VHTRC Road Trip! Uwharrie Mountain Run, 2013

Blue Train at Uwharrie: Pam, Alan, Sophie, Keith, Tracy, Rob, Beth and Sean

 Some of my fondest ultra memories are road trips with the VHTRC Blue Train. Two that stand out are the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim crossing in 2005 (with Vicki Kendall, Barb Isom, Laura Dewald, Linda Wack, Anita and Jay Finkle) and the 2006 Western States 100 road trip with Gary Knipling, Keith Knipling, Quatro Hubbard, Tom Corris, Scott Crabb, Bryon Powell, Prasad Gerard, and Bunny Runyon.

The Grand Canyon R2R2R fell into my lap; Linda Wack emailed a group of friends a year ahead of our trip date of October 1 and basically told us she had made all the reservations and logistical plans, and that all we had to do was show up! And what an amazing trip that was. This photo was taken the night before our run, looking southwest from the North Rim Lodge balcony at sunset:

 I took this photo as the gang ran down the South Kaibab Trail in the afternoon; we had successfully crossed to the South Rim via the Bright Angel Trail earlier in the day, eaten a hearty lunch at the Bright Angel Lodge, and were now on our way back to the North Rim via South Kaibab. I love this photo as it shows the immense scale of the Grand Canyon in a way that is hard to show with most photos. Needless to say, this was a trip of a lifetime, and I am so glad I accepted Linda's offer. Every ultrarunner should have a R2R2R crossing on their bucket list!

The following summer, a large Blue Train group was fortunate to get into the Western States 100 via the lottery. Nowadays it is virtually impossible to get into WS solo, forget about a group! 2006 was called the "hot year" which means it was 75 at the start at Squaw Valley, 110 degrees in the canyons halfway through the race, and 95 degrees at sunrise in Auburn on the second day. Despite these conditions, the VHTRC gang had a very high finishing rate (all but one of us made the cut-offs), Keith and Bryon won their age groups, and we had a total blast representing the East Coast on that sweet (some would even say, "candy ass") trail. WS remains as one of my favorite races, despite the heat, the blisters (oh, the blisters!!!), and the distance! Another bucket list item, for sure. Here are some fun pics:

This photo sits on my desk at home, and is a constant reminder of why I love our sport: the friendships made through shared adventure, and the amazing beauty of the trails we explore. This photo shows Quatro, Gary, me, Scott Mills, Keith, and Scott Crabb on the Escarpment with Lake Tahoe in the background. We had hiked up the Thursday before the race to observe the WS tradition of the flag raising ceremony, and couldn't resist a group photo. I love how we are all wearing some sort of VHTRC Blue, totally unplanned :-)

This photo makes me smile--it is so dated (love the throwback baggy shorts, hip belt, and handhelds)! I remember this moment exactly---I was coming into Michigan Bluff (mile 50) at 7:00pm, well behind my projected splits because of the heat. Yet, I was feeling good and really looking forward to seeing my crew--and to the sun going down. Rusty was crewing me along with Gretchen Garnett and he told me it was 100 degrees at 7:00 pm, really bad for crews as there was no shade to be found.

I was sad that we had to cross the American River in boats that year. I would have given ANYTHING to have dunked myself in that cool water, but the snowmelt in the Sierras that year yielded high water downstream, so we had to cross by rowboat. It only took about thirty seconds, but it was tough to get in and out of the boat without cramping big time. Rusty really wants me to go back to WS, since he had a blast crewing and biking the Tahoe Rim Trail...but I think my next WS trip will be as a pacer, and I am crossing my fingers for my pals who plan to enter the WS lottery (again and again!).

Sadly, the family schedule in the summer months has not been conducive to any more summer Blue Train road trips for the past few years, and I really miss them. So this fall I decided to gather a group for a trek down to the Uwharrie Mountain Run 40. We had previously made the trip in 2005, and I had raced in 2007 and 2008 as well, and was eager to get back with a VHTRC team. Uwharrie is "MMT Lite"--technical, rocky trail with lots of ridge running until you run down to an AS, and then back up to the ridge-- so it is a tough challenge for a winter ultra. Since my racing schedule focuses on November-March, I knew I would be in good shape, but I also knew I would be cutting it close in terms of recovery from Hellgate.

I rode down with Rob Colenso and we met up with Keith Knipling, Tracy Dahl Knipling, Alan and Pam Gowen, Sean Andrish, and Beth Weisenborn at the pre-race dinner. The RDs, a young couple who own Bull City Running Company, did a great job and even made sure that our table got three grab bag prizes--two beer glasses and a free pair of trail shoes!

