I did it! I'm an Ultrarunner!

Woo hoo! I called my dad yesterday afternoon our conversation went something like this: "Dad, guess what?" "What?" "I'm not a marathon runner anymore." "You're not?" "No. I'm an ULTRAmarathon runner!" "Oh! Well, I'm glad you found something you like!"

Yesterday, I crossed over into the ultrarunning world as I ran in the inaugural Unknown ?K--a 50K/31mile run through San Mateo, down off Ortega highway. Aside from the fact that this is my longest distance I've ever run, it was one of my favorite runs I've ever done. Charlie organized a supported group run (not an official race or event) for the OCTR. We had a group of about 25 people from the club running yesterday. Half of us started at 6:00 (the slow people!) and half started at 7:30 (fast!). I, of course, started with the 6:00 crew, with my new pink headlamp, 'cuz it's still dark at that time. As fun as it is to run in the dark, I am never let down when the sun rises while I'm on the trails. If you're running on dirt (as opposed to cement-ouch!), you are going to have some beautiful views. And San Mateo did not let us down. We were running through wildflowers, crossing over streams, patches of green grass, running up hills, down hills. . .

Lisa, Pete V., Kirk, and EKP

I managed to keep up with Pete and Lisa for most of the run. Around mile 10, I was running when I saw and felt a small branch hit me in the eye. It actually didn't poke me, but I felt a soft flower bud or something drag across my eye and it pulled my contact lens out!!! How does that happen!?!? I called out, "Hey guys! I just lost my contact lens!!" Lisa came over and found it immediately! "Oh, here it is!" She picked it up, rinsed it off with her water bottle, and then I took it and put it in my eye! The funny thing is, as I was packing my new hydration vest the night before, the thought of bringing an extra set of contacts crossed my mind. Then I thought, naw--why would I do that? I've never carried a spare set of contact lenses! I feel kind of old school talking about contact lenses. I heard there is this new surgery that will fix your vision. . .
The second aid station was at mile 17. I was still feeling good and strong. I had Charlie's map with me and it said that after the second aid station there was a stream crossing that there was no way around without getting wet. You had to take your shoes off and walk through. When we get there, me and Lisa sat down to take off our shoes. Suddenly, we hear some loud splashing. We looked up to see Pete just charging through it--shoes and all. Without a word, he just took off! He's probably thinking--silly girls! Then Lisa and I start walking through and, I have to say, the cold water felt sooooo good and refreshing on our feet! I even brought a clean pair of socks! As we were sitting down to put our shoes back on, we hear Charlie's voice coming down from the aid station. He was showing a group of casual day hikers how to get around the stream without getting wet (just a few feet to the left!) And then he saw me and Lisa putting our shoes and socks back on and starts making fun of us! Apparently the water level had gone back down after he made his map. That was pretty funny! But I liked having clean feet and socks!
My smile was soon gone because the next 8 miles were the longest 8 miles in my life! It was mostly climbing (which means a lot of walking for me). Lisa, Pete, and I kind of got spread out. The 7:30-ers started passing me on this stretch. I started feeling really low on energy. I kept looking at my Garmin, wishing the miles would go by faster, but it was like waiting for a pot of water to boil. The miles seemed to go on forever. At least the scenery was nice!
I finally made it to the last aid station at mile 26. At this point, it was starting to get really cold and windy. My friend Leon was waiting there with a big smile on his face. He told me I only had 5 miles to the finish. I told him I was low on energy, so he put a mixture of Monster Energy drink and Gatorade in my water bottle while I ate some little peanut butter and honey sandwiches and chocolate candy. It's amazing how quickly the human body can turn food into fuel because before I could even drink the Monster/Gatorade mixture, I was already feeling a million times better. I didn't even stay at the aid station very long because it was so cold! It was 47 degrees! And I was ready to finish the race, so I took off.

