Yellowstone Half Marathon

Sue, Cheri, Tracy and Rachel at the finish

The Yellowstone Half is officially in the books!  And what an amazing race it was!

Paul, Sue and I arrived in West Yellowstone, MT on Thursday afternoon, June 9 and pulled the trailer into the Buffalo Crossing RV Park.  The park was not much to look at – pretty much a gravel parking lot interspersed with railroad ties and picnic tables – but the location was fabulous!  We were right around the corner from the entrance to the park, and walking distance to pretty much anything the town had to offer – including the Race Expo.

This year’s Race Expo was set up like a Forest Service campground, complete with the brown and beige sign and, get this, the Forest Service!  They were there with a fabulous display on the bears of Yellowstone Park.  After all, the Yellowstone Half Marathon is a trail race, and the trails are right smack in the middle of bear country.  The Forest Service advice:  run with others, make noise, and if you think you’ll be all alone on the trail, carry bear spray.

Sue and I had signed up for the Bison Double, a 5K on June 10 followed by the Half on June 11.  The 5K was, for the most part, on groomed dirt roads, so we both made pretty good time.  Sue placed first in her age group; I placed second in mine.  Not bad, considering neither of us had planned to really push it for this race.

We had planned to just run and enjoy the half as well.  It was our first ever trail half marathon, so we both expected to run more slowly.  The race started on the same groomed gravel roads, but after about mile three we landed on a two-track snowmobile trail.  We ran through woods and meadows.  It was particularly beautiful along the river.  Not that we got much of a chance to see the scenery – we were both pretty focused on the terrain ahead.  Sue crossed the finish line 6 minutes 55 seconds ahead of me for a first place finish in her age group.  I finished 4^th in mine.

Trail running is a completely different skill than road running.  I felt muscles I didn’t know I had as I focused on keeping myself upright on the trail.  I was surprised to see more than one runner stumble on flat ground after maintaining against the rocks, twigs, and other uneven surfaces of the trail. 

Were there bears?  More than likely.  But we didn’t encounter them.  Neither of us was ever alone on the trail, and I know I heard the sounds of bells and clapping throughout the run.  The Forest Service?  Volunteers?  I don’t know for sure, but whoever they were, I thank them.

At the end of the run, Vacation Races provided their standard chocolate milk, bananas, and awesome food boxes.  The awards ceremony was probably scheduled too early, as a few of the age divisions hadn’t had the top five runners come in yet, but they still do a great job of presenting the award medals.  Sue and I each came away with four medals and the promise of a fifth medal in the mail.

I love Vacation Races!  Next year – Yosemite!

Testing the Tricks of the Trail

After studying trail running techniques and purchasing trail shoes, it was time to seriously practice trail running.  Sue and I had thought this through and signed up for the Shootout at Blackridge 5K last Saturday, May 21.  But we both had brand new never-been-worn trail shoes, and as all runners know, you don’t break in new shoes on race day.  So on the Monday before race day, we laced up the shoes and drove ourselves all the way out to Herriman so we could practice the actual race trail.

It was a good thing we did.  The trail was much different than what we expected from the race description.  While there were sections where the trail was “two-track,” for the most part it was a single, mildly steep, narrow lane.  The good news was (drum roll, please) – it all worked!

My new trail shoes, Altra Lone Peaks, are marvelous.  They feel great and they really do hold the trail – both uphill and down.  The technique of taking smaller steps and using the upper body for balance was a huge success.  I laughed at myself as “little tiny steps – dance with the mountain” became my mantra on the downhill.  I smiled as I realized that I was going a lot faster than I had allowed myself to go before.

Then it was race day.  And instead of the sunny weather and dusty trail we had experienced before, we found ourselves – along with 111 other crazies – running in the wind and rain on muddy trails.  Once again the news was good.  The new shoes held the mud well – a little too well.  I felt like my feet weighed 20 pounds as the mud caked on the shoes.  But I did not slip.  Not even once.

This was not my fastest 5K.  In fact, I’m pretty sure it was my slowest.  But I felt really good about the practice, and am feeling more confident in my trail running ability.  My advanced age also contributed to this slowest-ever time still resulting in a 2^nd place finish in my age division.  Sue and I were in the same age division in this race, so it didn’t bode well for the home team.  Sue finished a good 5 minutes ahead of me.  We both held our own against our much-younger competition. 

