I deserve a cookie ~ or maybe four

The current instability in the snowpack and some warmer days this week helped me in attaining my goal to get 40 miles!  I mostly ran on the streets in Salt Lake this week, which were quite like a war zone what with the recent heavy valley snows.  Probably only about 3/4 of the residents here feel it is necessary to shovel their sidewalks.  And usually the ones that don't shovel and allow their sidewalks to turn to ice are the ones that park their cars across the sidewalk, making it nearly impossible to pass and remain with dry feet.  The city plows have had a tough time keeping up with keeping the streets clear, and it feels like we are running out of places to pile the extra snow.  Between that and the hipsters not sharing space or giving way to passersby, it was a rough week on the streets!  Yipes!

But really, it's not all that bad.  The temperatures have been in the 40s and 50s the last few days, with clean air and sunshine here in town.  Getting my mileage up a bit this week meant that I was extra hungry and so I decided that after eating Huevos Miguel at Eggs in the City today after my ten-miler (hamburger patty smothered with chile verde and two eggs over-easy) that I deserved a cookie.  I ended up eating not one, but four.  I pretty much ran all week in my Altra Torins.  They are quickly becoming my favorite shoe.  And they are pretty in pink just like the cookies I ate.

pink cookies ~

pink shoes ~

Hopefully this week the snowpack will stabilize out a bit and allow for safer backcountry travel.  Next storm on the horizon is about one week away.  There have been a few avalanches in the backcountry, but not too many ~ and the sunny weather is bound to lure lots of people out this weekend.  It's not that there have been that many slides, but if one does go, it is likely to go deep and go heavy.

I got the dogs out a couple of times for some romping in the snow ~ they dug it!  Artie did a really good job at getting snowballs stuck to her undercarriage.  She also had a couple of adventures chasing deer and elk which put us out a bit, having to wait for her.  Franklin got his staples out of his face and has pretty much healed after his surgery (the mass was benign).  And Vernon decided to go into our friends' house (thru the dog door) because he was, oh I don't know, bored?  on one of our hikes.  The friends live just off the trail a ways and he came up missing, only to be found moments later hanging out with the friends' dog at their house.  Silly Vernon.

I'm working tomorrow at the urgent care in Layton, Utah.  It's Super Bowl Sunday, but I won't be sad to miss the game.  Hopefully I'll be able to get an easy run in while I'm there.  Looking forward to next week and hopefully some skiing also.  It's only 7 weeks until the Buffalo 100, my first race of the year (March 22nd).  So concentrating on running is ok too if the skiing is not super-great.  I'm happy to get out and enjoy the outdoors either way, whether it be skiing or running.  As Jim Fixx put it, "Play not only keeps us young but also maintains our perspective about the relative seriousness of things.  Running is play, for even if we try hard to do well at it, it is a relief from everyday cares."

Love begets love

After a great day ski touring for 6 hours last Sunday, I developed a bit of a sore throat and some achy-aches (I actually started getting sick on the tour, but toughed it out and ended up in bed most of the day on Monday) and had quite a mellow week.  (Mellow week for me is thirty miles total for the week and no more ski touring.)

I worked a couple of days, ran a bunch on the treadmill in the basement (Downton Abbey episodes get me through that) all the while with the dogs watching me, longingly, wanting to go out for a walk.  We had freezing rain on Thursday and Friday so it was really too treacherous on the sidewalks to get them out.

On Friday, I went down to the Outdoor Retailers show to just look around and hang out for a while and I ended up spending six hours there visiting with friends, looking at gear, and picking up some new shoes.  I met all of the guys at the Altra booth, and introduced myself as one of their new ambassadors, and they were so great to me!  They brought out some new shoes for me to try right then and there ~ the 2013 Torin ~ and I got on the treadmill for a bit.  We talked about what races we are all going to do this year and how their products have really taken off in the last couple of years.

I started my new job at an urgent care in Davis County and will be working there a few days a month for some extra money (I can pay for Frank's surgery that he had last week to remove the lump on his face, and I'll be able to get the new couch I've been wanting for so long).  Thankfully, I got a bit of free time to take my new shoes out for a four mile spin and I loved them.  Running in the neighborhoods around Layton left a little bit to be desired, but I was just happy to be outside and not running on the treadmill.

