Hellgate 100K - Dec 13, 2008

I am very humbled by Hellgate……..There are so many opposing emotions linked to my experience with Hellgate. Joy & pain, camaraderie & loneliness, adrenaline & fatigue, logical-methodical-thinking/planning…and complete insanity!

Somehow I got the insane idea that I could qualify for UTMB as I already had 1 pt, and Hellgate would give me 3 more for 4 total. Insane! I trained in up to -20, ran my little heart out and hammered a ton of hills and ran a bunch of times in the dark in preparation for this race. I was completely unprepared for the fatigue and the elements. The girls are already planning a “Kelly Suffer-Fest” to help me in my suffer-training. I feel like I suffered but I need to suffer more, and after only over a year of running I have put myself in some crazy races and pushed myself beyond my comfort zone….Hellgate has no comfort zone except maybe the first few minutes at the start where we sing the American Anthem, say a Prayer and know full well you are part of a very special event – intimate and extraordinary and running with friends make it even better. The first leg of running lulls you into a false sense of security thinking “This is awesome!” I can so do this!

No, no, no I couldn’t.

I was in a very comfortable zone, a 16hr finishing zone, & loving my amazing headlamp that many commented on as they ran by. The lights were amazing and made me feel safe and confident as I was going to be alone for several hours. One thing about Hellgate, you become alone almost immediately. I envied the girls that had running partners – and I played leapfrog with a few and we cheerily smiled at each other and waved. Such amazing folks that run in this crazy race. I loved seeing the women out there giving it their all! Very inspiring.

I passed through the 2nd CP still pacing very well, and very impressed with my hill running as they weren’t too steep and the cutoffs were aggressive so I had to be consistent, but somewhere around 3am I couldn’t feel my legs (thanks to the rivers and the howling wind!) I started getting dizzy, almost fainted twice and my pace turned to a stumble (it wasn’t food either, I was eating and hydrating properly, my stomach was fine – I even took extra gels thinking it would help)…it was just so very frightening but I kept telling myself to pick it up you can do this! There were no headlamps around even in the far distance and I was all alone. One of the last water jumps that didn’t go to my knees, I managed to head up the mountain on a wrong trail and I’m pretty good at following trail and it was definitely marked very well although I gave the good Doctor grief for it! I noticed all the glow sticks in the valley and bushwacked down the knee deep leaves and got back on track, but my pace had slowed and at 330am I quit...my mind wasn’t in it, I was scared, tired, freezing and feeling very delirious and very alone…I didn’t even want to think about running and started making lists of the gear I wanted to sell starting with my new headlamp (nope not selling it!)…quite funny when I think back to that moment…the moment I told myself I was certifiably insane for attempting this…the girls reassured me after the race that they have quit and retired in almost all their races…quite amusing, and as I write this and although yesterday I swore I would never attempt Hellgate again…I have already changed my mind. Yes I am insane. (...and if I ever do Hellgate again first priority is to come a day earlier so I can SLEEP before the race rather than travel ALL day before the race!)

I finally made it to cp3 right at 4am and I knew I was done and my bag wasn’t at the next CP so in my mind the effort would be futile and I wouldn’t make it….my shoes were frozen, I was freezing & soaking wet and the shivering had stopped – not good. The amazing volunteers got me soup, wrapped me in a sleeping bag, stood me by the fire and Larry the EMT managed to get me some of his dry clothes, and after getting lost in the mountains trying to find CP#5 we finally got me to my drop bag so I could change…2hrs later! Thanks for everything Larry!! I was in the right place at the right time because Cathy came walking in and she couldn’t see due to the corneal edema we had read about, and I was already upset and seeing her in her blind condition made it worse but she couldn’t see my face so I sucked back the tears, helped her and managed to get to the next 2 cp’s to help her with my new found friend Eric who’s wife was running and we went CP-jumping together. Thanks for everything Eric! …Cathy you gave me more grey hairs!! ...however your tenacity is incredible and you are an inspiration.

We are very proud of our Canadian runners who placed very well in this race – Harper Forbes tied for 12th and swears he will never do this again (we’ll see…) and Denise Rispolie and Audrey Kelly tied for 2nd Female and 22nd overall – these girls are ROCKSTARS! They didn’t even train much and Denise was nursing an injured ankle! Their goal was to finish and get Audrey to France! Well they did that and more – you girls are an inspiration…bring on the sufferfest!!

After reflecting on this experience and talking it out with some seasoned/pro AR folk I still feel really good about what I accomplished at Hellgate. The elements got to me but my spirit is strong – there are many things that Hellgate has given me that I have never done before and from this I have again learned a few more things about myself. I am slowly growing as a runner and a good friend says not to worry, my enthusiasm, energy & positive spirit will eventually come together with my skills...I will always pick myself back up. Now its time to look forward…Bring on the Canadian Death Race 2009! I think some of the Beast Series runners should come take on the Canadian Rockies with us!

Thanks David Horton & all your amazing volunteers for putting on a very tough yet incredible race experience for everyone.

**The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall. ** - Vince Lombardi

http://www.extremeultrarunning.com/2008_Hellgate/2003_2008%20results_stories.html

North Face Canadian Death Race - 2008

“For nearly a decade, elite racers have come to Grande Cache to cheat Death in one of the world’s toughest adventure races. The 125 km course begins and ends on a 4200 foot plateau, passes over three mountain summits and includes 17,000 feet of elevation change and a major river crossing at the spectacular Hell’s Gate canyon at the confluence of the Smoky and Sulphur Rivers. During the August long weekend each year, extreme athletes, individually and in relays, push themselves to the limits of their endurance against the breathtaking background of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Each year, well-trained and totally committed, they battle heat, cold, altitude and themselves…..There are no big cash prizes for winning: finishing is hard enough. And the bragging rights are priceless” You can say that again!!!

