a 100k?!?

Finished! 7:53:17. Thank goodness, too, because this picture makes me look like I couldn't run a single step more!

Don't I look awesome for having just finished a 100k? Don't believe what you see- I was totally hunched over gasping for air, but when I saw a guy with a camera running toward me, I stood up and put on this sh*t grin. A millisecond later I was on my back in the grass!

Though I have joked about always being "first loser" (American River, JFK, Bandera and now Mad City. hmmm-it is not exactly joke, is it?), I am ecstatic by my race. My main goal was to get on the US 100k team, and I am so excited to have a time that will likely get me on the team for the next two years! Kudos to Devon for such an amazing finish. She is truly a worthy champion and I feel so honored for the opportunity to represent the US alongside her and the other amazing women on the team.

Total Madness at Mad City 100k

This morning (and early afternoon) I ran in the 100k Road National Championships in Madison, WI. I am psyched to report that I hit my "pie in the sky" goal of sub-8 hours (7:53:17!) and earned a spot on the US National Team going to the World Championships in Holland this September! This was a BIG goal for me for 2011. I am so excited, honored and proud for the opportunity to represent my country and run with such amazing women, both as my teammates and as international competitors. And since the 2012 World Championships are early in the year next year (April - Italy), today's race most likely got me on the team for next year, too - yippee! (which relatives want to babysit??!)

While the idea of running a road ultra isn't most ultra-runner's idea of great fun (I admit I had some reservations, too), I am so inspired by the idea of competing for the USA and having so many people from different countries come together to celebrate running, and specifically ultra-running, that I made this my main running goal for 2011 (Woohoo- I have achieved my Big goal for the year and it is only April. Yeah, I was the nerdy girl who always turned my homework in early, too!). And don't knock road ultras till you try it: the scenery was nice (around Lake Wingra in Madison, WI), you saw a lot more people on the course than a point to point (from lapping people or getting lapped), and they are really frickin' hard! I think I hurt more after this than after Western States. Thank goodness it was over in 8 hours!

Here are my splits.

Congrats to Devon! We ran a couple of laps together, but then she buried me at the end. It was because she threw a gnarly elbow right in my rib cage, knocked the wind out of me and then took off sprinting when I couldn't breathe. OK, not really, but I told her that's the story I was going to tell people and she seemed OK with it, so just go with it. I am! Here's a pretty good pic of us running together, before she elbowed me. ;)(I am 5'5" in case you are wondering if I am a midget after seeing this photo!). Kidding aside, Devon had a great race and I really enjoyed the laps we ran together.

photo: James Mills, Madison Examiner

I Won a House!

Well, for two nights anyway. The prize for the Gorge 50k was a two night stay at a house near Mt. Baker, Washington. It even has a hot tub! Can't wait to head up there this summer for a great weekend get-away!

Feeling Gorge-ous

"OMG, Do you know what a freakin' moron your wife is?!?" I called home in a panic.

I was 70 miles from home and had just finished a great dinner at Nicholas's Lebanese restaurant with the entire Corvallis crew, when I came to the stark realization that I was headed to my KOA Kamping Kabin with out any "kamping" gear.

I had packed for the race early that morning knowing that I would be leaving directly from work. I meticulously gathered everything, doing a head to toe double check before packing up. I even had multiple options to account for changing weather: short sleeves and long sleeves, shorts and capris, vest and rain jacket, hat and beanie. I was fully prepared. Well, except for over looking that little detail of bedding. Ooops.

Actually, I wasn't too bad off, I reasoned, as I was staying in a cabin with heat and I had two coats. I had just about convinced myself that I was fine, there was no problem, when Salvation intervened. Yep - a Salvation Army super store!

My Salvation

I pulled in and picked out a toasty Coleman sleeping bag and got the $2 zebra fleece pillow next to it as well, because I think it is important to accessorize your Kamping Kabin! Well, and also, because the zebra is symbolic to me. You see, zebras and horses are genetically quite similar, to the point where they can actually produce viable (though typically sterile) hybrids. But the zebra is very different from the horse in one major way (well, aside from all those stripes, obviously): the zebra has never been domesticated. People have tried but the zebra cannot be broken, it doesn't lose its spirit. When I ran my first hundred miler, Hundred in the Hood, my mantra was "Be the zebra." So you see purchasing the pillow was really my way of stating: "I may be too dumb to pack a sleeping bag, but I will not be broken!"

Happy with my purchase, I headed out to my car only to find some guy sitting in the bed of my truck. He was a skinny looking guy with a full beard and a cap pulled down really low. I did a double take to make sure that it was my truck, but it was. Yeah, so the zebra has a strong will, but still, a predator will scare the shit out of a zebra!

"Hey, can I get a lift?" a gruff voice called to me.

"Umm...no sorry I can't do that," I stammered. I was like a zebra caught in the headlights!

Wouldn't you be scared of this shady character?

