Training Runs on the PCT

I want to spend as much time as possible practicing the terrain and elevation I'll be fastpacking. OK, as much as is reasonable, especially when many of these training runs on various sections of the PCT will require a shuttle.

Taking into account both distance and highest point of elevation, I tried to plan training runs on the PCT starting the last weekend of May. It's possible I will encounter snow for some of them. Five of the training runs will be overnighters. In the middle of all this is our 19th wedding anniversary, and I haven't planned that one yet. I am hoping we can go somewhere special to us (a good memory from hiking with our dogs maybe) and can camp out together.

So much will depend on how much snow we get this week. We've had a return of winter with lots of snow in the mountains. We may even get some snow in the lowlands. At any rate, it's been consistently cold enough to kill off the pests (mosquitos, mice, slugs).

I am only showing the late May through August portion of the training since I won't likely be able to get on the PCT until then due to snow.

***I removed my running schedule from the internet for safety reasons. If you'd like an idea of mileage, send me an email.***

It looks a little daunting to me right now, but hopefully by the time June rolls around, I'll be ready! In the meantime, I'll have to plan out campsites for each of the overnighters.

~LTR

Revised Fastpacking Training Schedule

As I've be running on the trails again and realizing how much I need to toughen up my ankles and quads, I've given some thought to following a 50-mile training plan instead of a 50K training plan. Since I will be running 50 miles the first day of my fastpack, and then 20 the second day, I think it's a good idea. The main difference is that instead of alternating an easy week with a hard week, I'll have two hard weeks in a row, followed by an easy week. This idea comes from the UltraLadies 50-mile Training Plan.

I am currently running on trails on Wednesday and Saturdays. I intend to run on trails on Sundays when I can, but by June, I want to be running trails consistently on Sundays, too. Also in June, I hope to start running parts of the PCT for my weekend runs, whether easy or hard. The more of the terrain and elevation I can get, the better. Of course, in June snow may be in issue in the higher elevations, but as soon as I can start training at 5,000 feet plus the better!

Here's the plan:

~LTR

Fastpack Training Schedule

I love having a goal to work toward; it gives me focus, purpose, and satisfaction. I always start with my goal date and distance, and then work backward. For years, I've relied on a training program from UltraLadies that works well for me. I used their plan to train for all of my 50Ks and plan to use an adaptation of the 50-mile plan for my 80 miler.

I have two training goals in mind. One is to be ready to run from the Cascade Pass Trailhead to Stehekin, which is 34 miles, the first week of August. The second goal, which is a more daunting 78 miles, is to run from Stevens Pass to Snoqualmie Pass on the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) in mid August.

My husband stands on the saddle at Cascade Pass. Stehekin is downhill to the left.

Before I can start the program, I have to build a solid base. Since I started from running one mile on an Alter-G treadmill last January (recovering from a plantar fascia tear and surgery), I have slowly been building. Over the fall, I finally reached 20 miles for my long run and then backed off. Since then, I have been alternating between a 16-mile run Saturday with 6-8 on Sunday, and a 12-mile run with 6-10 on Sunday. During the week, I ride my mountain bike up a steep route on Mondays, and then run 4 miles Tuesday, 6 miles Wednesday, and 4 miles Thursday. I also do a core workout on Mondays and Fridays. Friday, I don't usually do any running or biking.

I will persist with this schedule until the beginning of March, when I will actually start my training. I'll alternate easy weeks with hard weeks, and gradually lengthen my long runs on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Hard week:
Monday: core, mountain bike
Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday: 6 miles
Thursday: 4 miles
Friday: core, rest
Saturday: 18 miles
Sunday: 8 miles

Easy week:
Monday: core, mountain bike
Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday: 6 miles
Thursday: 4 miles
Friday: core, rest
Saturday: 10 miles
Sunday: 6 miles

I will repeat the 18-8 weekend and another easy week, and then increase.The next two hard Saturdays will be 20 miles each with Sundays being 8. Then 22-mile Saturdays and 10-mile Sundays, and so forth until I reach 26-mile Saturdays and 12-mile Sundays, after which time I've penciled in a couple of 50Ks.

When my Saturday run hits 22, I will increase the Wednesday long run to 8, then 10, and finally 12, stepping it up with the longer weekend runs. These will continue to alternate with the light week described above.  Alternating hard weeks with light weeks is going to be important for me to avoid injury.

One of the key components to this training plan is following a long run with another long run the next day, as well as having a longer run mid week. Since I will need to run at least 40 miles the first day of my fastpack, and then nearly another 40 the second day, I will need to be comfortable running when I am tired. Walk breaks, mental toughness, and proper fuel and hydration will be key.

As of last week, I am also running on trails once a week. I would prefer to run on trails every Saturday, but that may not always be possible because it takes longer, both to get to the trailhead and to run the distance. But I need to strengthen my ankles and get used to trails again. Running on a dirt road, which is what all my runs take place on right now, is just not the same. I have some pretty good hills but I need to eventually get to Grand Ridge where hills last for four miles without a flat spot to rest the legs. Come March, every Saturday and at least one run during the week need to be on trail.

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.