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.

After a long hiatus, it’s often hard to know where to begin again. I thought about trying to do a recap of what’s been going on since my last post, in August 2011. However, I really haven’t posted much for over a year. Wow…what’s happened in the last year? Some top of mind thoughts that I’ll throw out there:

• Geoff Roes went from dominating every race he ran to a bit of a rough patch, but has recently rebounded and taken his running to new territory – check out his race report from the 350-mile Iditarod Trail Invitational. The picture of Geoff here will give you some indication of just how tough of a race it was (in case you needed an additional clue that an 8-day race across the Alaska Wilderness is as tough as it gets).
  

   

• Anton Krupicka is back to his usual tricks. Lots of time out on the trails/in the mountains…lots of great pictures from his adventures (his current one is in New Zealand)…and a fair amount of running. For those of you who have been under a rock, he’s been battling a shin problem for well over a year now. He’s definitely coming around, albeit much slower than he would like. Be patient Tony…be patient. We all want to see you on the start line of the Transvulcania Ultra Marathon in May. Both the men’s and the women’s field for this 83K mountain race is going to be loaded (check out the top participants here). Those fields are just plain sick…although I wish Krissy Moehl and Dave Mackey (2011 UROY) were in there.
  

   

• The prize money and the sponsorship in the sport continues to grow. While there is a fair amount of concern over this, I view it as great for the sport. I love how the team aspect of the sport is really starting to shape up, and how it is opening up more sponsorship opportunities for more runners. For example, look at the stacked lineup that Team Salomon has going for them right now – that lineup comprises some of the best men and women trail runners in the world. But, The North Face ultrarunning team isn’t too shabby either. Oh, yeah, and what about Team Montrail.
  

   

  I’d love to see a head-to-head team race between these two groups…especially in a coed race of about 50 miles. I really think that the sport will become much more of a team event in the near future. While I think ultrarunning will ALWAYS be an individual sport, I would not be surprised to see a team sport emerge around the 50K distance. Imagine Team Salomon facing off against Team North Face in a 50 miler (coed race, top 5 count in scoring…must have at least two females):
  

  • Team Salomon – Jornet, Heras, Sandes, Frost, Crosby
    
  • Team North Face – Wolfe, Wardian, Koerner, Semick, Hawker, Kimball
    
  • Team Montrail – Roes, Jones, King, Greenwood, Vaught
    

   

• The sport is just CRAZY fast anymore and so, so deep. When you see great, great runners like Roes and Moehl finishing in 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th and feeling good about it, you know it’s a crazy sick deep sport. There are more and more races – big races – yet there seems to be more and more depth. Remember when the only household names were Jurek & Trason? My how times have changed.
  

Simply capturing the thoughts above remind me how much I love this sport. I’m stoked to be running and writing once again. Look for more soon.

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?

It was good to run with folks again (did the 6-miler with some guy named Dominic, Phil K, and others).   That’s the first hill that I’ve run in over 2 months given my hamstring.   Coming up the steep part of Interlaken was very tough on my hamstring, and had to slow to a near walk.  But, it doesn’t feel too bad today, so we’ll see. 

But, the highlight was not necessarily the run.  Nor was it running the new 860 New Balance shoes that Brian Morrison sold me (very responsive…nice).   The highlight was just seeing the Seattle Running Club back up and kicking again.  They’ve gone through some leadership transition/growth, but are undoubtedly alive and going well.  

• If you want to learn more about what’s going on, I’d encourage you to check out their website here.    
• If you really want the inside scoop, then check out the minutes from their last board meeting which can be found on new SRC president Greg Crowther’s blog. 
• If you want to find a great SRC event to do soon, then you should participate in the Bridle Trails Winter Trail Running Festival.  Eric Bone, who manages the Northwest Trail Runs is  heading up this event…so, you can bet it will be well marked and well run.   If you’ve not run this race before, it is a great event because there is something for everybody.  There are  5.2, 10.4, and 50K options.  It’s on  trails, but they are not technical which makes it great for trail running newbies.  There’s enough mud and darkness (much of the the 50K runs through the dark) to challenge the advanced trail runner.     

Anyway, Seattle Running Club is a great, great gig…so, come check out Bridle Trails or meetup at the Fleet Feet running store at 6 PM for the Tuesday and Thursday runs.

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.

“He came in about an hour and a half after the winner. He was practically carrying his leg, it was so bloodied and bandaged.  I asked him, ‘Why did you keep going?’ He said, ‘You don’t understand. My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start a race, they sent me to finish it.’ That sent chills down my spine and I’ve always remembered it.”

We’ve all had tough races that we’ve struggled to finish.  I remember countless races (steeple races and 10K’s in college as well as some longer races in my post-collegiate days) that I struggled to finish.  But, one of my most memorable was one I didn’t finish…

I remember running the 25-mile race at the Groundhog Fall 50 miler when I was between my sophmore and junior year of college.    Local (Monroeville, PA) ultraunning guru Chris Gibson (who was still breaking 4 hours for 50K when he was 55 years old in 2008) was doing the 50-mile race, and I remember folks telling me to just run with Chris since I was doing the shorter race.    So, I did….but, I had no idea what I was doing.   For starters, I was the only runner sans flashilight…so, I had to run on the heels of others to see where I was going. 

Anyway, about a third of the way through the race, I remember talking

Me Running the Groundhog Fall 50K some 12+ years after the race I describe

with Chris and realizing that my 120 mile weeks were significantly more miles than he was putting in on a weekly basis.  So, I did what anybody in my situation would’ve done…I dropped the hammer with about 17 miles to go.   Like my failure to bring a flashilight, this was not a smart move.  However, this was not my dumbest moment of the day.  No, my dumbest moment centered on the fact that I refused to drink anything during my run, for fear that it would upset my stomach.  I’d never practiced taking fluids, so I didn’t want to start now. 

After getting through the last aid station (about 3 miles from the finish), I vaguely remember feeling really, really dizzy and off of my game.  Everything else is pretty much a blur, but I remember looking at my watch and running on and on and on thinking that I should’ve been done.  After about 50 minutes of running (I had been running 6:45 miles, so should’ve been done more than a half hour ago), I ended up back at that last aid station somehow.   To this day, i’ve no idea how I ended up back there. 

Dizzy and deflated, I dropped out.   I was still leading by a good bit, and likely could’ve still won.  But, I DNF’d.  In reading about Greenspan’s favorite Olympic moment, I can’t help but think that I wish I would’ve been more like the Tanzanian marathoner and stuck it out.   

You may wonder — why are you still thinnking about that one race some 15+ years after it happened?  Well…to this day, I’ve never won a road or trail race in my home town of Punxsutawney, PA.   I’ve come close many times (in fact, I once ran a 15:30 5K cross country race and still lost to one of my colleage teammates who showed up to run).   But, I’ve never won a race in my hometown.  It’s on my bucket list.

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.