Keith, Sean, Rob, Tracy, Alan and I were running the 40, while Pam and Beth ran the 20. In the team competition, the top-5 places across all three races count, so we knew we would have our work cut out for us given the fact that many other teams had more runners in all three races. But it was a blast cheering for each other on the out and back sections of the 40, and many runners commented later how much they admire our club spirit and the races we put on. Hail!

It was a great day out on the Uwharrie Trail, and we got some hardware to prove it! Sean finished as 2nd male after taking some time off from racing--it was great to see him running so well. Keith looked solid as usual and he finished 4th. I was hoping to once again make it into the "Brain Dead Club" for women who finished in under 8:00--my previous bests were 7:47 in 2005 and 7:53 in 2007--but I had an energy lull mid-race that set me back a bit. I finished in 8:07, good enough for second female. Tracy finished her first 40 miler looking awesome in 9:36, and Rob PR'd by 15 minutes in 9:02. Alan, Pam and Beth all finished strong and we were able to take third in the team results, despite having the most runners scoring in the 40 miler. Woop!

After hanging around the fire ring at the finish eating and drinking soup and other frosty beverages, we gathered at the local BBQ joint for some real Carolina BBQ and sweet tea (no beer at this place...dry county?) It was a great way to celebrate another Blue Train adventure. Next year, we hope more friends will join us at Uwharrie--the entry process is still a work in progress, but hopefully the kinks will be worked out for 2013. Until then...Happy Trails!

Rob, Sophie, Keith, Tracy and Sean at the Uwharrie finish line

Uwharrie results.

Looking back at 2012...while new adventures await!

The end of 2012 marks the sixth year of Shining's Ultra Blog.

 I am grateful to all the loyal readers and followers, and very much appreciate your comments and interest in what I have to say about life as an ultrarunner. As I look back on all the photos and posts between 2007 and now, a few themes have emerged: I love to run in the mountains with my friends, spend time outside with my family, and face new challenges (but not necessarily in that order!). This blog has evolved from a monthly log of training runs and race reports to a personal photo album and journal of moments that define who I am today as a runner, mom, wife, counselor, coach, and friend. I am so glad that I took the time to write as much as I did about my races, training, and various adventures over the years, as these posts continue to provide helpful reminders of what went well and what didn't, and help keep perspective on what I truly value. I very much enjoy sharing my ultrarunning journey with you, and look ahead to a 2013 that I anticipate will bring many new adventures and thrills :-). But first, a few highlights from 2012!

New Years Day 2012 Resolution Rendezvous with the Harrisonburg Rocktown Ridge Runners

The Catawba Run Around with good friends and gorgeous views

A third place podium finish at Terrapin Mountain 50K!

Hiking with my family in the SNP and then hanging out at Blue Mountain Brewery

Sweeping the Promise Land 50K course with Jenny Nichols--and getting caught in the apocalyptic storm on the mountain

Introducing the Priest and Three Ridges to Winslow, Beth, Rick, Tracy and Jack

Winning the Montalto Challenge---and the Polka Dot Jersey!

One of many Runs up Jarmans Gap in the SNP with the CATs

Pacing Jenny Nichols to her Grindstone 100 win with the help of fellow pacer and crew Rob Colenso

Rusty crewing me at Hellgate and then riding me in the last 6 miles---crucial to my race! With his help, I ran a PR of 14:33 and finished third overall female. A HUGE thrill, and so much fun to be able to share the trail with him at my favorite race!

Celebrating my 50th birthday at the Hellgate finish line with Horton, Clark, Nancy Horton, Rusty, Jenny, Keith, and all my VHTRC and IMTR friends---a really special moment.

A few words about Hellgate...the 2012 race truly delivered. It was my toughest Hellgate because of the warm temps (45 at the start, sunny and high 60s at noon the next day)-- I wore short sleeves and a skirt all night and day, and had to stay on top of my hydration and fuel all the time. The women's race for the top 5 spots (and Patagucci Nano Puff zip-tops) was tight. I was bouncing between second and and third place most of the race  and, remembering 2011 when Alyssa Godesky breezed by me in the last 4 miles for third, I worked very hard to hold off 100-miler specialist Kathleen Cusick for the final podium spot. Rusty was there starting at mile 40 crewing and pacing on his mountain bike, and it was so much fun grinding up to Blackhorse Gap (mile 63) with him scoping out the field behind me--this was the first time he had ever been in the race with me as a pacer. I had left the last aid station at Day Creek with Kathleen only 2 minutes back, and busted my ass to make more time at the top. Rusty rode by me as I crested the mountain and told me she was now 5 minutes back--enough of a cushion but never a guarantee. He said, "you are going to have to work really hard these last three miles---do you want me to stay with you?" and I said (nicely), "Thanks honey, but you can meet me at the finish!" as I was really suffering and not up to having an audience. Geez...it never fails that at Hellgate, I am either chasing the clock or being chased at this exact same spot year after year!

