Gorging myself on whitewater in the Alberton Gorge

Work took me to a library conference in Missoula, MT in early August and part of the conference included a whitewater raft trip on the Clark Fork River with some co-workers and my son, Brian, and his girlfriend, Amy.

As our group approached the final rapid, Tumbleweed, our guide reminded us to keep paddling at all times. We enter Tumbleweed, poised and ready to do battle. Brian and I are in the front of the raft and excited. A wave hits him hard and knocks him a little off balance. We quickly begin rocking and rolling and I am trying to stay in the boat. The people on the left side of the raft start falling into the middle of the raft and then, wham, I get hit with a wave of water and it's all over -- I fell out.

Falling into the water was a rush and I loved it! Fortunately, I was still next to the raft and could reach out and grab a rope that was attached to it. I knew I should go feet first through the remaining part of the rapid but instead I let the raft pull me through a little backwards. While riding along next to the raft, I managed to whack my butt against a submerged rock which left a heckuva bruise.

All-in-all it was an exciting adventure and I'm just glad I didn't suffer a worse injury. About a week later a kayaker died going through that same rapid area. He capsized his boat but grabbed onto another passing craft. As he was being towed along, his hand slipped off and he fell face-first into the water. The authorities said he aspirated some water and that was all it took. He had on both a helmet and a life preserver. How awful. There but for the Grace of God go I.

Back to running.

I missed most of my favorite running events this spring and summer but did do the Bloomsday 12k in Spokane and the Women's Run 5 mile. Those 12.46 miles were the only miles I ran the entire month of May which is not a good training program. Of course, I suffered a setback but I expected that. Just hated to miss those two events.

So after a lengthy rehab period I am back to running. My long run is currently at 3 miles and my pace is slower but at least I am running. This morning, it occured to me that it used to take me 3 miles just to feel warmed up and now that's my long run. Oh well, with time and good health comes more mileage. On today's run, I also realized that for the first time in a long time I barely thought about how my injured leg felt. Previously, I was constantly monitoring how the injured muscle was feeling. It's sure nice to be able to let all that go and just run.

I've had to give up my plans of doing a Sept or Oct half marathon. It just didn't seem wise to try to build mileage that fast at the risk of re-injury. Instead, we are planning to bike the 109 mile Mickelson Trail in South Dakota with some friends. More on that later....

Denial

Finally had to stop denying the obvious: It's time to take a small break from running and let my right adductor magnus muscle heal. Yesterday, I had an ultrasound & electrical stim treatment done on it and will have 2 more treatments next week. I rode my bike today instead of running with our group and carried some of their water. At least I didn't have to sit home and wait for them to return.

The morning was spectacular - definitely one of the finest we've had! Everyone stayed for breakfast afterwards so it was a fun morning.

Hoping I'll be back in action soon.

Shamrock 8k Race - Virginia Beach

I had originally planned to run the half marathon in Virginia Beach for the 3rd time but didn't get signed up before the race closed. So I ran the 8k instead since I was already planning to be in the area for work.

The race started and ended right at the Hilton which was where I was staying. It sure doesn't get any better than that! The morning was cool and sunny with a nice breeze blowing in off the ocean. Many people were pretty bundled up but this was perfect running temps for me.

The course is pancake flat and the elevation profile tickles me:




I was slower than I'd hoped but until I can shed some unwanted pounds, that's the way it is going to be. My finish time was 47:01 or a 9:27 per mile pace. The post-race party was fun. This event is the only time I ever drink beer and eat Irish Stew at 9 in the morning. Wish I had more photos but here's the website if you are interested: http://www.shamrockmarathon.com/

Frame of Mind

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I can sure dig myself into a pit of misery during a run. President’s Day was a day off work for me so I went to Riverfront Park for a run. Initially, I felt excited to be outside on a nice morning but as the run began to unfold the mental storm clouds rolled into my mind like it was twister season in Kansas. I began to perseverate over every little physical discomfort; this negative internal monologue was making the run feel more difficult than necessary.

So I slogged through the first 3 miles not feeling very good mentally or physically and I wondered if I was being self-abusing or building character. I really wanted to cut the run short and call it a day. But then I came across some red silk rose petals sprinkled along the gravel trail. I suspected they were remnants from someone’s Valentine's Day surprise. The pretty red petals were a nice contrast against the blah winter colors of Riverfront and I was intrigued. There were several petals in one area and they spread over the trail as if to lead the intended person towards something delightful. I willingly abandoned the negative thoughts that had been circling relentlessly in my mind as I pondered the story of the petals. A couple of times I thought I had lost the trail and then I'd see another one or two petals a little further ahead.

They eventually disappeared and I never did figure out their purpose. However, I was captivated by thoughts of the petals and grateful for the distraction from my negative thoughts. Who left the trail of petals and what kind of Valentine surprise lay in store for the person following the trail? Perhaps a blanket in the trees with an array of wine, cheese and other delights.

Whatever the intended purpose, the mystery of the petals was a welcome distraction from my negative thoughts and helped make my remaining couple of miles more enjoyable.

Yellowstone Park XC ski trip

Yellowstone Park XC Ski Trip
Feb 7 & 8, 2009

My running club sponsors a xc ski trip to Yellowstone National Park every year. We stay in Gardiner, MT which is the north entrance of YNP. Saturday morning we drove the 5 miles to Mammoth Hot Springs and caught the 8:30 a.m. snow coach. There were 9 of us on this shuttle – 1 man and 8 women. Normally, we fill the early shuttle with 15 but some people cancelled this year. The plan was to ski the lower part of the Bunsen Peak trail and connect with the Sheepeater trail. We’d have lunch at the warming hut and then ski some more on the trails around there.

