Winter Training

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we rarely have a White Christmas, so it was with the delight of a child that I headed out Christmas morning for my run in the snow. I felt strong and happy as I sure-footedly made my way through the neighborhood, kicking up powdery snow as I went. Dressed in spirited attire (red and green polka-dot knee high socks with santa cuffs and a red shirt), I waved at the handful of cars passing by and said Merry Christmas to the lady out walking. These carefree 45 minutes came courtesy of some shoes I bought last year.

In December 2016, I was in an REI and found a pair of waterproof Merrell running shoes with studs and deep treads, Allout Terra Ice, on clearance. At the time, I thought I was probably being impractical buying something I would probably never use. It seemed especially silly since I was recovering from a torn plantar fascia at the time. I used them once last winter, walking my dog when we were in Winthrop for cross-country skiing. This Christmas was my first time trying them out running. I was so happy I bought them! My traction was great, whether I was running on untouched snow or compact snow on the road.

The Merrell Allterain Teraice is waterproof and has spikes embedded in deep cleats. The silver insert I made myself from Reflectix.

The day after Christmas, I ran in them again, this time encountering compact snow and ice. I was running on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, which is flat, and the shoes did well. I never felt myself slip even once.

The next day, I ran in my neighborhood, which has some hills and the road is dirt so it is crowned (higher in the middle, which means it is a little slanted on the sides where I run). The compact ice combined with hills and slants was a little more challenging. I felt myself slip slightly once, so I decided to stick to a half mile of trail, running up and down, up and down, to get six miles in. I found it to be a pretty good ankle workout since the many footprints had hardened overnight, a bonus for when I finally hit the trails again.

I did run into a little bit of a problem the first day running in them: snow got inside my shoe, so despite the fact that the shoes are waterproof, my heels got wet and then cold. The next day, I ran with my hiking gaiters, some shorties from OR (Oregon Research). That did the trick--my feet were dry and toasty. Today, I went without them since most of the snow was fairly trampled. Next time, I will try my Dirty Girl Gaiters and see if they work just as well.

I should also mention that I lined my shoes with Reflectix, a mylar and plastic bubble wrap insulation you can find at hardware stores. I used my orthotics to cut them to size and I put them in the bottom of the shoe with my orthotics on top. I always remove the insert the shoe comes with to make room for my orthotics. This adds an inexpensive layer of warmth on the colder days of winter.

Overall, I am happy with the shoes, and much prefer them to Yaktrax, which are heavier and kind of pull your toes up. Plus, they feel more stable when I run on bare pavement.

Fastpack Gear

One of the funnest parts about planning for the fastpack, besides the training, is figuring out what gear I am going to use. My goal is to have my pack be under seven pounds without water. I have to consider the following:

• Running pack/vest
• Food
• Water vs. water filter, hydration pack
• Clothes to sleep in
• Sleeping bag
• Tent or bivy
• Sleeping mat
• Headlamp
• Spot/emergency contact

For the pack, I was hoping to go with a women's specific running vest, but I wasn't sure if there would be enough room. I love my UltraVesta from Ultimate Direction, so I ordered the Aventure Vesta, also a women's specific running vest. It didn't look like it was going to have room for the gear, so I also ordered a 20L fastpack from Ultimate Direction, which was on clearance at the time for only $79.95. You can only get the 15 or 25L Fastpack now (https://ultimatedirection.com/fastpack-25/). I didn't get any perks for suggesting Ultimate Direction or any other brand I mention. I just like their running packs because they don't move at all, are well designed, and fit well.

The two packs arrived, but before I could decide which one I was going to keep, I had to order the rest of the things I was going to pack. I ordered three freeze dried meals, a collapsible water bottle with a built in filter, Ibex Woolies 3 pants and hoodie, two different options for a sleeping mat, and an ultra light sleeping bag. Once I had assembled all my gear, I tried out the two different packs; I sent the Aventure Vesta back. It turns out that, though light, most of my gear is really fluffy! The 20L Fastpack weighs in at 18 oz.

For the freeze dried food, I ordered three different vegan meals. Since I don't want to carry a stove or fuel, my plan is to hydrate the food with cold water. I think if I let it soak long enough, it will be edible. I don't care about having hot food. I plan to test out each of the three meals and see which one hydrates the best. I will probably pack two of them on the actual fastpack. Two food packages weigh 8 oz. total.

Normally, I use a lot of energy gels, but they are actually relatively heavy, so I am only planning to pack two caffeinated. My favorite is Accel Gel and Second Surge, both made by Pacific Health Labs, because they taste good and have protein, but since becoming a vegan, I have been trying out new ones. So far, I am happy with Clif gels, but they don't have protein. I have tried Luma, which basically tastes like jam. They are made from chia seeds. I get protein from them, but they seem to give me heartburn. I will probably resort to Hammer Perpetuem designed for all-day endurance as a liquid meal. Two gels weigh 2 5/8 oz, and six Perpetuem servings (one in a mixing bottle) weigh 4 5/8 oz. I'll also need five servings of Vega electrolytes, which are 1 oz. total.

I am going to need to refill my water bottle and bladder several times on the fastpack. I have a LifeStraw, but I couldn't figure out a way to use that with the bladder. Instead, I decided on Katadyn Be Free Water Filtration System, which I ordered from Amazon. I plan to fill it at a stream, and then squirt the contents into my bladder. The 50 liter bladder I'll use is also from Ultimate Direction. I've had a 70 liter one for years, and it has never leaked. I will only put 30 oz in the bladder to start. Water weight is just too heavy and I can always refill. Empty, the bottle and bladder weigh 4 oz.

