Girls Gone Wildwood

our amazing race photo I was on a flight back from Hawaii when I got a text from my Bellingham running buddy, Laura. She was thinking about signing up for the Sun Mountain 50K . It was a week out. My first thought was basically, why not, what could possibly go wrong? So that was that. For the record, here's my full training plan. Day 1: get the text on a plane, say yes before I can think it through. Days 2 through 6: nothing. No extra miles, no tapering (hard to taper off nothing) Then race week showed up, and I was in the van, headed to Winthrop the long way, since Highway 20 still wasn't open. campsite view from the van A lot of the racers camped right at the start/finish line, and I was one of them. It's always a good scene the night before a race. This time, that meant catching up with my coach Alicia and a folks from the Bellingham Trail Running Club (BTRC) before we'd even started running. Laura and all the flowers Laura and I never actually talked about whethe...

Welcome back to our blog and our only race review of 2023! This time, we're sharing our experience at the Deception Pass 25k – a true PNW trail runner's dream in the heart of Deception Pass State Park.  A Weather Miracle! We feel incredibly fortunate about the weather during the race. Having known the 50k runners battled through some pretty tough conditions the day before, we geared up for the worst. But, as luck would have it, we were greeted with near-perfect weather on race day. Clear skies, gentle breezes, and just the right amount of sunshine made our run more enjoyable than we could have hoped for. Lollipop Loops: A Sweet Surprise One of the most exciting aspects of the Deception Pass 25k is its infamous 'lollipop loops'. These trails, winding and unpredictable, add an element of surprise and fun that you don't often find in other races. Every twist and turn brought a new landscape into view; we ran through rocky trails, dense forest and a seaweed laden beach...

Gorgeous views from the top of Mt Constitution, the highest point in the San Juan Islands "Let's sign up for Orcas," she said. "It'll be fun," she said. No matter that's not at all what Ann said when she ran it six years ago. Part of being a runner-- and I'd say most especially an ultrarunner-- is foolish optimism. As soon as it's over, sometimes even while it's happening, you're dreaming about your next adventure and the pain is forgotten.

Sheer cliffs and gorge views to the east headed up Hamilton It's mostly runnable, said James Varner, the race director of the Beacon rock 50k. Those words would ring in my ears as I did two loops of the figure 8 course up two mountains (twice each), innumerable switchbacks, and 7500 feet of elevation gain. Our friends Sara and Anna picked Beacon Rock as their first big trail race. After they mentioned it on our Facebook running group, Ann signed up for the 50k. I was a bit skeptical when I heard that it was two loops, but since Ann was already registered, I did too (yes, this is a theme here on our blog). Grins at the start Since it was after Miwok, our big race for the year, we didn't think about Beacon Rock or read anything about it til two days beforehand, when Varner sent a massive email with the details. The course sounded complicated, with just one aid station, visited 4 times, and the midway point being the start/finish line-- an incredibly efficient even...

Susan and I love Rainshadow Running  races, so of course when we heard about the inaugural Oregon Coast 50k , we knew we had to run it. When I saw that the race was taking place in October on the Oregon Coast, I was a little skeptical, since that time of year the coast is notorious for bad weather (well really all Fall and Winter). But we had ran in plenty of races with bad weather, so what is a little rain on the coast?  Our pre-race selfie with Kat                          Showing off our kokopellis The race took place on Saturday, October 18th. My sister came to Yachats with me and the house we rented was only a few miles from the start. The race didn't start until 9 am, which seemed so late and leisurely compared to most ultra-marathons. We did have to be at Adobe Resort in Yachats by 8:30 to check-in and take the bus to the start. After I checked in I heard my name, but it wasn't Susa...

Me coming up Mt. Constitution  I signed up for the Orcas Island 50k as a solo run months ago when it looked like Susan wasn't going to be able to come to New Zealand to run the  Tarawera 60k  with me. I felt that mentally I needed to run a 50k by myself, so I wouldn't be as anxious about running Tarawera solo. The timing of the Orcas Island 50k was perfect, just a little over a month before Tarawera, plus it was being put on by  Rainshadow Running . James and his team from Rainshadow Running put on some of the best trail races in the Pacfic Northwest.  Oh me of little faith, Susan as able to get work, a family vacation and New Zealand all to line up and work out. But by this time that Orcas Island 50k was sold out, so she couldn't join me, and we had also changed from the Tarawera 60k to the 85k, I knew the 8400 feet of elevation gain on the Orcas Island 50k was going to be good training for Tarawera, but it still didn't make it any easier mentally kno...