Categories
Misc

The once and future ultrarunner

It’s been over three years since my last ultramarathon.

Since then, I’ve weathered an Achilles injury and surgery along with various non-running distractions, leaving me unsure as to whether I’d ever do another ultra. But now I’m sure. 2014, the 10th anniversary of my first race beyond 26.2 miles (the Cle Elum Ridge 50K, for anyone interested in such trivia), will also mark my return to such races.

My long-dormant interest in going long returned unexpectedly last month when I was in McCall, Idaho for a wedding. On a whim, I decided to circumnavigate Payette Lake, a distance of about 20 miles. Suddenly I was an ultrarunner again, at least in spirit — aching to go far rather than go fast, happily committing to a multi-hour journey and the attendant logistical challenges of refueling and bathroom stops. It was a satisfying outing, and there was no heel pain at the end, just the dull protests of overworked muscles.

I’ve since increased my long run to 29.5 miles, rediscovered the art of eating while in motion, and started picking races. My current plan is to do the Bridle Trails 50K in January and the Mad City 100K in April.

In returning to these sites of past success, I’ll need to manage my expectations carefully. Not only will I be slower than before, but the competition may be faster.

An example from a different race: when I won the JFK 50 Mile in 2009, my time of 5:50:13 was the 2nd-fastest in race history. In the past two years alone, four people have surpassed that: Michael Wardian (5:43), David Riddle (5:40 and 5:45), Trent Briney (5:37), and Max King (5:34!).

It would have been just about impossible for me to keep up with those guys when I was in my prime, so what chance would I have against them now? I’ve become — sigh — “a top masters runner,” rather than a top runner period.

Despite all of that, it will feel good to get out there, post some times, and then try to improve.

Categories
Featured Race Reports

The race of his dreams

Last weekend Sage Canaday unleashed a completely implausible yet very real performance at the White River 50.

I don’t think a lot of people understand just how remarkable Sage’s race was. Perhaps the following exercise will help.

Imagine a convergence of all of the great ultrarunners, past and present, who have come to White River in their prime: Tony Krupicka, Uli Steidl, Michael Wardian, Scott Jurek, Karl Meltzer, Hal Koerner, William Emerson, Dave Mackey, Chad Ricklefs, Mike Wolfe, etc. etc. etc. Line them up at the start, in your mind, and send each of them off to run the race as well as they ever have.

In this virtual race, as in the real one, the stars collectively hold back for a while. Even the 2010 Krupicka and the 2004 Steidl cover the first few relatively flat miles at a very comfortable 7-minute pace. But there is one exception. Twenty-six-year-old Sage Canaday, whose ultrarunning experience consists of one 50K, is going for it. He abandons Krupicka, Steidl, and the rest without so much as a backward glance. Who the hell does this kid think he is?

As Sage reaches the second aid station — Ranger Creek, less than a quarter of the way through the race — his lead has become an affront to the ultrarunning royalty behind him. Even after correcting for changes to the 2012 course, he’s 10 minutes ahead of Krupicka and Steidl.

Surely the kid will pay for his overzealousness … and yet he doesn’t. By the Buck Creek aid station, 27-plus miles in, he has extended his gaudy lead over the field: 12 minutes on Krupicka, 16 minutes on Steidl, etc. The race is only half over, yet Wardian, Jurek, and company have already been made irrelevant to the question of who will win.

In the second half, Krupicka closes slightly, but it’s no use; Sage’s lead is too big. He beats Krupicka by 9 minutes and 19 seconds, Steidl by 16:33, and everyone else by over half an hour. The 2010 Greg Crowther is thrilled to finally break 7 hours in his fourth attempt, yet has been beaten by a full 42 minutes. He can only shake his head in wonder.

Sage Canaday finishing the 2012 White River 50.
[Photo by John Wallace.]

Categories
Club News Race Reports

More racing news from the SRC/Brooks racing team

Here’s a long-overdue continuation of the previous “racing news” post….

Travis Boyd welcomed daughter Julia into the world on April 12th and is looking forward to summer road races.

Max Ferguson was disappointed with his showing at the Vancouver Marathon (23rd, 2:47). However, he notes, “My build-up to Vancouver did yield some fantastic performances! I set a new course record at the Yakima Skyline 25k in 2:15, narrowly winning in a kick at the end. I also ran a 15 second PR at the St Patricks Day Dash, running 19:15, and finishing 16th in easily the deepest field in years.” His summer and fall plans include the Langley Half Marathon (where he will defend his title), Chuckanut 30k, Cougar 13, Tomahawk Twilight Meet, some cross-country races, and the Amica Seattle Half Marathon.