The last 5 miles of that race was probably the best race ending of any race I've done. It was beautiful, winding single track, with mostly downhill. I was suddenly in the best mood! I turned up the music on my iPod, and actually started singing out loud--Poison, Travis Tritt, Relient K, Nelson ('memba them?), Def Leppard, and Kid Rock. No one heard me, I think, but I didn't even care if they did!

Me at the finish line of the Unknown ?K

So I crossed the finish line where everyone was having their post-run meal. And, I have to say, it felt so good to do that with so many of my friends from the OCTR there. Running an ultra has long been a dream of mine, and I know I wouldn't have been able to do it without these people who have inspired me. There are also many OCTR members who did not run in the Unknown, but who have also inspired me. I'm so lucky to be around such cool people!

Of course, this is only the beginning of my life as an ultra runner. . . :)
Next race: April 12, Old Goats 50K

Two days that changed my life

This will probably sound crazy to about 99% of people out there. I've been wanting to do an ultramarathon ever since I read Dean's book, "Ultramarathon Man" about three years ago. It seems like runners all have different goals in running. For many, it's speed. They want to get faster--qualify for Boston. For other runners, they want to go the distance. That's definitely me. I mean, if someone runs Boston, or simply wants to do their personal best in 5K's and 10K's, those are awesome goals, but for me, personally, I just don't find that appealing. I've always been fascinated by distance. I know more about the ultramarathon world, such as races and top runners, than I know about the street running world. I don't know who the top marathoners are--nor do I really care!
So I read Dean's book right after I ran my first marathon in June of 2005 and knew immediately that I wanted to run ultras. I liked the idea of running really long distances and running on trails. However, I had a problem: I had just moved to Orange County from Los Angeles and didn't know where there were trails to run! I tried google-ing trail running clubs in Orange County, but couldn't find any. (OCTR didn't exist yet.) I would drive around all day for work and look at the hills behind Irvine and Tustin, and the Twin Peaks, and think, "There has to be some good trails out there!" But I didn't know where to go. Then someone told me that if I took PCH down to Laguna Beach, there was El Moro Canyon with some trails. So I drove down there and that's where I started trail running.
So now I had some trails, but I also had a new problem--no one to run with! Running trails alone is not very smart, so I would usually go on a Saturday, late in the morning, when there were lots of people around, but even then, I didn't like going very deep into the park. And I have a lot of friends who are runners, but they are street runners and weren't as motivated as I was to drive down to the trails at El Moro to run. so I rarely had someone go running with me at El Moro.
But my life was soon to change. . .
One Saturday morning--almost a year ago to the day--I was running with Rebecca in El Moro. I remember we ran up No Dogs and No Name and then crossed over to some sweet single track and we were following these two guys through the single track for a little while. Then we came out to a clearing where we all stopped for a water break. The guys said they were there that day running with a trail running club called the OC Trail Runners. They also said that some of the people in the group were running 20 miles, training for various races--marathons and longer. So of course, I was SO interested! They gave me the website and told me to come out on a run sometime. (I forgot who those guys were since it took me about 4 months to actually contact the group, so if you are reading this and remember it's you, tell me! Thank you for telling me about the OCTR!)
So, it took me 4 months to contact the group because I wanted to get in shape! That same Saturday morning in El Moro, Rebecca challenged me to start training for the 50 mile Rosarito to Ensenada bike ride, which was a month away. She told me to start incorporating spin classes into my training. (I was currently training for the Saddleback Memorial Half, the Wasatch Back relay, and the Nike Women's Marathon.) Well, I thought cycling might become a new sport for me, but I quickly became addicted to spin classes (as long as they have good music and a good instructor). I also found that the cross-training helped my running. I became a stronger runner.
After doing the Rosarito to Ensenada ride (on a mountain bike!), I soon after gave up sugar and sweets. It was a $100 bet Holly and I made for 6 months. It went from Memorial Day to Thanksgiving. It's amazing the difference I felt in my overall levels of energy. By July, I was feeling good and healthy. I contacted the OCTR and heard back from Wendy Garcia. She gave me a list of runs to go on. I remember preparing for that first run like I was preparing to run a marathon. I made sure to eat really healthy the few days before. I rested my legs for a couple days. I got a good night's sleep the night before. I mean, I had no idea how good these people were going to be! We were going on a 13 mile run in Whiting Ranch and I had no idea how hilly it would be either. I didn't want to show up and humiliate myself as a bunch of strangers were being let down and having to stop and wait for me to catch up!!! I imagined they would probably be muttering to themselves, "Maybe we should have a better screening process for newbies." "Look at this girl, she is in way over her head." And then they would tell me this group probably wasn't for me and I was afraid I would be embarrassed if I ever saw them again on the trails. And then I would go home dejected. :(
OK, that didn't happen. I mean, I went running with them and they were cool! I remember meeting Wendy, Skip, Corrinne, Kiko (where's he been?) and a few others, and they were so cool! I felt strong that day even though I wasn't used to so many hills, and kept up the pace just fine! I learned that you run a lot slower on trails--maybe a 12-15 minute mile--with walking breaks. Everyone was so friendly and I absolutely loved running with a group! I was immediately hooked on trail running.
So that was the other day that changed my life.
Since then, I have been running with the OC Trail Runners almost every Saturday morning and sometimes mid-week runs. I've also done my first trail races--Bulldog 25K, Boney Mountain 21K, Calico 30 (or 33?)K, and WTRS 18K--all with the goal of training for an ultra. But I also have to say that I have made some great friends with the OCTR. They are the coolest group of people. Running trails is great, but it is even better when you run with so many great people! I have loved every minute of my experiences with the OC Trail Runners!