Keith Knipling giving me an incredibly thoughtful and fantastic 50th birthday photo :-)

Celebrating my 50th birthday at my favorite race with my husband and close friends was amazing...one of life's very special moments. To have PR on top of that was icing on the (yummy mocha) cake!

As I planned my 2013 race season, I once again stuck to what has worked really well for the past few years---the model of racing ultras between November and March, shorter stuff in late April and May, and easy fun training runs throughout the summer, with mini "off-seasons" at Christmas and  early April. This schedule works well given my family and work demands and I find myself fresh and ready to take on my "A" races (typically Masochist and Hellgate). For 2013, I added the Uwharrie 40, which I last ran in 2008, and the Odyssey 40, which I ran in 2007. I am pacing Jenny at Old Dominion 100, and crewing a few friends at a run that I am obsessed with but don't have the guts to enter.  Not to mention that I am in a new age group on the roads (50-54) and in ultras (Grandmaster, 50+). Woop!

The first day of 2013 was celebrated with an SNP mountain run with friends from Charlottesville and Harrisonburg---a perfect way to start the year. Here's to good friends, good health, and good fun in the year ahead! Happy New Year, everyone!

Jones Falls in Shenandoah National Park---a New Year's Day tradition

Hellgate!

As I have written here before, there is nothing like the Hellgate 100K to cap off the year, and this year's race will be extra special as Hellgate 2012 will mark the final ultra of my 40's! The past ten years of ultrarunning have introduced me to the most amazing, talented, and generous people, and the video below is a tribute to my favorite race and the friends who, over the years, have made the event so special. I filmed it in 2008 at the pr-race dinner, asking friends to respond to the simple question, "What one word describes Hellgate?" I also filmed the sunrise and full moon over Headforemost Mountain (mile 26), a section of the Devil Trail (mile 36), the final climb from the last aid station (mile 60), and the aftermath at the lodge. There are also photos of runners whom you might recognize--runners from far and near who made the trek to learn about what makes the event so epic, some of whom we miss very much, as they have moved away or who are no longer running trails. Enjoy...hopefully you will get a sense of what all the fuss is about, and perhaps make a promise to join us in 2013!

Race Season Is Here!

Last Saturday, after seven months of recovery, short races, and a three month build-up, the Mountain Masochist 50 (aka MMTR or, if you are really Old School, "Masochists") was finally here! This was the 30th anniversary of the race, my sixth start, and the first with a new start location. I drove down Friday afternoon with VHTRC bud Rob Colenso and fellow CAT Mark Hampton. Both were running MMTR for the first time, and it was going to be Mark's first 50. We checked in, listened to Horton describe "4-8 inches of snow in the Loop," re-connected with old friends, and sat about tweeting about the course conditions and posting photos on Facebook to alleviate the nerves.

hanging with Meredith Terranova at the pre-race dinner

I was so happy to be able to catch up with longtime pal Meredith Terranova, who was running her fourth MMTR. Meredith and I met out on the course in 2007 and have been FB and blogging friends ever since. She came to MMTR this year to celebrate her 38th birthday and take in the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a far cry from the desert trails near her home in Austin Texas. I admire Meredith so much---she is an amazing person, wife and support crew/pacer to hubby Paul, talented runner, and awesome swimmer--she swam something like a million miles in Austin's Town Lake this summer to raise money for charity, and she is also a very well-respected sports nutritionist in her free time. I loved that were both eyeing the award for the top-10 men and women (a sweet Patagonia Down Sweater) and appreciated that she is just as competitive as I am!

After dinner it was time to go to the hotel and get ready with bunkmates Prissy Nguyen and Martha Wright. The three of us were quite a sight---drops bags, gels, Bag Balm, Vaseline, Perpetuem, Clif Bloks were scattered about the hotel room as we chatted about race goals and got ready for the early wake up call. I didn't realize how much I missed racing until it was time to get organized!

Race morning came quickly and before we knew it we were at the start at Wildwood Campground under clear skies and 30 degree temps. Wildwood is a MUCH better start for MMTR---a lovely jaunt around the lake with 300+ headlamps bobbing was a cool sight to behold, and we were able to spread out nicely on about one mile of pavement before ducking into the woods for good. Mark, Rob, and I started together and made an easy jaunt of the first 5 miles of singletrack and fire roads. We saw a gorgeous sunrise along the ridgeline, something we never saw in the previous years, and chatted and laughed the early miles away. I was enjoying our easy pace and slowly we started to pass the middle of the pack, little by little.