Destry Johnson lists the following 2012 race results thus far:

* PLU Invitational, 5k on the track, 2nd place, 15:32
* UPS Shotwell Invitational, 5k on the track, 4th place, 15:39
* Captain Jack 8k in Kirkland, 1st place, 25:49
* Bloomsday 12k in Spokane, 35th place, 39:10
* Myself, Lance Thompson, Chris Tremonte, Zach Little, Dave Martin ran the Briefcase 5k Relay (name: Honey Badgers) and won in 15:03 (Chris, Zach and Dave are not SRC team members)
* 45 minutes later I ran the open Fremont 5k and won in 15:45
* Seattle Rock and Roll 1/2 marathon, 8th place, 1:13:29

Lance Thompson at the Cougar 5 MileLance Thompson (in white shirt) at the Cougar Mountain 5-mile race. Photo courtesy of The Balanced Athlete.

Lance Thompson reports,

It’s been a fun Spring of Racing so far. I worked my way up to 7th place in 15:58 at the Top Pot 5K. This had a pretty good field of people to race with. The following weekend I ran the American Lung Association’s fund raising Fight for Air 5K, winning in 15:48. I then battled through the trails to finish second at the Cougar Mountain 5 miler.

I ran with five friends, including fellow SRC runner Destry Johnson, to victory in the Briefcase Relay during the Fremont 5K. Each runner races one thousand meters while carrying a briefcase full of five food cans, which are donated to Northwest Harvest. We broke the course record, running a 15:03. An hour later, Destry pulled out the victory in 15:45, while I managed 5th place in 16:11.

Trisha Steidl at the Cougar 8 MileTrisha Steidl (#470) at the start of the Cougar Mountain 8-mile race. Photo courtesy of Northwest Trail Runs.

The women on the team have also continued to race since my previous post. Marlene Farrell reported on her trip to the USATF Half Marathon Championships in a separate entry. Trisha Steidl offers the following update:

[After the Rhody Run] I then had a week off from racing and today completed three weeks in a row. That’s a big deal for me since, in the past few years, I rarely even had the opportunity to race that much period, much less this often!

Unfortunately I can’t say I felt good for any of these races. I don’t know if it’s because I’m finally able to train and my body is adjusting and adapting to all the demands I’m placing on it or if there’s something more to it….

Race #2 was the XTERRA Lord Hill 10K (-ish) put on by Northwest Trail Runs. I’d never been to Lord Hill before, so wasn’t sure what to expect. I was looking forward to experiencing something new and different and not having any expectations of what I “should” be able to do on the course. It poured the night before and I found my shoe choice wasn’t ideal for the slippery sections. However, it wasn’t nearly as muddy as I anticipated it might be.

After the half-marathoners split off from the 10K (maybe 20 mins into the race), I found that the guys in front of me I had been “competing” against thus far weren’t in my race. That meant I had no idea where in the field I was. Fortunately there is a short out-and-back section and there I saw I was 3rd overall. I also saw that there was a guy that was moving up the field, currently in 4th. I knew it was more motivating to him to beat the chick ahead of him than it was for me to beat the guy behind me, so I tried to stay focused on finishing in the top 3 overall (yes, it’s a small race, but I still thought it would be pretty cool and it gave me a goal to focus on when my feet were slipping and my quads were yelling at me going uphill). I did get to chase a coyote part-way through the race. It jumped out onto the trail in front of me and kept looking back. It was a little disconcerting because I was alone and know coyotes send one of their pack out to lead prey towards the whole pack who then attack all together. Fortunately it turned out OK. The last few minutes of the race are twisty turny and then pretty much straight down. My shoes were no help on the muddy twists and turns and I knew the guy behind me was catching up. I also knew that the final down was pavement and that I could haul ass down it. Good thing I love running downhill, because I had to haul ass! I heard the 4th place guy get right behind me, but I knew I had at least 2 more gears I could shift. I let it get close, then, as we were about 70m from the finish, I shifted into another gear to keep him at bay. I had one more gear if needed, but fortunately I didn’t need it. I only beat him by a second (or less), but that’s all it takes!