I’m not quite back down to earth yet after my exhilarating experience with the Canadian Death Race, and it took a week or two of reflecting on the excitement of the big event (and a few days of sleep!) to really know how to put into words how much I loved every moment, although timing out after Leg 3. I think I made about 5 lists for this race, one for each Leg just to be as organized and as prepared as possible. Being uber prepared just made the ride of getting there even more exciting. I just wanted to get on the trails and see the mountains! I could not believe that it was finally happening, & it didn’t feel real at all.

A quick plane-ride to Calgary and a very scenic route through Banff/Jasper/Canmore with a perfect tour-guide who knows the names of every mountain, made all pre-race nerves subside. Seeing a baby bear on the roadside and getting pics was worth the long 7~ish+ hours drive! I have never been to the mountains, so seeing them up close was fantastic and breathtaking.
Grande Cache is charming & quaint…population almost 4000, although it felt like there was only a few 100, and it grew as 1000+ racers, crews and family settled down on the tiny town days before the race. The weather was cool, overcast and looming clouds hung low amongst the mountains the day before the race, which set the tone…fitting for a race with Death in it! I did what every racer does their first time in Grande Cache….looked and pointed at every peak…”is that Hamel?”….”is that Grande?”…”where’s the Valley?”… Lucky for me Bob knew where all the Legs started & ended, we even drove up the last 10K of Leg 4 up to Ambler Loop with our good friend Kenny who was running Leg 4 with Bob & my friends in Team. It wasn’t going to help us run any faster…but it added to the excitement and anticipation that we would be running and climbing on these trails soon.

Race kit pickup on Friday was held this year in the arena, a bit maddening for the relay teams but for a soloist it was a breeze & the volunteers before, after and during the race were amazing…and this year’s CDR was sponsored by the North Face so the schwag was great (& the girls got the better shirts…that’s another story!) Friday night we had a pre-race prep-talk, lots of crew-jockeying & car-moving & people-moving to talk about…I didn’t need to concern myself thankfully. I was the only one going solo along with a couple other gals I knew, and my good friend Colette who was running Leg 5 was going to take care of Bob & myself between Leg 1&2 – after that Bob would be crewing for me…piece of cake.

Saturday, Race Day, 530AM - we had 3 different wakeups..I was completely paranoid about sleeping in…dark, overcast, chilly, calling for some rain…Java…Bagel….last minute double-check of gear…omg I cant believe I’m doing this!! Surprisingly I was calm but inside I was thrilled. In my head I had this race cut up in chunks…one step at a time. First leg 19K….piece of cake…that’s all I focused on.

Leg 1 - 19K Rolling Trails- 8AM Race Start: National Anthem, Mounties, Screaming Death Race Fans, Cowbells, Kiddos, and running with my friends at the start of an Epic Adventure Race…it just doesn’t get any better than that. I left my iPod off until we cleared the first ~5K of people/road, and when I hit the forest for the first time I had Fly by Night come on, and a huge smile crossed my face and I felt like I had arrived. I rocked my way down the trail and passed all sorts of runners…first time I have ever said “On your left”…I was passing soloists as well as relay folks…I power-climbed all the hills like Ms. Rispolie taught me, and hammered all the crazy downhills like Coach said to do…including the last one which felt like it took a half hour…great hill, and I can honestly say I don’t think I could have run that first leg any faster….2hrs 13min…I was freaking out when I came through grinning and looking for my girl…fans were hi5ing me…going solo you definitely get some serious fanfare…Colette was waiting for me, Coke in hand, and first thing she says “Bob did it in an hour and a half!”….I knew he would…good because I was going to need him after the next leg! Chips, pack-change & poles…and off I went. It was starting to rain finally which felt good b/c I was hot after that first leg. Loved having arm-warmers –they worked perfectly!

Leg 2 - 27K, 2Peaks…well I think I lost track of time…I cant really explain it and I guess I thought I had more time….that and not fully being ready for falling fast enough – I laugh because I can recall the words so clearly from Bob…”controlled falling”….If you were too careful to avoid injury you would slow down…but if I went too fast I was scared to get injured and these hills were vertical in some spots…so I just kept moving forward. The steep climbs and the multiple steep descents in what they call the slugfest were brutal…and as crazy as it sounds I felt relaxed and calm thinking it was no problem, because I had finished Ultimate XC and some of that terrain was crazier! The other part of leg 2 that was a challenge was freezing my butt off on the 2nd peak – lucky me got rain/freezing-rain on top of both peaks on Flood/Grand Mountains….my hands were like icicles…Denise told me it would be cold…she was right! Finally, the powerline mudslide came….I wish I had a magic-carpet the kids use in the snow because I’m certain I would have made up the half hour I needed sliding down Grande! It was slippery mud from top to bottom (and I was wearing most of it!), and just when I thought I was getting close….the cruel joke you could see ahead, was another muddy steep climb up. At this point I was obsessively doing math in my head…”OK if I can get through this in the next half hour I will have the time I need for transition then 3hrs for leg 3….” This thought circled and circled, and the time crunched closer and closer…the final muddy/grassy/steep downhill came which I remember from the day before and I hammered it…and ran back into town with my head held high, poles in hand & mud from head to toe..….no tears from this death-racer….the race wasn’t over yet. The sad thing was there were racers I ditched in the slugfest that had already thrown in the towel – I had overheard them yakkin so I turned up my iPod…they were doing “math” earlier than I was, and I wasn’t coming all this way to throw any towel in after 30K particularly in the slugfest!

