Race Plans for 2016

In the 6 weeks since my last post, a few things have happened.  I've signed up for a few races, and winter decided to finally arrive for real in southern Manitoba.  Both things have brought out a little crazy in me.

Starting with the races, 2016 is going to be epic.  My best running year yet.  Two races on the calendar, both equally exciting and challenging.  Training for both to be done in a FLAT place.  I like a challenge.

1. Grand Canyon Ultra 50 Miler - May 21, 2016
I am so stoked to be heading to the Grand Canyon as it's a place I've wanted to visit for years, and the best way to see it is up close and personal.  Even better, my bestest running bud Sarah will be coming with me.  When I left Vancouver Island last summer, we made a pact that we would meet up for one race a year, and this was the race we chose for 2016.  I can't imagine a better way to see the GC than on foot, supported with food all along the way, emergency medical aid available, and travelling super light.  I plan to take many many pictures and savour the whole day.  A day or two in Vegas afterwards with Sarah won't be too hard to handle either!

That's going to be me in May!!!

2. Fat Dog 70 Miler - August 12-14, 2016
Since moving to Manitoba, I have made some really great running friends.  Somehow I stumbled upon Todd and Scott, a couple of amazing athletes and solid humans.  Scott had Fat Dog on his bucket list of races and decided this was the year to do 120 miles.  He convinced Todd to come with him, and when I heard about them going to BC to race, I joked that I couldn't let them go without me.  This led to an official invitation to join them, so I found myself setting my alarm for 2am Dec 15 to get up to register for the race.  And the Manitoba Dawgs were formed.

Just breathe...

I definitely am not up for 120 miles, but I do have a goal to do a 100 miler in 2017 (when I may or may not be turning a crucial age). So doing a 70 miler this year seems like the next logical next step.  And again, I am fuelled by gorgeous vistas, the smell of an evergreen forest, gnarly trails and long climbs.  I simply cannot wait to show the guys some BC mountains - up close and deeply personal.

Training for and and running an ultra marathon can easily become an all-consuming and frankly, selfish, endeavour.  Todd suggested that we give back and use our run to support a good cause.  We decided that we will be fundraising for Cancer Care Manitoba as we train to run a total of 310 miles combined.  Why?  Let's face it - who hasn't been touched by cancer?  We are in the process of registering with the organization, but please stay tuned with how you can donate to support Cancer Care.

I also plan to do a few shorter races, including the Spruce Woods Ultra as part of my taper for Grand Canyon, and if I'm not totally wrecked after Fat Dog, I plan to do the Lemming Loop again in October.

We are 1.5 weeks into January and I'm into my second week of my 20 week GC training cycle. It's winter in Manitoba.  Check out the rest of the story in my next post: Winter Training.

The Lemming Loop - My First Looped Course Race

Ultrarunning is always an adventure no matter where you are or which race you do.  I ventured back into the world of ultrarunning here in Manitoba this weekend.  After the Miwok 100 in May, I really haven't been running anything beyond 20K.  So after 4 weeks off in Aug and 5 weeks of training in Sep, I figured, 'what the heck?!'  Why not get back out there?  Ultra runners are not always known for being rational.

The Lemming Loop is a 2.05 mile looped course race around a prairie nature preserve in the middle of Winnipeg, Manitoba.  There are 3,6,12 and 24 hour events.  It is an event spectacularly organized by Trail Run Manitoba (RD - Dwayne Sandall).

Official results are yet to be posted, but my GPS told me I ran 52K in 6 hours, and 50K in 5:48:14.  I have never run a looped/timed course before, and definitely have never run so far on terrain so flat.  Here is my breakdown of the good and the not-so-good aspects of a looped course race and the Lemming Loop (from my perspective).

The Good

• You don't have to carry 2L of water and your fuel on your back the whole race
• There is an aid station every 3K.
• There was a REAL TOILET every 3K.
• The course offered enough variety and turns to avoid being too monotonous and mind-numbing.
• I got to know fellow runners and witness/share their highs and lows on the course as we passed each other repeatedly.  In case it's not already obvious - trail runners are COOL people.
• I saw first hand how a 24 hour racer looks 17-23 hours into a race - in a word - sleepy.
• The volunteers were great - and the food even better!  Too bad I didn't partake of much of it as I prefer to eat stuff I know works for me in training.
• The weather was PERFECT.  A sunny clear day, high of 17, enough breeze to keep me cool but not enough to significantly impact my pace.
• My family was able to come cheer me on and be there for the last few loops of the race.  My son even ran a little with me.  That was the best part!

My kiddos at the finish

The Not-So Good

• No elevation changes. This course was FLAT.  What does that mean?  Lack of variety in my biomechanics, other than turning corners.  Resulting in hip flexor niggles and patellofemoral knee pain that I have never experienced before.  Odd to have the knee pain when there was no downhill, but it was there.
• Lack of epic views...but we ARE in Manitoba.
• Hard to pass or be passed on vary narrow single track.  Hard to imagine, but it was vary narrow even on the prairie.  And with 100 runners doing 3K circles there was a LOT of passing.
• Mentally challenging - reasons should be obvious.
• Pacing was difficult for me.  I am used to working hard and slowing down on the climbs, then letting loose and relaxing while making up time on the descents.  There was none of that here.  Just lock in to a pace and KEEP IT.  I hate looking at my watch all the time.
• The wind and the dry prairie air completely dried me out.  Fortunately, I had been warned and coated my lips in thick sunscreen, my face in lotion/sunscreen, and drank LOTS.  Although the weather was cool, I still needed 2-3 S-caps/hour.

Although I am new to the Manitoba trail running and race scene, I felt right at home at this race.  Trail runners really are cool people.  And ultra-trailrunners are a special breed of people (I like to think) who share the bond of salty cheeks, blistered feet and the occasional hallucination.  We are all driven by different things, but we are all driven.  I witnessed people out there who just wouldn't STOP.  Barely moving, practically sleeping on their feet, but they didn't stop.  Some would call that just plain foolish, but I know how much mental strength it takes to keep moving when every ounce of your being stays stop.  There are lessons in the pain, in the exhaustion.  The rewards aren't always tangible, but they are there or this sport wouldn't be growing so exponentially.

Thanks Dwayne for putting on a great race.  And thanks for giving me a venue to run a 50K PR!

The Race Start

Awesome race swag!