I definitely enjoyed the challenge he presented me and I’m sure I pushed him to hurtle towards the finish line a little faster than he might otherwise have run – good stuff. Being new and fresh to me, I thoroughly enjoyed the course and everyone putting on the event was extremely friendly. Fun to earn a “W,” get 3rd overall, and, a few days later, find out I set the course record by quite a bit. Cool! I definitely would like to race out there again. It’s a beautiful area with a couple sections that remind me a lot of some places I ran and raced in New Hampshire in 2009, which brought me positive memories during the race.

Race #3 was 10,000m on the track as a part of the USATF/PNTF Northwest Region Open Track & Field Championships held at West Seattle Stadium. I didn’t decide to do this race until two days beforehand, figuring that racing on the track would be more fun than the tempo run I would otherwise have run on my own at the same time on the same day.

The short story on this one is that I was hungry before we started, it was windy, there were only two women (my friend Kristi Houk and me), and the start got pushed 40 mins later than originally scheduled. None of this set me up for an ideal day, but my plan was to stick to doing a tempo, so it was low-key anyway.

My plan was to run the first three miles at a slower pace, the next two faster, the final mile faster again. Somewhere between miles two and three my left calf started to slightly cramp up, so I slowed the pace a bit and decided to run the first four slower with the final two faster. Slowing it down calmed down my calf and, fortunately, I didn’t feel it again during the race. The final two miles I did speed up and it felt good to do so. Kristi lapped me with about 8 or 9 to go and I used that opportunity to stay with her. The faster pace didn’t feel any harder and actually felt better on my legs. So we ran together for the final two-ish miles and then I ran my last lap a little faster and on my own.

It was a good mental experience to be on the track for 25 laps again, especially with no incentive (no time goal, no real racing, etc.). I’ll state that I was 2nd, rather than last. It simply sounds better and, technically, it’s true. I even have a medal that proves I was 2nd at the Championships.

Race #4 was the Cougar Mountain 8 Mile race – one of our own! I haven’t run this in quite a few years, back when it was 7.5 miles, but I’m extremely familiar with the trails.

The race itself was put on wonderfully and the runners competing and volunteering were great. I, on the other hand, felt terrible. My legs and body never felt good, I was never able to get into race mode, and I felt so terrible that I wanted to quit many times during the race. It’s only 8 miles, though, and I was in the lead, so I couldn’t very well drop out. (If only Uli hadn’t found me chatting it up with Greg and Phil beforehand to tell me the race was starting in a mere 20 seconds. Seriously though, thanks Uli. I thought I still had a couple minutes until the start!)

…My hope coming in was to run 61 minutes. I ran 63:33. While I know it’ll be tough, I think it’s possible to run sub-60. Hopefully I’ll get to try again next year.

My hope with these four races was to go 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 1st and maybe set a CR or two along the way. I think I made those goals happen, despite not feeling well, so I feel fairly good about that. It was important to me to race and get used to what that’s like again. My goal this year is to run a new 5K PR. That’s going to be tough, but I know it’s possible. Now I need to take some time to take care of my body, figure out if anything serious is wrong (and, if so, fix that), get some good training in and really go after my goal. I also need to find a flat, fast 5K to race and have as my goal. I should probably get on that.

Categories
Featured Misc

Where are they now? Catching up with the McCoubreys

Scott and Greg at Adams Gulch
Greg Crowther (right) after a trail run with Scott McCoubrey at Adams Gulch in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Last week my son and I had the pleasure of visiting the McCoubreys — former owners of the Seattle Running Company and founders of the Seattle Running Club. They moved to Ketchum, Idaho last summer when Scott McCoubrey got a managerial position at Scott Sports. Scott is having fun directing people like Dusty Olson, best known to most as Scott Jurek’s old pacer, who is now Scott’s midwest sales rep. Meanwhile, Leslie McCoubrey has found more time to devote to her massage practice, and son Shaw, now 8, is skiing up a storm and recently completed a 4.2-mile trail race. They live in a beautiful ski lodge-like home that they rent from former Olympic skier Reggie Crist.

Having seen the McCoubreys endure some tough times in Seattle as small business owners, I was happy to find them now enjoying all that Sun Valley has to offer. And while many of us back here in Washington miss their enthusiasm for all things trail- and ultra-related, they do return annually to put on the White River 50 near Mount Rainier at the end of July. They look forward to reconnecting with some of you there.

[For a more extensive look at the McCoubreys and the history of SRC, please see the article and video I prepared for iRunFar.com last year.]

Shaw the Slacker
Shaw demonstrating his balance on the slack line.