We had a few minutes of sunshine today just before the next winter storm blew into town.  But, alas I didn't run in sunshine rather light, drizzling rain with overcast skies.  I did get ten miles done on the Salt Lake streets with my friend Mark, and he shot some video of me in my new kicks, so hopefully I'll have some images to pass on soon.

Poor dogs still have not gotten out ~ haven't really gotten out all week except for their 3 mile walk in Summit Park on Monday.  I'll be more motivated to get them out this week what with the fresh snow and the lack of pollution in the air.  So glad it finally cleared out and we are getting dumped on with snow right now.  I'll be working the next couple of days, but later in the week should be able to get some good skiing in!

Afternote:  Frank's mass on his cheek was a benign fibrolipoma and he is healing well.  He was a bit groggy for a couple of days but was soon back to his kibble-eating self.  He only spent a few hours in the "cone of shame" and hasn't scratched at his staples at all.  Artie was quite concerned about him when he first returned home, and kept nudging him with little love nudges.  He has been sleeping on my bed every night since the surgery (on Tuesday) and I'm afraid I might not be able to talk him into ever returning to the floor and his own bed.  It's ok ~ there's nothing better than giving an old dog a little bit of extra love.  Because you know what you get in return?  Love.

The Monitors ~ where we skied last Sunday. 

Me on the Wasatch Crest ~

Franklin, post-surgery snoozing on the couch ~

Artie looking on lovingly towards Franklin

Frank checking out my new shoes (the Altra Torin)
after I returned from the OR show ~

Kickin' it at the new job ~

Ambassador Missy? Yup, I like it!

I'm really excited to announce that I've been named an Altra shoe ambassador.  A few months ago, I decided to head down to the Wasatch Running Center to just try on some Altra shoes and see what they were like.  Several of my trail-running-ultra friends are wearing them and like them a lot, so I thought that I would see what the shoes were like.

I have to tell you, the Altra Superior trail shoe is one of the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn, straight out of the box.  This is a pretty "minimal" shoe, meaning that it doesn't have a whole lot of cushiony midsole, and the "drop" or the height of the shoe from heel to toe is "zero", meaning that it is flat across the shoe from tip to tail.  I originally purchased the shoes to train in once or twice a week, for some foot strengthening and to work on my stride efficiency.  They are so comfortable and I am running so well in them now, I'm pretty excited to be in the process of transitioning to them as my standard shoe.

What does zero drop mean?  For some, who have been used to running in a standard running shoe (which can be about 12mm of drop) it can be a tough transition.  I have been running in the Hoka One One Mafate and Stinsons for about three years, so for me the transition took about a month, running only 30 miles per week.  For those not familiar with the Hoka, it has about a 4mm drop and a very thick midsole.  (See comparison photo below.)

Hoka Mafate 2 (left), Altra Superior (right)

I alternated running with the Hokas and the Altras the first 3 weeks, and only did up to 4 miles in the Altras at any one time for the first couple of weeks.  I also did a lot of 2-mile walks either on my lunch break or with the dogs after work.  I talked to a Sports Med doc at work, and he advised running at least a little bit in the shoes daily, as opposed to only once or twice a week, for an easier transition into the shoes.  This way, the foot has a daily exposure to the new shoe, and is not "shocked" into wearing them for a longer distance once or twice a week.  I'm glad I talked to him about it.  I think the plan definitely worked.  The first couple of weeks I had a little bit of anterior lower leg soreness which I attributed to the change in shoes, but I was just very patient with the process of transitioning ~ running slowly, relaxed, and not pushing (things that I am very good at doing anyway!)  I'm happy to report that I did my first 9 mile run in the Altras just yesterday and have no lower leg soreness (or over-all leg soreness at all) today.

As for being an ambassador, I will be wearing an Altra shirt and visor or hat as well as the shoes, and basically saying nice things about them at the races I participate in and volunteer at.  I'm honored to be named an ambassador for such a great product ~ I feel like I have been recognized for my participation and dedication to trail running (over the past 14 years!) which is so much more than winning races and being on a podium ~ to me there is such a strong sense of community and camaraderie with trail running.  Being able to support a great product and talk about it at races with other participants will be very rewarding for me.  One thing you can count on, I never endorse a product that I don't believe in.  I rarely get "free gear", so the gear that I do invest my money in, I hope that it will work for me.  If it doesn't work for me, I spend my money elsewhere.