Then the guy quickly adds, "Pam, its me, John. I didn't mean to scare you." LD and John had spotted the Western States sticker on my truck and followed me into the parking lot. They wondered if maybe I was making a covert trip to the liquor store next door! I had a good laugh at the situation. Not only was I fooled but I was busted buying gear, and I had to confess my packing stupidity (not to mention the the fact that I had bought a cheesy fleece pillow!).

Surprise! It's not a psychopath, it's an ultrarunner. Sure both types are mental, but the latter are very friendly.

The irony was that our Kamping Kabin was about a hundred degrees when we got there and a sleeping bag was totally unnecessary!

Doesn't my bed look "kozy?" (not to mention stylish!)

We woke to the sound of passing trains...about an hour after we went to bed and then about every 60-90 minutes after that. The rail road industry is alive and well in the gorge!

Stowaway John, Andrea, and LD getting ready to run

John duped us again the next morning by guiding us onto the bus that was sure to leave first... Ours was the last to depart. But we got to the start with plenty of time to spare, so it was actually nice that we had a few extra minutes in a warm bus.

The race starts with a hefty climb - 1700' in under two miles. I started with all the people who thought they'd jog the uphill. But as the climb wore on, more and more people resorted to walking. I have been doing almost all flat and road training in prep for Mad City, but I was surprised to find that I felt strong on the climb. I don't think I have gotten good at hills, just that my fitness is pretty good right now. There weren't that many people ahead of me when we got to the top, but then there was a screaming downhill. Man, I suck at technical downhill! At least six people passed me on this mile. But each climb, I would pass several people back. And each time, fewer people would pass me back on the downhills.

The trail popped out onto the road at about mile 8.5 for a two mile stretch before the first major aid station. In the distance, I spotted a red jersey ahead, but no one else was around. I was flying on this section - 6:57 and 7:03 miles - and all time the little devil of doubt was telling me, "slow down, this pace is insane," but another part of me kept thinking, "You're fine. You said you are trying to be less conservative in the beginning." I probably would have slowed down had it not been for that pesky guy in red luring me into a chase.

I like to laugh at people who look like death in their running pictures. Fortunately, I can laugh at myself, too. Maybe those speedy road miles weren't such a good idea after all.

Well, I chased him for the next 22 miles. I don't think I was ever more than 100 yards behind. I would close the gap periodically but he would open it up on a downhill... or when he peeked back and saw me getting a little too close!

Between mile 22 and 23 there was a very short out and back to a waterfall. Mike Rosling was about a minute ahead of us, and two guys were starting just as we finished so I knew we had a five minute lead over them. No women were in sight down the trail, so I knew I had at least a five minute lead with 8-9 miles to go. I was pretty sure that would be enough cushion even with the five mile downhill finish, especially if I could just hang with (or pass!) the guy in red.

It takes a blurry picture to make me look awesome.

About a mile later we caught Mike, who was having some cramping. He and I ran a ways together and commiserated on the last big climb. ("When will it end?!?"). I thought he'd pass me back on the downhill to the finish, but his calf was giving him a bit too much trouble. The downhill being my weakness allowed for the guy in red to open up his biggest lead on the five mile stretch to the finish. I stared at his back for 22+ miles ("Clif") but never could catch him, eventually settling for 27 seconds back. At the finish I learned the guy in red was William Emerson, so I don't feel too bad about not hunting him down! Although, I think he was teasing me a little bit out there, too, running just fast enough to stay "unchicked." ;) Hey, it works for me as he kept me on track all day long and "paced" me to third place overall. Thanks, William! (Full Results here)

After the race, I changed into my best hobo costume. Oh wait - that is just me wearing 3 jackets, two long sleeved shirts, 2 pairs of sweat pants, and sporting the worst hat head ever! The rain didn't seem so bad while we were running but afterwards I was freezing!

I headed directly to my nephew's second birthday party in Portland after the race. Thank goodness family has to love you no matter what! And thank goodness, I'll probably never see the other 30 people at that party ever again!

Happy birthday, Deacon! You eat cake, I'll go shower!

(Thanks LD and Lobo for the photos)

Hagg Lake - Better Late Than Never

I am getting my stuff together for this weekend's adventure: The Gorge Waterfalls 50k. I am excited for this race as the course looks awesome and there is a large group of Corvallis Trail Runners going up and taking over the Cascade Locks KOA Friday night (thank you Corvallis group for adopting this poor, deprived Salem trail runner!). But most of all, I am excited because this weekend represents my "tune-up 50k" for Mad City, which is my Big Goal Race for this year, as I would really like to make the US 100k team. There - I said it, so it is official!

The formula of running a low-key 50k 3-4 weeks before a big race seems to be working for me. I did Shotgun Trail 3 weeks before American River, Autumn Leaves 3 weeks before JFK, and Frozen Trail Runfest 3 weeks before Bandera. So off to the Gorge I go, with 4 weeks left till Mad City.