Yeah, I Know, I'm a Lazy Blogger!

Okay, it's January, and I've got some catching up to do! Some of the next few posts will be looking back at some other adventures I've had this past year. I realize I am bad at keeping up with my blogging, so I will do a better job!

Whitney Mountaineers - Best Hike Ever!

Rhett, Jared, Brad, Maryann, Michelle, Kevin at 14,505 feet

Last Thursday and Friday, August 9-10, I went to go climb Mt. Whitney. It was my second time summiting this mountain! The first time I did it was in September 2006. It was such an amazing experience that I had to do it again!
Mt. Whitney is just 4 hours away from Huntington Beach in the Sierras and stands at an altitude of 14,505 feet. It's the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states. The Main Route to the summit is a very popular hike, starting at the Whitney Portal at 8,360 feet. It's a non-technical route, 11 miles each way. That's the route I did last year with my friends, Rebecca and Alysha.
This year, I went with some friends from Huntington Beach. The guys in my group wanted to take the Mountaineer's Route, which is a more direct route to the top! We covered the same elevation gain in 4.7 miles! It was so much fun!!! When I signed up to do it, I wasn't sure exactly what this technical route entailed, but I've always had this attitude that if other people can do it, so can I!
We've been planning this climb since February when Jared and Kevin got the passes. To train for this, some of us hiked Mt. San Jacinto out by Palm Springs in July. We are all in pretty good shape, though. I've been doing lots of trail running and just started cycling, and all of us were well prepared.
The trip started Thursday morning when I met up with my friends, Kevin, Maryann, and Rhett. We drove up to Lone Pine, a small town which Highway 395 passes through. Most people recognize this as the road to Mammoth. I remember looking out the car window on the drive and seeing the massive granite peaks of the Sierra's rising to the west. They are stunning to look at! And I was headed to the top!

You can see Keeler's Needles and the Whitney summit very faintly in the center background.

