Team Clif Bar athlete Geoff Roes has made a name for himself winning some of the nation’s biggest Ultra Marathons, including a record setting win at the 2010 Western States 100. Geoff is not simply a world –class endurance athlete driven to compete at the highest level but by the simplicity and beauty of running long distances in the mountains.

Since moving to Seattle over five years ago, I have struggled to understand why so many folks seem to head out to Cougar Mountain to run all of the time. As an example, the Seattle Running Club uses Cougar as their default venue for their Sunday AM long run. There is nothing inherently wrong with Cougar…in fact, it is a great place to run with lots of rolling hills, miles of singletrack, and even some nice waterfalls along the way (see picture of my dog Achilles checking out one of those water features). And, of course, Cougar Mountain is easy to get to, in close proximity to Seattle (just 15-20 minutes from downtown).

But, as the first (furthest west) of the Cascade foothills outside of Seattle, it lacks the major climbs of Squak and/or Tiger mountain, which are just a few more minutes up the road. And, with the exception of the West Tiger Mountain 3 trail (which often has so many people on it that it seems more like a rails to trails then a mountain trail), Cougar is the most regularly populated of the foothills known as the Issaquah Alps. So, with it being more populated and having much smaller hills, I’ve struggled to understand why so many runners (really good runners) go there to train.

Over the last few months, however, I’ve come to understand why…because it’s easy. No, not easy, in terms of flat and an easy run. Quite the opposite…every run at Cougar is deceptively tough. Before you know it, you’ve logged 2,000+ feet of elevation gain on an 8 or 10 mile run. I mean easy to get to…easily accessible on a weekend or a weekday. I mean easy to just head out and run…lots of different direction to go from either the Red Town Trailhead or the Sky Country Trailhead. I mean easy to go lose yourself for 10, 12, or 14 miles by yourself…without having to worry about being too far from people if you need help in the event that something would go wrong (I’ve broken my arm and busted open my head really badly on trail runs in the past, so I do consider this stuff).

Given how easy it is, I’ve found myself getting out there more frequently – at least once on the weekend and more recently at least once during the week as well. And, I can feel myself really getting fit from it. It’s tough running at Cougar…yet, it’s easy. And, that makes all difference.

Finally, my hamstring is healed.  I owe this largely to my wife, who really helped guide me through some physical therapy to get it healed and strong again.   I’m still cautious, but this morning, I ventured out to the Seattle Running Club sunday morning run at Cougar Mountain for the first time in years.  I had a blast.

It was a small group – just 6 of us today following White River yesterday.  The weather was rainy & foggy (great for running…crappy for every other summer activity).     We did the normal loop, only did it in reverse hitting De Leo’s wall near the beginning instead of the end. 

Still being cautious with my hamstring, I cut it short in an effort to keep my total time around 2 hours.   All said and done, I logged 12 miles in 2 hours with a total elevation gain of 2,151 feet.   One of the things I really appreciate about Cougar is that the elevation gain doesn’t come in one big climb, as it does at Squak or Tiger mountains.  Rather, Cougar is a bunch of ups and downs with nary a flat section of trail to be found:

It was great to get back out and run with a group of people…and great to go hit the trails at Cougar.   Looking forward to the August & September runs, when we often get up into the high country of the Cascades (e.g., Denny Lake, Kendall Katwalk, and the Enchantments).

This year, however, it might be pretty easy.  Eric Bone, director of NW Trail Runs, and James Varner, the mastermind behind the Rainshadow Running events, have made it quite easy.    Check out their respective lineup of races.

NW Trail Runs  — with Eric and the Meridian team taking over the Vasque Cougar Mountain & Bridle Trails races, this is undoubtedly the best lineup of short (less than ultra-distance) trail runs you can find in Western Washington.    The race at Lord Hill is destined to be an instant classic.   And, the prospect of a “Great Northwest 50K” certainly seem intriguing.   Below is a list of the current NW Trail Runs  (note: complete race info/details can be found here)

March 27 – Redmond Watershed Preserve Marathon, 5-mile, 10-mile
April 30 – Soaring Eagle Park 5-mile, 10-mile, Marathon, & 50k
May 14 – Vasque Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series 5-mile
May 22 – Lord Hill Park 10k and Half Marathon
June 11 – Vasque Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series 7.5-mile
July 9 – Vasque Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series 10-mile
July 16 – Redmond Watershed Preserve, Marathon, 5-mile, 10-mile
August 13 – Vasque Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series 13-mile
August 27 – Great Northwest 50k, venue TBA
September 18 – Soaring Eagle Park 5-mile, 10-mile, Marathon, & 50k
October 16 – Harvest Half Marathon and 10k, venue TBA
November 12 – Carkeek Park 5k and 10k