But before moving on, I wanted to write something about Hagg Lake 50k, which I ran Feb. 19. Somehow, I just haven't had much inspiration to write a race report for that over the last three weeks. It wasn't a new race for me, everything went smoothly and as expected, and it wasn't a race that I had put any serious mental focus into. In summary, it lacked the drama necessary for a good write up! In fact the most drama for the day came on my drive to the race.

The pre-dawn temps were in the low 20's and a thin film of ice coated the roads near Forest Grove. Driving in my half sleep state, I vaguely registered blinking hazard lights off the road right as I was passing. With a quick glance out the passenger window, I could make out a large sedan flipped on its side with the roof leaning against a tree. I slammed on my brakes, hit reverse, and then jumped out of the car.

Ummm?...okay, now what? I hadn't seen any other cars all morning but within the next 30 seconds, I had three other cars stopped and we were all out yelling and preparing to go down the bank. But one of the guys spotted some kitty litter that had clearly been laid out in the road (under my truck) to mark this spot, and we all agreed that we were relieved of our Good Samaritan obligations.

Not five miles farther, there was another car in the ditch, this one looking much less hazardous. I again slowed, but the driver was on his cell phone and he assured me he was fine. At this point I was fully awake and glad that my anal-retentive self had left Salem with plenty of time to drive slowly.

The ice sheet also made the race start a bit comical. Instead of bolting off the line, we all gingerly tip-toed and shuffled across the parking lot skating rink.

I have been contemplating split times and strategies since Bandera, so one of my goals for this race was to go hard from the beginning and see how that played out. I guess it played out well. I felt like I was working harder the whole race, but I don't think I ever slowed down.

I ran the entire 1.5 miles of the uphill on the first out and back and noted that I was keeping company with a lot of the fast guys. By the turn around, I already had a good lead on the rest of the women, though later, I learned speedster Denise Bourassa was just exiting the a Port-potty when the race started.

I felt like I was in all around better shape this year than last (with a 50 minute improvement at Bandera to corroborate that feeling), so that I should have been able to go at least 5 minutes faster this year than last, but the course did not co-operate. Yes, I am blaming my slower time all on the course! Last year was a dry year at Hagg; this year, a week of rain before the race most definitely made this a mud year! I like mud, I think I am a pretty good mud runner, but mud is still slower than dry trail, especially when some parts are so muddy you can't run uphill or you have to pull yourself uphill by grabbing trees and brush!

I ran the first lap well, passed several guys (especially on the road section - yeah for 100k road training paying off), but came to the start/finish (17 M) in 2:17 (vs. 2:14 in '10), so I knew breaking last year's time was not to be. Second loop around was the same story- 2:05 vs. 2:04 last year. So I am fitter, ran better, worked harder and finished slower! Fortunately, there were plenty of dirty runners with whom I could commiserate as pretty much every repeat finisher reported 2011 as being one of the slowest years.

Despite missing my time goal, I still had a fun day. For some reason, I really like mud. I think it is because I am an overly cautious person and I harbor a little bit of fear when I run technical trail. I am not actually afraid of falling; I am afraid of falling and getting hurt. When there are rocks, cliffs, and gravitational potential energy, I worry about breaking my leg...or neck. But somehow, I have fully convinced myself that you can't get hurt falling in mud. Don't ruin my delusion because it has made me a very good mud runner!

There have been reports of snow on the course in the Gorge for this weekend, but I am hoping it has all melted and turned to MUD! If nothing else, it would be good respite from all the long road runs I have been doing lately.

Race Strategy and Ultra Running

In marathon running, it is race suicide to go out to fast and then fade at the end. But does that principle hold for ultras?

The night before Bandera, Dan Olmstead and I were reviewing some of the race materials, including Nick Clark's (at the time CR) splits from 2010, which Dan had along as a guide for his own race. Nick completed the two 50k's in 4:15 and 5:01. That's about a minute and a half per mile slower the second time around. Chakira Omine's second loop was 3 minutes faster than Nick's second loop, but Nick had a big enough cushion from the first loop to hold on for the win (and CR).

And so I asked Dan: Is it better to aim for consistency or is it better to go out fast, get a good lead, and just hope to hang on?

That night we both kind of shrugged it off, with no decision on which was the better strategy. But it is something I keep wondering about. Two years in a row I have had the fastest second 50k of all the women (7 min ahead of Jill/Aliza in 2010; roughly 5 minutes faster than Liza this year), but it hasn't resulted in a win. I was super happy with my race both years and I am not harboring any regrets. But one of the appeals of this sport is that there is so much to learn, so many variables to consider, so much experimenting to be done and I am an eager student (oh, let's not sugar coat it: I am the class nerd!). My strategy in basically all of my races has been to aim for consistency, but maybe I need to adapt. Maybe I need to risk a little more in the beginning, at least in "shorter" races?

Are you a gambler or do you play it safe? I would love to here thoughts from other runners and especially ultra runners on the idea of going out fast and hanging on vs. staying consistent... that is, if you are willing to share your strategy. ;)