After a delicious Mexican lunch (chocolate banana chimichangas anyone?), we ran into a local grocery store to get a few more last-minute food items, and then we headed up the 13 mile road to the Whitney Portal! For a little motivation we blasted Journey's "Don't Stop Believin" as we headed up that steep, winding road towards the mountains.
Once we arrived, we parked the car and gathered all our gear. The daytime weather was in the 60's at the Portal and no rain was in the forecast. We were anticipating nighttime lows in the 30's to 40's, and we all had warm sleeping bags, so we decided to leave the tent in the car. That also took about 15 pounds off Rhett's backpack, which I'm sure he appreciated! I've become a huge fan of sleeping out under the stars anyway. And every August at this time is the Perseids meteor shower, so I didn't want to miss the show!
So we took off on the hike, first weighing our packs. I had the lightest with a pack of 24 lbs! And Rhett, despite leaving the tent in the car, still had the heaviest at 35 lbs. He was carrying the bear canister with all of our food. We were hiking up in bear country, so our permits require us to carry bear-proof containers. All food and anything else smelly has to go inside overnight--toothpaste, deodorant, lotions, etc. I've heard that bear sightings are pretty rare around there now since they know they can't get into the canisters. But we want to keep it that way, so everyone continues to bring their bear canisters!
We started off on the Climber's Route at the far west end of the campgrounds, which met up with the Main Trail for a few hundred feet. We then crossed a little stream and then found our route, which immediately got steeper! The Mountaineer's Route was kind of hard to follow. Kevin had some instructions that he'd printed off the internet which said to basically follow the path of least resistance. We knew which direction we needed to go, so we took off bushwhacking our way through the woods! Occasionally we'd see little orange ties on the trees, and try to follow those, but the trail was not always that obvious! There was a huge granite wall we tried to follow, but often found ourselves back in the trees, crossing streams, and climbing up some rocks. It was a blast trying to navigate those trees with my huge backpack on my back! It was really pretty in there, too! There were lots of flowers and waterfalls.
After a while, we climbed onto some rocks and I immediately recognized where we were from some pictures I'd seen of the Mountaineer's Route. We were on the Ledges. They look a lot scarier than they actually are. The ledges take you up along this granite wall with a pretty steep drop to the bushes and trees below. It didn't take us long to clear the ledges before we were back on some more trails. The trees were starting to thin out and we stayed on the trail by looking for cairns. As we climbed higher, we could see another mountain range far to the east and Lone Pine in the valley below. It was beautiful!
At about 10,000 feet, we came upon Lower Boy Scout Lake. A good thing about hiking up there is the plentiful water sources. We had a water filter to keep refilling our Camelbacks. Fresh mountain water is some of the best water I've ever tasted! We continued up the mountain and at about 7 p.m., we met up with Jared and his friend, Brad, and Upper Boy Scout Lake. This is where we planned to camp for the night at 11,300 feet.
We found a nice flat spot with lots of rocks to block the wind and set up camp. We were able to refill our bladders with fresh purified water from the lake and had a delicious dinner of Stove Top stuffing and tuna! For dessert was a raspberry crumble. It really hit the spot. Even though we had only hiked 2.7 miles, it still took us 4 hours to do being on the steep trail and navigating through the bushes, so we were exhausted and ready for a good night's sleep. We laid out our sleeping bags and went to bed, but no one slept too well! One of the effects of high altitude is insomnia. This happened to me last year when we slept at 12,000 feet. My heart rate was really high, too, since my body was not used to the lack of oxygen. No one really slept all that well for the first few hours, maybe dozing off for 20 minutes or so. Around 1:00 a.m., Kevin, Maryann, and I got up to watch the stars. The meteor shower was supposed to be best in the pre-dawn hours, but we couldn't sleep, so we got up for stargazing. We only saw a few shooting stars and Mars. It was actually a perfect night to look at the stars since there was no moon. The Milky Way was perfectly clear and I don't think I've ever seen so many stars in my life! In Huntington Beach, I think I can only see about six stars!
After about 20 minutes, I took an Advil PM and went back to bed. I fell asleep quite easily and didn't wake up until about 7:00 a.m.