Categories
Club News Race Reports

Spring racing news from Brooks/SRC team

I have put out a call for racing news from the members of the 2012 Brooks/SRC competitive team, and some responses have started to trickle in….

Marlene Farrell writes,

I have raced three times this spring. I did the Wenatchee Half Marathon on April 21st. I came in 1st. It wasn’t a super fast time for me (1:23:21 but I think the course is long) but I had a faster 2nd half, so I was happy about that.

I ran a low-key uncertified 5k called Run 4 the Nurses on May 12 in Wenatchee. I got a 17:57, for first place. I was psyched to win a handmade decorative belt a la WWF (made by a nursing student who used to make saddles)!

I ran the Red Devil Challenge 25k trail race yesterday, June 3rd, in Cashmere. It has somewhere in the vicinity of 4000 feet of elevation change. I came in 1st woman with a time of 2:18. I was happy with my result, given I was handicapped with only one contact in (and I have bad vision) because of minor eyelid surgery on Friday. One contact made foot placement on the descent a bit tricky. It was a beautiful course and I highly recommend it to SRC trail runners looking for a tough but runnable mid-distance trail race.

And I have the half marathon championship on June 16th, in conjunction with the Gary Bjorkland Half in Duluth, MN. Will give you all an update after that.

Trisha Steidl writes

I haven’t raced as much as I would’ve liked because of the track season, but I did represent SRC well last weekend at the Rhody Run. I finished 2nd woman, running a minute faster than last year. My [Seattle University track and field] team had a great season. We had far more medal winners (top 3) than we ever have in the past and our first distance event conference champion (Erik Barkhaus, who ran for us at XC Club Nats, in the 10,000m; he also earned the Most Valuable Athlete award for the 2012 Track & Field season).

Wendy Wheeler-Jacobs reports the following races done as preparation for the Angeles Crest 100 on July 21:

  • 3rd Master, 6th Female at the Peterson Ridge Rumble 40 mile
  • 2nd Master, 4th Female at the Capitol Peak 50 mile
  • 2nd Master, 6th Female at the MacDonald Forest 50K
  • 1st Female at the Soaring Eagle 50K

Wendy Wheeler-Jacobs at Soaring Eagle
Wendy Wheeler-Jacobs winning the Soaring Eagle 50K. Photo courtesy of Evergreen Trail Runs.

Categories
Media

Another perspective on Cougar

I hope everyone is enjoying Sara Malcolm’s pictures of the SRC’s 5-Mile race at Cougar Mountain. They’re great … and yet they don’t capture the aspect of the Cougar races that has been most important to me over the last 2 years. So here’s one more image — a supplement to the previous batch.

Sand-Hill Phil and the Tipi

That’s my son Phil sitting in front of a stick house that he made with three other kids that he met for the first time at the race.

As someone who is not currently racing, I’m grateful that I can bring Phil to Cougar and find a sand hill where he can play, other kids to play with, volunteers who happily let him help at the refreshment table (even though he doesn’t really speed up the work), and nice weather — at least some of the time — that make it a pleasure to be outside. It’s a healthy, kid-friendly environment that I’m glad to visit even when I’m not running.

Thanks to SRC and Northwest Trail Runs for continuing to make these events inclusive and fun.

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Featured Member Information

Passing the baton

As many SRC folks are aware, Win Van Pelt succeeded me as SRC president this past November. Win was a founding member of the SRC and has talked with many of you at various trail runs and races. But for those who don’t yet know him, or who wish to know more of the story behind the perpetual Van Pelt smile, I thought it would be useful to (re-)introduce him here on this blog. So without further ado, here is a small window into Win’s World, provided by Win himself.

* * * * * *

I was training for my first marathon, running up to 16 miles on the pavement. My knees hurt, my hips hurt, everything hurt. I liked hiking; what about training on trails? Hmmmmm….

After 3 weeks of running on the trails and feeling much better, I thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be nice to run with some others on the trails?” I was running up Wilderness Peak and ran into an enthusiastic group coming down the hill. Wow — I’m not alone! “Hey, do you run trails very often?” The curly blond hair leader, Scott, said yes! Awesome!!! Ever since I have been hooked on running trails.

I kept hearing this word “ultra,” so I asked, what is an ultra? I was very inspired by these ultra runners who took me under their wings. I was thinking to myself, how do they take all this time to run and compete locally and nationally? I called Scott McCoubrey (the founder of the Seattle Running Company) and shared my thoughts on starting a nonprofit. Scott said that he had been thinking the same thing. We worked together (Scott did most of the work), and the Seattle Running Club was born.