Around mile 16 Mark and I parted ways and I saw two women ahead of me on the long downhill towards the Lynchburg Reservoir. David Horton drove by and reported that I was 13th woman. Hmmm...all I needed to do was pass the two in front of me and then I would be 11th and knocking on the top-10 door. Sweet! A few miles later I passed Bethany Patterson and was suddenly number 10, so I switched into race mode as we made the long climb up to Long Mountain Wayside, where I would see crew Harry Landers and Bob Clouston. But first I ran by Bill Gentry and his son Ben who were walking towards me on the road---how awesome it was to see them and feel Gentry's classic positive vibe! Thanks dude!

refueling at mile 26, Long Mountain Wayside

Harry and Bob got me in and out of the aid station lickety-split and soon I was hauling up Buck Mountain, feeling pretty good and running a lot of the uphills. I came upon Meredith at almost exactly the same place I had seen her in the last two MMTR's, and we had a good laugh about the fact that we were now number 9 and 10 female. She was moving really well so I just hung back and let her take me along. It was awesome to work together with such synergy and I loved focusing on the simple things of pace, fuel, breathing, and staying in the moment. Climbing Buck Mountain at MMTR brings back many mixed feelings so it was good to be able to just run mindlessly for once!

approaching Wiggins Spring AS, mile 32 with Meredith

When Meredith and I started the climb towards the Loop (and the snow), I gave her a fist bump and said, "let's get it." The climb on dry fire road came and went quickly and soon we were running in packed snow with drifts of 5-10 inches on either side in the Loop. At first it was easy and fun. The sun was shining, we were talking about all sorts of random things, and the trail was a net downhill. Meredith was running really well, considering it was her second race ever in the snow, but soon it started to get tedious and slippery and became work. The new section of the Loop to the Mt. Pleasant overlook was really tough. The frontrunners were flying down towards us looking stressed and I learned why: the snow was easily 6-12 inches in places if you didn't land right, and it was sucking valuable energy. I started to think about the folks who would be running close to the cut-offs on a "normal" race day, and hoped that Clark had extended the absolute cut-off given the conditions (he did, by 30 minutes).

At the top of Mt. Pleasant we had a glorious, 360-degree view of the The Priest and Three Ridges to the north and Apple Orchard Mountain to the south. But we couldn't stay long because women # 11, 12, 13, and 14 arrived in succession within minutes. The race was on! Meredith and I plugged into our iPods and started HAMMERING the downhills. The snow certainly helped and made it fun, but it was also stressful and hard work. Soon there was a train of women in 8th-14th place within yards of one another, and it was clear that someone was going to put hammer down as soon as we left the Loop and the snow.

And that's exactly happened. Lee Conner dropped into 8th and I followed with Beth Minnick right behind me.We hauled down the road sections and climbed hard up the long roads. It was a beautiful day, bright blue sky, cold, and a bit nippy, and I was really enjoying the racing vibe. Lee started to pull away and Beth came upon me as we entered Forest Valley, which had equally deep snow and more brutal climbs. I put my head down and stayed focused on my pace, which seemed to work as I made some distance from Beth and closed the gap on Lee. The snow was a blast in the final downhill section--no roots or rocks to worry about, just puffy snow to bomb through. WOOP!

Finished at last!

Approaching Montebello, I glimpsed Lee crossing the finish line about 45 seconds ahead of me, and was so happy to come in ninth female in such a strong women's field. I had told my hubby before the race that on paper there was no way I could finish in the top-10, but in those snow conditions in a 50 mile race, anything can happen, and it did. As soon as I was finished, my ultra idol Krissy Moehl  approached and congratulated me---wow! Krissy is a humble but fiercely competitive and talented ultrarunner, and she herself had a close race to the MMTR finish line. Her race report included a few thoughts about the art and science of racing and competing. I love and admire her spirit and attitude!

with Krissy at the finish, star struck.

The MMTR finish line was a blur of cheers, hugs, photo shoots, more cheers. Patagonia sponsored a post-run tent with soup and quesadillas, and the Montebello store had their yummy chili. As always, it was fun to watch the day's stories unfold on the road to Montebello. Here are more pics from the finish...

with hubby Rusty...

with MMTR founder and friend David Horton...

with Meredith after her 11th place finish...so close...but she is all smiles as always...

and with Mark after his awesome 10:28 finish, and super crew Harry Landers.

30 years of Masochism! The iconic race that David Horton created is alive and well, and doing better than ever with the new changes to the course. It is always a wonderful reunion of friends, a worthy challenge, and a great way to kick off my race season. Next up: Hellgate 100K, my absolute favorite race. But first, a little rest and recovery.

Happy Trails!

MMTR results are here.