Leg 2 transition & Leg 3 - 19K Trail -They called my name as I approached the start/finish line which is where the end of Leg 2 also was, so I had a great sense of accomplishment as I ran back through after completing Leg 2 in 6hr 26min, not great, and I still had 2hr&12min to run 19K for Leg 3 (clock was at 8:48)…still doable in my head. I was so happy to see a friendly face even though he was snapping pix of me telling me I had mud on my face! Bob put a warm jacket on me as I was getting cold and probably shivering but I didn’t notice – he obviously did…(my perception of this transition is skewed of course after 9hours…) & made me drink some nasty vanilla/salty concoction, and as I sat and ate a half waffle and some chips, all I could see was the big Start/Finish Time clock count down to the 9hr mark which would only leave me 2hrs…”Comon!” I said…”I need to go!!” I was soaked from running for well over 8 hours and all the rain I went through, so we changed my shirt fast, and finally got me out with 2 hours to go…I didn’t even care at that point because in my head I wasn’t quitting and I was mostly going downhill! How easy is that! “All I want is Carbopro!” I recall I had said when I came into transition too…Everyone told me I would…and they were right! The closer to water the better, as I had enough of the gels and other items I had with me so Carbopro was perfect! I took off and my personal paparazzi chased me down snapping some last minute pix. I was in my glory rockin away to my iPod again. To my amazement, there were still Team Relayers coming up behind me and I managed to catch up to a couple more soloists. I was getting sore, my feet were just starting to ache and then finally after 10.5 hours I got my first stomach cramp. FUN! Well if I am going to get the full experience, I might as well get it all! As the 7pm mark approached and I made some last ditch efforts to run thinking maybe, just maybe… I could see where I was across the water nearing the bridge so I had less than 5K to go…dam them for changing the 715p cutoff! Oh well what could I do…so I just kept moving forward….So many what-ifs going through my head…I saw a stream up ahead and just stood in it…oh the icy water felt good! A group of soloists ran up behind me and asked if I saw the bears….nope….thankfully! There was no time to worry about bears in this race!
Once back at the Leg 4 exchange I was still high after completing almost 65K in 11+hours of the toughest terrain of my life….Hamel was looking pretty scary as I settled into the realization that I wasnt climbing the “Behemoth”…although I still wanted to.

Was I prepared for my first DNF? Nope
Was I disappointed at that moment? Nope - quite proud
Was it everything I imagined? More!
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat!!

I was so happy to see my friends and all caught up in the excitement of the race as we were still waiting for Kenny to come off Leg 4, and send Colette off into the pitch black night for the final leg of the race….by 2am though I was done! I think we finally got to sleep after all the excitement at ~5am…well at least I can say I was awake for 24hrs!! Bob and my team of friends finished the race in 18hrs 26min – 75/131 mixed team ranking…with Bob doing leg 1&2 – Leg 1 in 1hr&30 and Leg 2 in 4hours…!! 5.5hrs…he makes it look so easy!! The team was thrilled and I couldn’t be happier for them!
The next morning was when the real disappointment set in…I was so close to the cutoff…
One thing is for certain…I know what I need to do for next year…and next year I am going back with some unfinished business to attend to, and my friends who ran in Team will be joining me in the epic solo quest. Only 1/3 of the soloists finished this year…next year I will be in that top 3rd!

Leg 6 was legendary…another 24hr Epic Adventure!..And THAT is an entirely different race report!!

Thanks to everyone for their encouragement and support. Every one of you knows who you are and you were with me every step of the way!
Go Death Racers!

Ultimate XC Quebec - Are You Tough Enough?

http://www.teamrunningfree.com/blog/2008/06/22/ultimate-xc-quebec-are-you-tough-enough/
What has 4200+ pieces of pink & black polka-dot flagging tape, 12674ft UP! and 12577ft DOWN! ~10km of swamps, ~20km of bushwacking, 42K of ankle-twisting “sorta-trail”, a 300ft icy-black-water beaverdam swim, trail that goes straight up forever..that brings you to your hands & knees scrambling? (and to quote the race director – Only where mountain goats go!) ….Mountain goats? …did I mention the bugs?

That would be the 42km Ultimate XC - Quebec Edition 2008! I have since come up with some revised names for this crazy race….the words that come to mind reflecting on the words I used while becoming one with the mountains & the bush would be …Insane-Bushwacking-Mountain-Scrambling-Swamp-Tromp!!…Maybe that’s what XC means in French? J
If you are looking for something out of the ordinary this race is for you! I’m pretty sure the only reason there was some trail at times, was because the 40+ guys and gals ahead of me carved the way for me to see where to go next!

There were 59 of us crazies including my “Rough & Tough Coach” Bob McGrath, that signed up to take on the Marathon distance of the ~400 racers overall. The newest Ultimate XC Quebec Edition had a 42K, 21K, 10K and even a 2K kids race. The race took place in the tiny town of Val Morin, ~40min North of Montreal in the Laurentian Mountains. The town folk were just incredible and everything was very well organized including race-kit-pickup, right down to all the great folks manning the aid stations & cheering us on! This was indeed a great event and the Town of Val Morin rallied around us with open arms. They even opened up the local daycare for children of racers…and it was FREE! They shuttled my little ones off in golf carts & they were lovingly cared for by some nice ladies while mommy battled the Laurentian Mountains.