Unfortunately, the driver misunderstood our instructions and he drove right past our Bunsen Peak drop off point. We pounded on the glass when we realized his mistake but he was totally oblivious to the screaming women in the back. He opened the hatch expecting to see a bunch of excited skiers but instead found a bunch of sad faces. He felt really bad. The snow coach ride is my least favorite part of the trip. It has a cab with seating for 5 and pulls another unit behind which probably holds 10, which was where we were. The windows fog and frost terribly so you can barely see the scenery and there is no communication with the driver. The ride is very bumpy with everyone bouncing around inside. You can also smell the exhaust. I feel sorry for anyone with motion sickness or claustrophobia because you can’t even crack a window to get fresh air. You just have to laugh and make the best of it and get cozy with your neighbor as you bounce around. We lost about 45 minutes or so of time due to the miscommunication. When we arrived at the proper drop off point, we decided to mess with the driver a little. He opened the hatch and saw our sad faces so figured he once again took us to the wrong spot. We let him suffer a minute and then burst out laughing. He was so relieved.


The weather was superb and sunny with the morning temp a calm 20 degrees; the snow was perfect. Last year we had horizontally blowing snow and that can make navigation difficult. I get lost in a hotel so I would never ski this route unless I was with people who had done it many times before. The trail is marked with little orange markers in the trees but they can be very difficult to see especially if it is snowing. And there never seems to be enough of markers either. Since we were on the earliest shuttle, we might not have the advantage of having any tracks to follow. I would be skiing with 6 other women and they were all experienced xc skiers. They knew the route so I was not concerned.


The trail itself is basically flat and mostly easy skiing but I could tell my breathing felt labored with the over 7,000 foot elevation. There are few places where you have to side step or herringbone up hills and there are some interesting obstacles along the way like fallen trees, rocks, and stumps. The bison stayed out of the way so that was good. If they decide to stand in your path there’s not a darn thing you can do about it except make a very wide circle around them. One year, one of our club members was chased by a bison and that’s not a good position to be in.

This photo was taken right after we were dropped off by the coach and looking towards the direction we would be skiing.


This is the elevation profile from the trail head and includes the 2 mile loop we did around the warming hut. Don't let the graph fool you it is mostly flat:

Everyone started out overdressed and by one mile we started stripping. It’s hard to judge what to wear because the weather can be so different at the drop off point than it is at the Mammoth hotel where we catch the snow coach. No one had any major problems on the trail other than a few falls here and there. This year it was much easier to get up after falling because there wasn’t nearly the amount of powder as last year. I still feel a tad tentative on the skis after being injured last summer but survived a couple of minor falls just fine. After lunch we did a loop around the warming hut trails before heading back on the snow coach to soak in the Boiling River. We ended up with about 7 to 7.5 miles for the day which was a little short of our goal of 10 miles. Both of my Garmin charts are a little off on mileage because I can't seem to remember to start the darn thing.

Break time at the warming hut:

The Boiling River is probably the only place you can legally soak in the thermal waters of YNP and it’s part of the tradition for this ski trip. The thermal water rushes over the rocks and mingles with the icy water of the Gardner River. The water temp is perfect but you have to keep moving around to find the sweet spots. Getting out is interesting. There are no changing areas and it is too cold to wear a wet suit for the hike back to the car. So you pretty much just have to drop your swimsuit, quickly throw on dry clothes, and hope no one minded seeing your naked body through the steam. Skinny dipping and alcohol are both prohibited and enforced. We saw a ranger bust a couple of college-aged kids for having beer. That seems a bit severe to me but it is clearly posted. That night our club had a potluck dinner and then several of us played ping pong in the motel game room, which was a hoot. I can still play a mean game of ping pong – even left handed.

Sunday we ate breakfast with the group and then split up to do our own thing. Three of us went the short distance to Jardine, MT for more skiing. Jardine is an old western gold mining town near Gardiner but it is basically a ghost town now. We skied about 5.5 out-and-back miles on a forest service road which had nice ski tracks for the majority of the way. The first part of the route was a comfortable climb of nearly 500’ and we enjoyed beautiful views between the trees along the way. Again, the snow and temperature was perfect. We stopped several times to take photos and talk to other skiers. The trip down felt effortless.

I’m really happy with how my knee felt on this trip and the IT band caused no trouble. My only problems were a couple of minor blisters in odd places.

Jardine Elevation Profile. I forgot to start my Garmin so it’s a little off but this was about a 500' elevation gain so a nice, steady climb.


Electric Peak, elevation 10,969’. This is the 8th highest summit in YNP but the highest point in the Gallatin Range.

The trip down – our reward for the climb.

A kindly skier offered to take our photo.

I'm getting a little behind in my blogging so will try to catch up with a couple of fun trips I recently enjoyed.

The first was a trip to Phoenix and Vegas January 15 - 22. We stayed with friends in Phoenix and ran the Rock N Roll half marathon while there. The weather was outstanding and we enjoyed the run with 28,000 of our closest friends.

There was a band about every 1/2 mile on the course, cheering squads, and a few guys dressed like Elvis. We felt like rock stars as we ran past all the cheering crowds into the ASU finish area.

After that it was on to Vegas for 3 nights at Treasure Island. We saw the Cirque du Soleil Beatles Love show and also went to Improv Night at Harrahs. Vegas was pretty dead thanks to the recession but we still had a lovely time.