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.
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| 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.
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