Hands down this is the hardest run I have ever done. I was as prepared as I could have been for this race – even with the announcement 3 days before the big race that there would be a “300ft swim across a beaver dam” …so we were allowed a bag drop!! Wow – a swim – who puts a swim in 3 days before race day? That would be crazy-man Dan “I Am Your Worst Nightmare” Des Rosiers, who I had the pleasure of meeting. I let Dan know I had CDR coming up in August as we chatted, and he proclaimed with confidence “This is harder than the Death Race!” as he grinned and winked. I nervously laughed – Bob said “Don’t laugh he’s serious!” My laughter was just a cover for my fear – I didn’t want anything to deter my focus and I did not want my fears to show…There were only a few things to concentrate on – hitting the cutoff, eat & hydrate –that’s it. Finishing would come later!

All my gear was ready the night before, I had put some treats in my drop bag thanks to Pro-Crew-Gal – T’s advice and was ready for any weather. The weather the previous 2 days was miserable and rainy which I was kind of thankful for as I prefer to run in semi-miserable cooler weather compared to brutal heat – but these are things beyond our control. Lucky for me, we had the trail gods on our side and we had perfect weather!
As Dan was addressing us minutes before the start one of his comments rang through my head “You have to be at the 2nd aid station in 2hrs”…this was news to me …the only cutoff I knew about was 4hrs at the halfway point, now I had another cutoff to meet! Bob calmly said ‘Don’t worry, just focus on what you have to do, get to each checkpoint and go from there…” Well I made decent time with all the obstacles Dan threw into this race and got to the 2nd aid station in good time, & the halfway point aid station in 3hrs22min – success! – now all I had to do was keep moving forward and finish…

Bushwack, bog, bushwack, mountain-scramble, bushwack, swamp, swamp and then more swamp!…My feet got used to the wet-muddy-cocoon they were in for the entire race – there was more mud & swamp in this race than trail I’m sure of it.. I passed one guy who lost his shoe in the mud! Thankfully that didn’t happen to me! I was quite looking forward to the swim at this point just to get out of the swamps!…I amused myself with images of Shrek in my head and hoped to see some wildlife like a moose or deer but all I got was a snake cross my path! The swim was insane! Many times I would look at my watch and think maybe 10 more km to go before the ‘refreshing’ swim…but it came up faster than I anticipated…I was stunned as I just didn’t know what to expect! I laughed and just walked right in to the murky pool…grabbed the rope and pulled myself across, kicked my legs and SQUEALED the entire way! I just could not believe I was doing this…There was a nice young guy the other side watching and laughing with delight at myself and 2 other gals behind me crossing the water…my drop bag was at the next (and last!) aid station which wasn’t too far down the trail. I grabbed my bag and made the split decision to not change my clothes or shoes (which I’m certain saved me some time as Bob’s words rung in my head “no messing around with your drop bag – can you afford to lose 15-20min?”…I decided I couldn’t…) I grabbed my chips, chugged my coke and the folks at the station were not only amazed that I didn’t change, but even more in awe of my hidden treats as they commended me in French with big smiles and laughter…(thanks “T”!) Off I went down the trail running and munching and feeling quite amazing – until BAM…LEGCRAMP…wow this I was not ready for…I thought I was done. I fell to the ground in pain, the tears welled up, I beat my fist on my quad, tried to stand then fell again. I went through this process, which felt like a half-hour, but really I think it was 5min at most. I finally stood up, shook my leg and it was like a miracle to me as the pain was gone and with relief I forged onward into the bush….

There was a point where I started to doubt myself somewhere between 6&7hrs…I think I was alone for so long that I had myself convinced I was lost and going backwards down the wrong trail even though the pink tape was still there… I was out for about 7hrs now & I could hear the band at the race start/finish and felt I was getting closer, but the trail kept taking me back UP the mountain and then farther away and the fear started to set in…maybe I really am lost? Will I make it under 8hours? Then my water-bladder was empty & I just took the last of my 14! gels…..I felt weak, but somehow I kept my legs moving. The trail started to head back down and finally there was a nice old guy and a cameraman hidden around a bend with big smiles telling me “only 2k to go!” and to capture my most miserable moment on the trail – but I think I managed to smile – only because I was so happy to see someone..”2k…seriously?” I thought they were joking with me… that’s it? I can do this…I can do this…

What can I say? Dan put together a brutal course! I knew it was going to be tough…just how tough it was going to be and how tough was I going to be were the questions…Did I have what it took to finish? Dam straight! It was tough but I was tougher, and I had to dig deep to get through it…The mountains & the bushwacking broke me down, but it didn’t beat me! 7:26:27!
I had a chance to see Dan again after the race and thank him for the extraordinary experience, and commend him on a brutally difficult race! He said “I told you so! Now you are ready for CDR”!.. Lets hope so!

Thanks for the ride Dan & thanks for everything Coach! There’s no way I would have finished this unbelievable race without your guidance :)

**A special mention for my wicked-stick-to-any-slope Inov8 Roclite 282’s - for without them I dont think I would have made it up all the steep inclines…there were times when I said to myself “I thought he said there was NO rockclimbing!”…Dan you’re a funny guy!**

Oh...and I dont think they had any pix taken of us at the water cr0ssing - so I went hunting for the closest pic I could find of a beaver-dam....that pic is pretty close to what we all swam through!! When the pictures they took of us on the course get posted I will be sure to add them!