As we warmed up in the car after the race, taking care not to get too much mud on the floor mats, we commented that now there was nothing the Yellowstone Half could dish out that we couldn’t take.  And our shoes are now, well, a little more trail-worthy.

T-minus 16 days and counting down to the Yellowstone Half Marathon.  Bring it!!!

Tricks of the Trail

One of the easier sections of the Wall Lake Trail

Sue and I are planning to run the Yellowstone Half Marathon in June.  The Yellowstone Half is sponsored by Vacation Races, a fabulous racing company – and it’s a trail run.  13.1 miles of dirt road and trail.  Running on trails is different from running on roads, and I find it quite challenging.

My first trail run was Patia’s Race, a 10K trail run in Eureka, Utah.  The race was great –except for a steep downhill stretch where I found myself walking – no, stumbling – as the rest of the racers blew by me.  Why?  Fear of falling.

I have a rational fear of falling.  Along with Blythe Danner, Sally Field, and thousands of other post-menopausal women, I have osteoporosis.  If I fall I could break something – and that would seriously interfere with my running.  So imagine my chagrin when one of the articles I find on downhill trail technique includes this sentence: “Some call downhill running “controlled chaos.” I call it ‘falling in control,’ because that’s more of what it looks like. Falling.”

The author, Doug, goes on to refer to downhill trail running as “dancing with the mountain.”  OK, I can get behind this. Here are his five key components to proper downhill technique.  I am pleasantly surprised at the strong ties to the Chi Running technique I’ve been working on.

1.  Quick foot and leg turnover.  (There’s that cadence again).

2.  Lean forward, not back. (Lean for speed, but apparently also to prevent stress on your legs and quads.)

3.   Look straight ahead – not down.  Keep your gaze about 5 – 7 feet ahead of your steps.  Trust that your brain will process the information and put your feet in the right places. (The concept of Y Chi – focusing on a distant point to channel your running in the direction you’re going.)

4.  Use the upper body for balance.  (Another Chi Running concept – amplified in trail running by allowing the upper body to float as needed to balance your footsteps.  Dancing with the mountain…)

5.  Descend with confidence.  (I think Doug was looking directly at me when he wrote this sentence.  I have all the confidence in the world going uphill; I need to reach out for that confidence on the downhills.)

You can read Doug’s full article at:  http://www.rockcreekrunner.com/2015/08/27/downhill-trail-running-technique/.

He closes the article by reminding his readers that they need to practice.  A lot.  And to dedicate time to strictly practice running downhill.  Queue the music - it’s time to start dancing with the mountain.

Patia's Race

Saturday, August 16, on a rare weekend away from camp, I participated in the Patia Lynn Christensen Memorial 5K and 10K Trail Run.  Patia passed away more than 5 years ago, at the age of 9, after a sudden accident.  Her mother, my Red Rock Relay teammate Dawn Christensen, organizes this race annually to honor her memory.  The proceeds from the run benefit The Compassionate Friends of Utah County (TCF). 

So once again I left my house at 5:15 AM to meet my Red Rock teammates Sue and Helen and make the trek to Eureka, Utah for a 7:00 AM start.  We barely made it – Sue and I were still attaching our timing chips to our shoes when the start was announced.  

We ran the 10K trail run – which turned out to be a very difficult run.  There were steep stretches – both uphill and downhill.  Being ever fearful of falling on my head, I slowed way down on the steep downhills.  I was feeling rather intimidated when so many other runners passed me, but once the worst was over I was able to pick up speed and make up time on the uphills.  When I crossed the finish line the clock read one hour, seven minutes and some change.  

No, I didn’t break any land speed records.  But I feel great about making this small contribution to such a worthy cause.  The mission of The Compassionate Friends is to assist families toward the positive resolution of grief following the death of a child of any age. The Compassionate Friends were there for Dawn and her family.  Now the Christensen family is actively involved in making sure other families are aware of this organization in case they ever face such tragedy.

I cannot imagine how horrible it would be to lose a child.  But Patia Lynn Christensen lives on.  She lives on through the organs her family saw fit to donate, saving the lives of other children.  She lives on through her memorial race and the funds it raises to help the Compassionate Friends.  And she lives on in the memories of those who knew and loved her.