One fall Scott asked me if I would run cross country — they needed another male runner. The race was that week. Crazy! I hadn’t run cross country since high school. Cross country was great. It made me a faster ultrarunner and the team spirit is so much fun.

I am thankful for this fun and enthusiastic group who want to live large and be out there enjoying God’s creation. We are lucky — lucky to live in this beautiful part of the planet with lots of trails and adventures to explore. If you haven’t, I hope you will come out and experience this warm, welcoming community of runners.

Win Van Pelt
President, Seattle Running Club

Categories
Club News

2012 Brooks SRC team announced

The Seattle Running Club has finalized its 2012 roster of Brooks-sponsored athletes following a competitive application process.  Returning  team members Travis Boyd, Julie Cassata, Marlene Farrell, Max Ferguson, Destry Johnson, Trisha Steidl will be joined by Lance Thompson, John Wallace, and Wendy Wheeler-Jacobs.

Team members were selected according to their running-related achievements and service to the SRC and the running community as a whole. They will be visible as representatives of Brooks and the SRC at various local, regional, and national events this year.

Travis Boyd is a graduate of UW, where he ran track and cross country. His personal records are 14:29 (5K), 30:11 (10K), 1:07:56 (half marathon), and 2:23:23 (marathon).

Julie Cassata spent much of 2011 hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Previous major events included the 2008 Boston Marathon (3:22) and 2010 Umstead 100 mile Endurance run (21:30).  She is the secretary of the SRC in addition to working part-time at SRC partner store Fleet Feet Seattle.

SRC board member Marlene Farrell is a 2-time Olympic marathon trials qualifier with a PR of 2:45:16. Other recent PRs include 1:18:54 for half marathon (Geoduck 2010) and 36:58 for 10K (Wenatchee 2011). One of the perennial leaders of the SRC cross country team, she also coaches middle school and high school runners in her hometown of Leavenworth. She blogs at runwenatchee.org.

Following a 3rd-place finish at the 2011 Amica Seattle Half Marathon, Max Ferguson is looking forward to a full year of racing in 2012. Probable events include the Seahawks 12k, Yakima Skyline 25k, Vancouver Marathon, Seattle Marathon 10k, Salmon Days 10k, Seattle Half Marathon, and a fall marathon. He works at SRC partner store The Balanced Athlete.

At age 37, Destry Johnson continues to compete very successfully in the open division of local road and cross country races, setting PRs of 14:55 (5K) and 1:08:58 (half marathon) in 2009 and coming within 4 seconds of his 12K PR (38:30) last year at Bloomsday.  Target races this year will include Bloomsday, the Seattle Rock ‘N Roll Half, Puyallup City Blast, Torchlight 8K, the New York Marathon, and his usual slate of local/regional cross country races.

Trisha Steidl, head cross country and track coach at Seattle University, remains active as an athlete, winning the Seattle Marathon for the third time in 2011.  She also won the 2011 Bridle Trails and Cougar Mountain 10-mile races.  Previous times include a 36:22 10K, 1:21:53 half marathon, and 2:48:17 marathon. Her activities as an SRC board member include volunteering at many club events (Cougar Mountain, White River) and other events such as Club Northwest’s All Comers track meets.

Lance Thompson has best times of 9:13 (3K steeplechase), 15:16 (5K (15:29), 25:29 (8K), 1:13 (half marathon), and 2:39 (marathon).  He volunteered at a Cougar Mountain race and as a Seattle Marathon pacer last year, and looks forward to more running and racing in 2012.

SRC treasurer John Wallace has not missed a day of running since 1989, ran across the United States in 2004-05, and plans to run one ultramarathon a month in 2012.  “I am a mix of the everyday runner and the every day runner,” he notes. “You can count the number of races I’ve won outright on one hand…. You can count just 86 Americans that have run more consecutive days.”

Wendy Wheeler-Jacobs is well-known as both an athlete and volunteer at running events.  She has helped mark the Cascade Crest 100 course, and raised money for the Washington Trails Association through the creation of Glenn Tachiyama’s trail running calendar. For the past three years, she has been among the top 6 masters at both the White River 50 and Where’s Waldo 100K.  Her 2012 schedule includes the Oregon Trail Ultramarathon Series and Angeles Crest 100.