Mommy's First Marathon!

Date: Sunday May 11th – Mothers Day!
Location: Missisauga
Sport: Road Running Race – Marathon
Website: ttp://www.mississaugamarathon.com/index.asp

Well I must say….4:30AM comes very early!

After lots of hard training & direction from “coach” Bob, and a pre-race pep-talk the night before, I was ready to take on the Marathon with no nerves – in my mind today was another set of training intervals that were going to take me all the way to 42K.

As I was in bed early last night, the family “elves” put together a Mother’s Day Surprise for me as they knew I would be up early. Perfect start to a great day! A funny card, mommy-goodies to pour over, some oatmeal, hydration, and a swig of java, kept my mind off any pre-race jitters as I puttered around quietly making sure I had everything I needed.

I parked at the Cawthra Community Center, jumped on one of the buses and it took me to the start line stress-free – so glad I did that as there were lineups of cars getting into Square One and the bus got me there fast. The first familiar person I saw was Andy from the shop – as I was all decked out in my “new Team Gear” he spotted me right away. I was starting to get excited and seeing the seasoned Marathoner before the start and exchanging “luck” made me feel confident and ready to get on the road!

The plan was to warm up at 6:15 pace, and go water station to water station and try to keep that average, and if nothing else my primary goal was to make sure I took my gels every half hour, and stay hydrated. My Garmin clocked me ~6min behind gun time, and based on how I felt I kept that pace right up til ~26K only stopping at the 30min marks to have a gel & managed to run through the aid-stations, grabbing Gatorade, & sometimes “wearing” Gatorade J. I felt great. On the way to the turnaround I saw Esther Tam motoring along – I think she was 4 or 5K ahead of me based on positioning…I thought to myself…she is a machine!

I heard the long run out to the turnaround was just that…long, and as I came up to 26K I got a dizziness I’ve never felt before. I stopped to shake it off and managed to pick up the pace again – I slowed a bit to avg 6:22 and managed to better my 30K ATB by 18min, as I was @ 3:11 at the 30K marker. Success I thought to myself! Now all I have to do is 12 more. Well each of those KMs were like a painful test – and each one felt longer than the last – I’m thinking this is what they call the wall although while I was climbing that wall of pain I never really thought of it like “the wall” – I used every ounce of strength & brain power to just keep on moving. Relentless Forward Progress – its like a mantra now.

My family was coming to see me so I focused on that to keep moving. I realized with 5K to go that going sub-4:30 was out of reach, and I made peace with that as I battled the brutal wind coming off the Lake… there was no time for ego’s here – just finishing what I came out to do today. My knees were aching, my quads and hams were getting really tight – the coaches words circled in my mind “Its not supposed to be easy”…you got that right! 3K…then 2k…over the bridge with 1K to go and to my joyous surprise was my 4.5 year old son Luke – wearing his Spiderman Hat, swimming goggles and holding a rolled up sign they made this morning. He ran with me for a few hundred meters and was so excited – spectators were cheering – but then he got scared, he thought mommy was running away and started to cry – unfortunately Grandma was still a few hundred meters behind us so I stopped, did what any Mom would do, held his hand and we walked. When he finally settled and Grandma almost caught up I said “Mommy has to finish her race & run!” So off I went, I think I lost 2min – but seeing him in those funny goggles was worth it – and as I came around the bend I heard “Mama Mama” from Hayden my 2yr old with Daddy filming me– that made my day - now all I had to do was cross the finish line……

My First Marathon – Finally in Team Gear – 4:42:21 – A perfect Mothers Day!

Relentless Forward Progress...

Well its been a while since my last post - my concentration on work, training, family & sleep have taken priority!

This past weekend was painful yet exhilerating, deflating yet enlightening, depressing yet soulful, highspeed yet tiresome, but most of all completely awesome in so many ways!

I have exactly 102 days or 15 weeks to my big race - the CDR - 125KM over some crazy mountainous terrain...my friends think Im nuts...maybe. This past weekend was my first experience in a trail race - my starting point, my checkup from the neckup, my "am-I-capable" questions answered...I know I can do it, I will do it....Relentless Forward Progress the coach keeps telling me.