Ibex Woolies 3 was my hands-down choice for night-time clothing. Sadly, Ibex just closed shop, so getting their clothes in the future will be next to impossible. Most of the gear is merino wool. but their Woolies 3 is a wool blend. I used it at Cascade Pass this fall, when I had run up, sweated my shirt wet, and then had lunch; resting combined with wind makes for a chilly recipe, but my Woolies 3 cut the wind beautifully. I got the pants (not running tights) and a hoodie. They weigh 18 oz. total.

I already had a Thermarest for backpacking, but it's just too heavy at 10.5 oz. I scoured other blogs and internet articles and settled on Gossamer Gear, a closed foam option. I still haven't decided on whether I'll take the mat or the sitting pad. The SitLight Camp Seat, weighing in at 2 3/8 oz, is a little bit short, and the Nighlight Sleeping Pad at 6 oz is too big for my pack even trifolded. I will probably have to use the sitting pad.

For the sleeping bag, I went with a ZPacks classic sleeping bag, rated for 35 degrees. They're not cheap, but they are warm, pack down small, and are incredibly light. They come with a waterproof stuff sack.The bag is 14.6 oz. I also decided to make a bivy/makeshift tent of my own from ZPacks material. I will follow up later with a detailed post when I actually make it.The weight should be 4 oz.

I'll also have to pack my headlamp (1 oz.) and I plan to buy a new Spot Satellite Messenger (4 oz. with lithium batteries). I think I am also bringing one titanium running pole at 4 7/8 oz.

The tiny Petzl E-lite has a whistle on the head strap and a carrying case. Ill leave the case behind.

Everything sounds really light, but it all adds up! Right now, I am under 5 pounds without the pole and without water.

Fastpacking Dreams

I am a self-proclaimed recovering trail runner.

I decided to start this blog as I prepare for a fastpacking goal I've set for August 2018. My hope is to help other runners like me, who maybe aren't up with the elite runners in any given race, but still have aspirations to improve, to challenge themselves, and to accomplish feats they never thought possible.

The road, or should I say trail, to this journey began ten years ago. I had started running again after taking a few years off, and to inspire me, my husband signed us and three friends up for the Mountains to Sound Relay. I was hooked from then on, carrot and stick--I loved having a goal to work toward. My 10K portion of the relay led to several 10K races, which eventually lead to a half marathon in Missoula, MT, which then led to several marathons. A hamstring injury and thwarted Boston attempt led to trail running and eight 50Ks. I was pleased with the level of athleticism I had achieved, but dialed back to find better balance in my life.

Training for 50Ks takes a lot of time, especially since most of it takes place on trails. My last season racing, which was September to December of 2015, I had built up the most endurance I'd ever had, training for The Oyster Dome Challenge. Only a 50K (which is the most I've ever done), it had 9,400 feet of elevation gain. It took me over eight hours, the longest time I've ever run, but by the end of the race, I felt like I could keep going. I've never felt that before at the end of an ultra marathon. I ran one more race in California in December, and then I reduced my long runs to 10-12 miles.

But there was one niggling ember waiting for me to breathe life into it. Before I started running half and full marathons, I ran 13 miles of the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) to meet some friends who were coming from a point farther south. Completely alone, I started off at 6:00 a.m. and ran my way to the the sunrise over the Cascades. When I reached a ridge top, I couldn't believe the breadth and solitude of the moment, and I have held the image in my mind as a reminder of strength, vitality and beauty. When I reached the meeting point, I rested in the sun, napped even, and waited for my friends. We hiked 13 miles back, and my friends were so proud of me. I was, too. I didn't know then that I had kindled a love of trail running and sparked a goal to be.

A few years later, my husband encouraged me to run up to The Catwalk from Snoqualmie Pass, also on the PCT. It was about six or seven miles up, at times challenging due to elevation or scree, but incredibly scenic. It rained lightly on me, but I didn't mind the briskness of the August day, and hoped to come back again. Soon after that, my husband and I discussed me running from Stevens Pass to Snoqualmie Pass on the PCT. In all, it's about 78 miles, depending on what source you consult. I decided that I would like to try fastpacking it--that is, running all day with a very light pack, camping out, and then running all the next day. But I hung up my trail shoes before I could even think about accomplishing this.

Since my last trail race in December 2015, I tore my plantar fascia and had surgery, and my beloved dog died, leaving my husband and me childless, so to speak. The 78-mile journey was an ever-distant goal. Besides the occasional trail run at Lake Tradition, I really hadn't been doing anything other than running on dirt roads in my neighborhood. Because our dog was my husband's hiking companion, and when I say companion, I mean hiking soulmate, we have been reluctant to hike this past summer and fall. We did finally make it out to Cascade Pass, with my husband hiking and me running. I ended up putting in a 20-mile day. I was sore and exhausted, but also elated.

I pause just before Cascade Pass to photograph the snow that turned the last part of my run into a hike.

That day, as we headed back down from the Sahalee Arm to Cascade Pass after having lunch, my husband pointed out the trail that leads to Stehekin. This led to a discussion of me running from the Cascade Pass Trailhead to Stehekin, where he would meet me with some friends who have a home--and a very nice boat--on Lake Chelan. I researched the distance and found it would be 34 miles. The PCT fastpack also came up, and with his encouragement, I have decided to go for both.

I have been gradually acquiring gear for the fastpack, and have planned out a training sequence, both for the Stehekin route as well as the PCT. I am now "training to train" as I like to call it.