That’s a pretty great lineup of trail races…but, actually may pale in comparison to what James Varner over at Rainshadow Running has cooked up for this year (note: not all dates have been posted yet, but the list below are in order of what month they occur):

• Orcas Island 50k & 25k — February 5 (SOLD OUT!)
• Snow Fun 35m & 22m — February 26
• Gorge Waterfalls 50k — March 12
• Yakima Rim Skyline 50k & 25k — April 3
• Sun Mountain 50m/50k/25k/1k — May 22
• Beacon Rock 50k & 25k — ???
• Cle Elum Ridge 50k and 25k — June 25
• Angels Staircase 50m/50k/25k — ???
• North Cascades PCT 100k & 50k
• Winthrop Road Marathon — September 25
• Mt. Spokane 50k & 25k — ???
• Deception Pass 50k & 25k — ???
• Christmas at the End of the Road 5k and 1k — ???

It’s been a long, long time since I’ve raced a lot (like 15 years).  But, my goal for 2011 is to get & stay healthy and to participate in as many of these as I possible can.  I’m not going to worry about a peak race…or a PR…I”m going to try and run as many of these as hard as I can and see what happens. 

What are your 2011 race plans?  Will I see you at any of these races?

Scott is one of the best, if not the best, ultramarathoner ever.  He lived in Seattle for a good number of years, but now seems to be spending most of his time in Boulder, CO training with Tony Krupicka.  They’re doing some fab runs…check this one out for example.  It’s been great to see Scott get back into great form.  He had some rough years in there, but seems to be really grounded and training well again, which is awesome.  He’s a great runner…and a great ambassador of the sport.

I definitely enjoy running in the snow.  It always seems so quiet and peaceful…the only sounds  being your own breathing and the sound of the snow crunching under the weight of your footsteps.   When we lived in Pittsburgh, I used to love running through Frick Park in the snow. 

Winter in Frick Park - Pittsburgh, PA

There’s not much snow here in Seattle…ever.  At least not at sea level.  In case you haven’t heard, we just get cold rain in the winter.   Running in 38-degree rain isn’t peaceful like running in the snow.   On days like yesterday, when there are 20-25 mph winds, it not only isn’t peaceful…it’s down right miserable.    But, it looks like there is a chance that we could get some snow in the Cascade Foothills (Cougar, Squak, Tiger) in the middle of the week:

The snow level on Wednesday is supposed to be at 1,500 feet…so, that’s promising.   We’re getting feet of snow in the mountains (Cascades & Olympics) right now, so hopefully, by the time it turns sunny on Thursday, Cougar Mountain will look like the photo to the left.   While running in the snow may not be the best option for me at the moment, given my still sore hamstring…it sure would be tough to pass up a peaceful run through several inches of snow in the mountains.  I’ll get to try out my new microspikes (thanks Mom & Dad) for some extra traction.    As much as I would enjoy running in the snow, I’m confident Achilles would like it even more.  So, we’ll just have to see how things play out from a weather perspective.  Worst case, even if it doesn’t snow, a few sunny days of running  would be great…especially on days when I’m not working, so that I can head to the foothills for a run and several thousand feet of climbing. 

If all of this “talk” about running in the snow has gotten you in the mood to head out the door and put in some miles on the powder, you’ve got two options:

1.) Get on your gear and head out (if you’re on the East Coast…shouldn’t be a problem finding snow.  If you are in the Northwest, there is plenty of snow up at the passes ). 

2.) Check out this video of Anton Krupicka posted on Running Times called “The Runner in Winter.”    The video has some great, great footage of the front range just outside of Boulder, Colorado.    Here’s a sample image I took from the video:

If that video doesn’t make you want to get out in the snow and go for a run, then you’re pretty much a hopeless cause and should just pack your running shoes away until May. 

Happy trails…whether or not they are snow covered.

Anyway, I last posted about my fall racing schedule.  It turns out, I only ended up doing 3 races this fall due to a consistently sore left hamstring.  

In late August, I paced fellow IUP’er Adam Lint through the final 25 miles of the Cascade Crest 100.    It was a thoroughly enjoyable run for me, being able to climb almost 4,000 feet up through the cascades in the middle of the night. 