I have found inspiration & ass-whoopin from a fellow Team Running Free member whom I affectionately call my "Coach" who by the way, finished the Death Race in 18-ish hours last year in the rain so he is my expert advisor on all thing Death-Race-Related! He tolerates my barrage of questions, my constant need for information, my sponge-like way I soak in all his advise, what he does, what I should or shouldnt do, why this, why that... he doesnt sugar-coat anything - he tells it like it is - no messin around, pain & suffering are needed - I have to get my training in - this is not my marathon. My marathon coming up seems like it will be a walk in the park after last weekends "I just got my ego&ass handed to me by the trail-god-of-pain" day! I knew it was going to be hard...I knew I was going to suffer....but, I knew I could keep going....I knew I was going to finish....I didnt know I was going to finish 2nd last at just under 4 hours!! In my mind it was supposed to be simple, 13K out and back for a total of 26K.....simple...right....I said to my husband "well Im going to be slower than my half marathon for sure....and maybe closer to my 30K road race - maybe around 3hours....that might be about right...WRONG.....there were some lovely steep...repeat STEEP... inclines, seriously if there were no trees or roots to hang onto, I would have been rolling down the "cliff"...I laughed at the top of one...and then thought to myself "KBomb this is nothing...just wait for CDR...like the coach says its "guided falling" in some parts..." so down I went. No problem....
River....no problem
another hill....no problem...
Mud....no problem....
18K....hamstring ouch, IT band ouch... then I had to stop... then I had to stretch... then I had to run again....no problem
I played cat & mouse with this nice guy - his first time on this course too - I would follow him, then he would follow me - then finally I made some headway, caught a second wind of sorts and my left leg started to feel no pain and in my head the coach said "push it in the last 5K..." relentless forward progress relentless forward progress I repeated the mantra to myself, over & over.... so I tried and had a big gap between me and the rest of us brining up the rear of the race......then I missed a turn....Dammit.....no more flags....omg am I lost?.....dam dam...I started to cry...I was miserable - I was 1K off the course and had to go back...dam dam dam. Some nice hikers saw me "are you lost" - I held back the tears and managed a yes. I knew it - I kept looking for the river crossing - was looking forward to the icy water on my feet.....who'da thought the best part of a trail race was the river!!!!
I finally made it back - across the river & down the trail....had to keep it together....I kept thinking omg Im last...Im last...how will I do CDR?? then of all things I fall...and not on anything steep either, a bloody twig....dammit!!...my concentration was lost, all I wanted to do was cross the finish line.

I remembered this part of the trail - nice & muddy - I knew I was getting close - then I saw the clearing in the trees - I was home free - and all I could hear was my mom, & my 2 sons Luke & Hayden hollering at me "Mommy" "Mommy" and the tears started up again...dam...Dave is going to get this on video....suck it up girl...run!

Finally I could see it, up the hill, around the corner - all the people I passed on the way to the turnaround - cheering and hollering....Diane was yelling Dirty-Girl at me ....omg its over...I did it...I survived...and I did it all without my ipod - next time Im remembering my ipod....!

Seaton Trail Race ...3 hrs 54 minutes of fun in the forest - doesnt get any better than that!
Relentless Forward Progress K-Bomb

Team Running Free!

Well tomorrow is the oldest race in North America - the 30K Around the Bay in Hamilton and I must say even though Im using this as a training run for my Marathon on Mother's Day - Im still excited! Im going to be running with over 5,500 pair of well-worn kicks - can't wait! I hear there are some hills near the last 5-10K so that should be interesting to say the least - but tiny compared to whats coming up in August!

I am one of the luckiest gals in Markham - I have the great priviledge to be on Team Running Free this 2008 Season. I frequently shop there as I can run to their shop, its literally ~1km away - so I am always in there pickin up this or that - I actually went in there last fall to pick up my very first water belt as my distances were getting longer, and this nice guy Bob helped me out. (got my first Nathan belt that held 4 bottles...havent gone far enough to use more than 3... but Im getting there!) I told him about what I was going to be doing and what my background was (I love trudging through Algonquin Park for days on end with tons of gear and a canoe etc etc)....so Bob goes on to say "oh well you will like running on trails etc - and back & forth we chatted about distances etc and he tells me he did the Canadian Death Race....well I didnt give it much more thought for a while until I started chatting about it with my group I did the half Marathon clinic with...and from there I just kept talking about it! And yes....Im going SOLO!! :)
So....where does Team Running Free come in? Well as Im in the shop often, I see all the Team Gear, and then I started poking around the site, and the more I ran and trained, the more I read and looked up online - and then I realized I could maybe be on the Team next year....hmmm.... so one day while looking at Poles for the CDR (yes in the Running Free shop again!) I had the pleasure of meeting Jeremy - and he chatted with me about the Death Race and that "I should talk to BOB"....lol....funny

So I asked him what I needed to do to get on this great Team....so I applied and here I am, a happy-go-lucky, newbie runner, part of something I am already proud to be a part of. We had our first Team member night and I got to chat with several Vets as well as others new this year like myself and I cant wait to get involved, help out, & race with Team Colours on!! I already did my first Half Marathon with Team gear on (a hat....) but I was out there running proud - another first for me.

Bob, Jeremy and the rest of these guys and gals are just great. If you are in the area I urge you to stop in and shop - or better yet go to the online store and shop!! As a team member I get to share coupons with my friends - so if you need something and you stop in - feel free to use this Coupon Code and tell them KELLY DOREY SENT YA!!~ - Coupon #44361 and this entitles you to $5.00 off when you spend $50 or more before tax - Happy Shopping! These guys have all you need!!

Well I need to get some rest - 30K Around the Bay tomorrow! Send me some speed!

Cheers!
K-Bomb

My First Half Marathon!

Well! I must say the past 2 months of training flew by and I almost got all my training runs in except for some scary cold weather, a week of the flu and life/work in general getting in the way!

My darling Husband David surprised me with a trip to Vegas for Valentines Day, which was amazing as I got to run my 20K last long training run in 22 degree weather!! A nice change from minus 15!! ...and I still wasnt feeling that great from the flu - I even think the flight aggravated my sinus - but the run wasnt too bad and I was still breathing so that was good - who can complain with weather like that!? We rented a car, went to the Hoover Dam, drove right around Sin City and even drove through Red Rock Canyon where tons of Cyclists pull out their wheels for a training ride - very scenic - I wish we had bikes with us!