We got up and had oatmeal and fruit for breakfast. The we packed up camp and hit the trails. From Upper Boy Scout Lake to the summit was a much steeper climb. We had only two miles to go, but a climb of over 3,000 feet! The first part of that climb was not too bad. I would say the route became much more difficult after we passed Iceberg Lake at 12,200 feet.
Suddenly we were walking on a bunch of loose rocks. The rocks were big enough we could walk on them, but we still had to watch our balance because they would occasionally slip. There really was no more trail. Everyone just had to find their own way at this point. It was so steep, we were often climbing on all fours to keep our balance. We were all moving at a pretty slow pace now, since the rocks beneath us kept sliding out and occasionally falling below.
Mt. Whitney was right there in front of us. We came to a long scree slope of about a 45 degree angle to the right of the peak. Looking up, we could see some people rock climbing the face of the mountain, taking an even more direct route than us! The scree slowed us down even more. There were some large granite rocks off to the side which we tried climbing. I had never rock climbed before. It was a lot of fun, but I also had to remain focused because if I slipped and fell, I would land on the loose rocks below and probably slide a little ways down the slope. Thankfully, there were lots of sweet hand holds and foot holds. And my trail running shoes had some serious grip! The guys were all real helpful in showing me where to climb and where to place my feet an hands. After a while, we reached the top of the slope. We were at a notch where we could see the next mountain range to the west. The Mt. Whitney summit was only a few hundred more feet up!
But now we had a climb at about a 70 degree angle! There was another trail that from there met up with the Main Route. Maryann and I looked at each other and considered meeting up with the guys at the summit, while they took this more vertical route. But they talked us into climbing up the more vertical route with them. I liked the rock climbing and bouldering a lot, but I have to admit, it was a little scary. We didn't have any special equipment. Each rock we climbed brought us to a spot where we could stop and sit an put our backpacks down if we had to. Anyway, we continued up the steep rocks and a short time later, we reached the top! I knew I was there when I could see the hut! We all went and signed the register. I wrote, "My greatest adventure yet!"
The six of us celebrated, with some Henry Weinhard's root beer we carried all the way up with us. We sat around for a while, basking in our achievement and reflecting on the journey. We took lots of pictures, and then decided it was time to get going. Kevin asked that we all do him a huge favor--or I should say, do his mom a huge favor. She asked that we sing, "How Great Thou Art" at the summit. He had the words printed out, so before we began our descent, we sang the hymn. It was so appropriate, as I looked at the beautiful scenery around us. Then we began the 11 mile trek down the Main Route. Maryann, Kevin, Rhett and I split from Jared and Brad at that point, since they were going to take their time and spend another night on the mountain, so we said our goodbyes and took off. It was Friday afternoon and we were down off the mountain and drove back to Huntington Beach that night.
The tallest mountain in the lower 48 states is literally in our backyard. It's funny that I never knew that until about a year ago. The only thing I don't like about hiking Mt. Whitney is that the trip is so short. It seems like I should be gone a week to do something like this. Oh well, I guess I should just consider it training for my next mountain! Knowing me, I'll probably look back at this someday and laugh and say, "And I thought I was so tough!"

Let the Adventures Begin!

I'm starting this blog to record all my "adventures" and to be able to share them with others. I have a fun life! Now, I know my idea of fun might be different from that of most people, and some of you reading this might be shaking your head and thinking I'm crazy! These same people have asked me, "What in the world can possibly be appealing about running for miles and miles, climbing mountains, sleeping outside with no tent, or doing overnight races with no sleep at all?" These same people say, "WHY?" I say, "Why not?" I'm young, single, and love being in good health! I love the outdoors. I also love a good challenge and being able to test my mental and physical limits--see what I am capable of doing. Life is short. Time flies. Someday, I want to be able to look back on my life and be proud of the things I've accomplished, the places I've been, the experiences I've had, and--most importantly--the friends I've made along the way! So, as I like to say, "Let the adventures begin!"