It was also fun because Adam is a tough son of a gun.  I was only running about 1/4 of what he was running…and I was jumping in at the end.  But, he hung VERY tough and just let me pull him along.   So, running 12 minute miles (our average pace) was thoroughly enjoyable for me (not sure it was the same for him ).  It was just hard enough and easy enough to be enjoyable.  There were times when we were hitting 16 min/miles on the steep uphills (and probably closer to 20 mins/mile going up Thorp Mtn.):

I have to confess…I didn’t even realize how beautiful this run was, until I saw Glenn Tachiyama’s pictures from it.   Because we were running the mountains at night, I could see nothing but fog and a few feet ahead of me.  There are parts of me that are thankful that I didn’t know I was running on trails such as this:

Incredibly beautiful..but, very exposed.  There were a few places I could tell there were big dropoffs…it was just fog and very, very cold wind.  I knew we were exposed, but kind of glad I couldn’t see it.  Althought that view above, is sweet (how about that photo of Glenn’s…that guy is the best). 

Anyway, my hamstring was pretty sore after that run.  A few weeks later, I tried to run the LD25K.  This race goes up over Squak Mountain and then climbs up over Cougar Mountain.  I crushed it up Squak, but tripped coming down the other side and tweaked my hammy.  I led the race for a good while, but eventually cut the course (thereby DNF’ing) about 2 miles short so I didn’t hvae to run up and down the last hill…my hamstring just couldn’t take it.  I’ve not yet won a race in the Northwest…and thought I had that one, but didn’t want to jeopardize  Bourbon Chase Relay by doing something stupid. 

In late October, I ran the Bourbon Chase Relay with the Stonemill Streaker gang.   We ran tough and finished 5th overall…a very solid performance.   My hamstring really bothered me by my last leg, and I felt like I was just dragging it along for the ride.  But, it was worth it…it was really pretty running through the horse fields of Kentucky:

I’ve been pretty hurt since the race — only running a total of about 7 times.   But, I was out in the mud & rain running at Bridle Trails this AM with Achilles, and my hamstring felt pretty good.  I can’t wait to start hitting the trails and getting my mileage back up.   Regardless, it’s good to be a runner again.

For whatever reason, I felt really good on the run. Maybe because the weather was cool. Maybe because it was just one of those runs. But, I ran strong the entire time and climbed particularly well. I swear there’s nothing more fun than feel good on a fairly long climb…one that keeps winding and winding…every turn, it just keeps going up.

Tiger Mountain is certainly not the largest mountain in the Northwest. But, it does provide some nice climbs that are incredibly accessible (in 20 minutes, I can be from my house in North Seattle at the High Point trailhead). The elevation change from the 8 mile loop I did on Wednesday was as follows:

My overall route was as follows:

I love running in Seattle….

The first of these is South Cle Elum Ridge, a 29 mile loop that makes up the majority of the Cle Elum 50K run. The description of this route on Trails.com is as follows:

“This is a challenging and beautiful course. It is all run on trail, and most of the climbing is in the first half. On the approach to Windy Pass, a panorama of the entire Cle Elum Valley and the Yakima River emerges. In the distance are the Cascade Mountains, particularly Mount Stuart, the largest non-volcanic mountain in the Washington Cascades. Heading east again, the crest of Mount Rainier appears above the closer peaks.”

As mentioned above, there is some pretty good climbing involved.

To the left is the elevation profile for this run. The total elevation gain for the run is 5,600 feet…so, it’s a good one. But, as you can see in the elevation profile, you get some nice little breaks along the climb.

The second run I really like to do is up along Kachess ridge near Thorp Mountain. This is a ten mile loop, but it’s very easy to add-on, as you can get onto the Cascade Crest 100 course just above Thorp Mountain. You can make this as long a run as you could reasonable want.

To get there, you get off of I-90 near Salmon Du Sac and make a left just north of Cle Elum lake. The trail head starts from forest road 4312. Note: Thorp lake is my favorite “close to Seattle” camping spot. Go check it out sometime. Very worthwhile. And, the trail getting there is short enough that you can hike a case of beer in if needed J

We’re renting a cabin on Lookout Mountain for a long weekend. The primary motivation for doing this is that our dog, Achilles, hates fireworks. But, like myself, he loves trail running. So, the fireworks are really just an excuse to get out of the city for the weekend.

If you’re going to be out near Cle Elum this weekend and want to connect for a run, drop a comment here and let me know how to get in touch with you.