I was in bed early every night while Dave played poker, but we did manage one night of party-time in our Hotel - Planet Hollywood is amazing and their Club - Prive' was just as wicked - 4hrs of dancing (and a "few" beers), and it was time to put this runner to bed! I highly recommend Vegas for anyone looking to have fun, do some touristy stuff - and shop! The shopping is fantastic! The Premium Outlet Mall is by far the best!


The Burlington Chilly Half Marathon was a great learning experience for me! I started out WAY TOO FAST! I got all caught up in the excitement of the event and didnt account for the bonking I was going to experience the 2nd half of the race! Im happy to say that I beat my 10K time though....I was under an hr at the 11K mark which was putting a great big smile on my face as I came up to the 12K water station, but my body&legs just couldnt keep up with my will & my brain! All in all I was still thrilled just to cross the finish line at 2hrs & 21~min...my PR and a time to beat next Half!- seeing my husband with the video camera at the Finish Line, and my friends that had already crossed earlier, was so overwhelming - I just love this feeling of accomplishment and I am proud to call myself a runner and can join my running peers in saying "I am officially a Half Marathon Finisher!"

I have a shiny new medal to add to my collection....lol....making this Medal #2!! Next stop - 30K Around the Bay roadrace in Hamilton - Longest Running - gotta get these legs pain free - need to hit the ground running tonight - no Pain - no Gain! The countdown to my first ever Marathon....and even bigger task, the 125K Canadian Death Race is ON!.... I will join my new friends in the "Ultrarunning" Category before long...

In my surfing for other running info - I stumbled upon this site
http://www.ultrunr.com/youknow.html and immediately thought of my new friend Norma Bastidas. You inspire me Norma! I want to do 52K training runs like you do!! YOU ARE THE BOMB! I will be chasing you down at the CDR!

-KBOMB

You Know Your an Ultra Runner If...
By: Various Authors
Your wife tries to introduce you to your three children and you reply "Three?"
You spend more time in the drug section than the food section of the local market.
You wonder why they don't make all running socks a dusty brown color.
You have more dirt on your shoes than in your garden.
You think that flagel and ibutrophin belong on the breakfast table.
You get more phone calls at 5:00 AM than at 5:00 PM.
You don't recognize your friends with their clothes on.
You have more buckles than belts.
You postpone your wedding because it will interfere with your training.
You keep mistaking your boss for Norm Klein.
6am is sleeping in.
Your feet look better without toenails.
Your idea of a fun date is a 30-mile training run.
You're tempted to look for a bush when there's a long line for the public restroom.
You don't think twice about eating food you've picked up off the floor.
You can expound on the virtues of eating salt.
You develop an unnatural fear of mountain lions.
When you wake up without the alarm at 4AM, pop out of bed and think "lets hit the trails".
When you can recite the protein grams by heart of each energy bar.
You don't even LOOK for the Porto-sans anymore.
Your ideal way to celebrate your birthday is to run at least your age in miles with some fellow crazies.
Your ideal way to have fun is to run as far as you can afford to with some fellow crazies.
You know the location of every 7-11, public restroom, and water fountain within a 25-mile radius of your house.
You run marathons for speed work.
You have more fanny packs and water bottles and flashlights than Imelda Marcos has shoes.
You visit a national park with your family and notice a thirty-mile trail connecting where you are with the place your family wants to visit next, which is a 100-mile drive away, and you think "Hmmmm".
Someone asks you how long your training run is going to be and you answer "seven or eight ... hours".
People at work think you're in a whole lot better shape than you think you are.
You actually are in a whole lot better shape than you think you are.
Your weekend runs are limited by how much time you have, not by how far you can run.
You always have at least one black toenail.
You buy economy-sized jars of Vaseline on a regular basis.
You tried hashing, but felt the trails were too short and easy.
You think of pavement as a necessary evil that connects trails.
You rotate your running shoes more often than you rotate your tires.
Your friends recognize your better dressed in shorts than in long pants.
You really envied Tom Hanks' long run as Forest Gump.
You carry money around in a zip lock bag because store clerks complained that your money's usually too sweaty.
Any time a plain old runner talks about her aches and pains, you can sympathize because you've already had that at least once.
You put more miles on your feet than on your rental car over the weekend.
You don't need to paint your toenails; they're already different colors.
You start planning the family vacation around races, and vice-versa.
When you start considering your next vacation location on the merits of its ultras only.
You spend you entire paycheck on running gear, ultrabars, and entry fees.
You miss a work deadline cause you just had to have that "one more minute" on-line writing to the list.
You become a quasi-expert on different detergents so as to not "hurt" your tee shirts.
You leave work early to hit the trails.
You wear t-shirts based on if you've had good work outs when you've worn them before.
Have a trail shoe collection that would make Imelda Marcos envious.
You walk up the stairs and run down them.
Peeing in the toilet seems unnatural.
You start wearing running clothes to work so you're prepared for afterwards.
Running trail is better then sex. (even if you don't get any)
Vaseline isn't just for fun anymore.
When the start of a marathon feels like a 5K and you're wondering "Why is everyone in such a rush? Where the ##@@**!! is the fire?"
As an infant you were dropped on your head.
Nobody recognizes your power T's. Met a guy at the market the other day who was wearing an AR50 T. So was I. I gave him a hearty, "Ta-da." He said, "Oh yeah, I tell people we were all acquitted and the charges were dropped."
You sign up for a 10K and
you strap on your fanny pack because you never know where the aid stations are.
you bring your own drinks.
you bring potatoes and salt.
you start fast and a six year old passes you.
you are the only one walking the up hills.
you run it a second time because its not far enough to call a training run (and you were racing the first time through).
you are the only one around who is eyeing the bushes THAT way.
you punch the lap button on your watch instead of the stop button at the finish.
When "NEXT GAS 36 MILES" signs start sounding like tempting runs.
Your pedicure kit includes a pair of pliers.
Your number of toes to toenails doesn't match.
You drink from a water bottle at the dinner table.
You consider the mold and mildew in your bottles extra electrolytes.
You just found out Poison and Oak are words by themselves.
You see a 1 quart water bottle colored like an Advil bottle, and don't realize that it's not in fact an Advil bottle.
You know you're married to an ultrarunner when Valentine's gifts come from Ultrafit.
You know you're married to an ultrarunner when she helps you up and says, "Come on, suck it up, keep moving!" and you know she means it in love.
You know you're an ultrarunner when a prospective employer asks for a photograph and all you have is race photos.
You know you're an ultrarunner when the races you enter end in a different area code. -and pass through several different Zip codes enroute.
You know you're an ultrarunner when your crew tries to keep you motivated by saying, "You're in second place and only 6 hours behind first with 25 miles to go!"
You know you're an ultrarunner when you go to your 8:00 a.m. college geology class and you can use the salt crystals, still caked on your glasses frames from your early morning run, in your talk on the category of sedimentary materials called evaporites (and I'm not making this up).
You know you're an ultrarunner when, on the night of a bad thunderstorm and downpour, you ring for a cab, and your announcement that this is the *first time* you're not getting home under your own steam causes a stunned silence in the office.
You bother to argue about (discuss the meaning of) what an UltraRunner is!!!
when you don't finish on the same day as the winner.
your dogs can drink out of water bottles
When you meet the opposite sex you see:
A possible crew.
A possible pacer.
A possible search and rescue team.
A possible race director.
A possible source of race entry fees.
You ask advice of hundreds of people on a list, looking for answers you have already determined to be correct, taking hold of only those, and running with 'em.
Your wife asks you the morning after your first 50 miler if you're still planning on that 100K in five weeks, and you say "Sure!"
You strap on your water bottles and walk the hills... in a 5 K race and consider that your 10 minute pace is a blistering pace.
People praise you to the high heavens for being able to finish a marathon, and you feel insulted.
You do a triathlon and it is your RUN time that is slower than the years when you specialized in triathlon.
You are told *not* to run another marathon during the next few months (because that would be bad for your health), and you really follow that advice - by immediately sending off the entry form for your next 50/100 miler.
Somebody asks about the distance of an upcoming race and you, without thinking, say, "Oh, it's just a 50K."
You're running a marathon and at mile 20 say to yourself, "Wow, only 6 more miles left, this is such a great training run!"
You know you are a clumsy ultrarunner when after running headfirst into the trail for the third time get up and continue running even though you are bleeding and covered in maple syrup where your gel flask exploded and you have another 20k to go.
You go for an easy 2 hour run in the middle of a Hurricane and think it is fun to get wet, muddy and run through the rivers that were once trails.
You get to the 81 mile point of a 100 miler and say to yourself, "Wow, only 19 miles left!"
You try to tie double knots in your Oxfords.
You pass a swamp towards the end of a run and think 'How bad could it be?"
Livestock salt blocks look good after a run.
You're embarrassed that you've only done 50K's...
Your wife/girlfriend/significant other asks you if you want to have sex on any particular night and you respond with:
"sorry, I don't have time, I have to go running"
"sorry, I'm too tired, I just went running"
"sorry, I would rather go read all my messages from the ultra-list"
You go down a flight of stairs, uh, backwards, after an ultra and everybody laughs.
No one believes you when you say "never again".
You refer to certain 100 mile races as "low-key."
You number your running shoes to distinguish old from new, since they all look dirty.
Prior to running a difficult race, you check to see if local hospitals and urgent care centers are in your PPO.
The only time major household projects get done is in a taper or race recovery.
Everything in your life, everything, is organized in different sized zip-loc bags.
You call a 50-mile race "just another training run".
You think a 100-mile race is easier than a 50 miler because you don't have to go out as fast.
You say, "Taper? Who's got time to taper? I have a race coming up this weekend."
You're tapering/recovering, and you'd rather drive 50 miles to watch Ann Trason's heavenly running style for 20 seconds than the Super Bowl.
You have to rent a car to drive to a major event because you and your pacer own stick shifts and neither will be able to drive them on the return trip.
You actually DO drive a stick shift home with a severely pulled left hamstring
You meet someone of the opposite sex on the trail of a 100 and all of conversation is about what color is your urine, can you drink? and were you able to dump.
Ya know you're and ultra runner when a girl changes her tank and her bra in front of you and all you do is take another drink of water, look at your watch, get up and tell your pacer "Let's hit the trail."
On a long drive you see the road signs listing various mileages to different places and think of how long it would take to get there on foot rather than by the car your driving.
You've started a race in the dark, run all day, and finished in the dark (if your lucky).
Your non-Ultrarunning running friends look at you strange when you tell them that 10:00/Mile is a fast pace for a 100 mile race (not to mention most ultras).
You don't hesitate to lie down in the trail (anywhere) when you are falling asleep on your feet during the early morning hours on the second day of a 100 miler; and it feels so comfortable.
Finally...
You know your an ultrarunner when you actually sit down and read all of the postings about, "You know your an ultrarunner when..." and can laugh and relate to all of the comments.