Altra Superior shoes with Kahtoola microspikes,
out on the Rail Trail in Park City

Rail Trail, Promontory, Park City, Utah

I am a member of the Wasatch Speed Goats Mountain Racing Team again this year, and am looking forward to swapping stories with my team mates about the races we have planned for 2013.  I'm really looking forward to my running season in 2013.  I plan on volunteering at Wasatch 100 and the Antelope Island fall races again this year.

Events I am planning on running in 2013:

Buffalo 100, Antelope Island, Utah ~ March 22
pacer at Bryce 100, Bryce, Utah ~ May 31
Bighorn 100, Sheridan, Wyoming ~ June 14
volunteer Speedgoat 50k, Snowbird, Utah ~ July 27
El Vaquero Loco 50k, Afton, Wyoming ~ August 10

Couldn't resist adding this one ~
the dogs and I walked to Starbucks for a
coffee and a snack.  Don't let them fool you ~
they enjoyed every minute of it!

Look ~ a shooting star!

Day 3 of Roberta Street Dawn Patrol today.  My neighbors, Brett & Kate, and I tried skiing a new area today, after I got some information from a coworker of mine.  You see, we haven't gotten any snow in about a week, and the temperatures have been inverted with cold air in the valleys and sunny, warm weather up high, so the south-facing slopes have gotten a nasty little sun crust on them.  We needed to find somewhere in the north-ish facing trees.

As we got out of the car to put our boots on at the base of the mountain, bbbbrrrr....  it was cold.  Not sure how cold, but single-digit cold for sure.  We got going quickly, watching our breath play out in shapes in front of our faces, lit up by the light from our headlamps.

Up the skin road we went, and since none of us had ever been ski touring in this particular area before (although I had skied past it and looked at it dozens of times) we kept looking off to the right and finally found the track we needed to be on.

As we climbed through the aspen groves in the dark, we couldn't help but notice the elephant among us.  Although we were at about 9,000 feet, there seemed to be an odd lacking of adequate snow coverage in this particular area and each pole strike into the ground went through the snow surface with a crunch.  We regrouped several times going up the hill and all said at one time or another, "I sure hope we don't have to ski down through this," because it was hateful, knee-twisting, survival-skiing conditions.

At one point as I waited for Brett & Kate to catch up to me, I turned off my headlamp to take in a view of the stars.  Looking off to the northeast ~ BOOM ~ meteor.  We had hit the Quadrantids meteor shower perfectly.  We all stopped several times on the slope to marvel.  I couldn't help but feel how small we are in comparison to such a sight.  Reading from the web address above makes me realize just how lucky we were to witness this event: "While the plus side of this annual shower is its ability to produce fireballs, and its high hourly rates, the downside is its short peak.  Quatrantids has an extremely narrow peak, occurring over just a few short hours.  The Quadrantids are also well known for producing fireballs, meteors that are exceptionally bright.  These meteors can also, at times, generate persistent trails." 

The light slowly crept its way up and over the eastern ridge of mountains and we found ourselves in a nice, mellow, low-angle aspen grove, northeast facing, with dense sugary snow and thankfully, no sun crust.  Transitioning over to ski mode from climbing mode we laid down our tracks through the trees.  It was surprisingly very enjoyable and really only the last couple hundred yards were a bit brushy, but not crusty.  I even managed to navigate us safely around the creek bed at the bottom of the slope without having a 20+ foot climb back to the skin track that we had started on.

We skied past our $1.75 million future home and back to the car.  I discovered that I had put a handful of chocolate-covered almonds in my pants' pocket and affectionately calling them "moose poop", shared them with the others.

Back to the car by 8:30 am and we de-rigged and drove down the canyon while others were just driving up to start their days.  

When I got home, I took a long, steamy shower to warm back up, stopped by Starbucks for a coffee, and made a fried-egg sandwich at home.  A mid-morning nap on the couch with the dogs felt pretty good as well.

This had to be one of those "top ten" things that I have done in my lifetime.  Although, it seems that the more I go on incredible adventures, my list has long surpassed ten things.  It was a magical morning in the mountains!

Winter ~ it's ON!

Haven't blogged in a little while, so I want to catch you all up on a few things.  Mainly ~ it's finally winter!  We have gotten so much snow in the last week or so, and the mountains are shaping up nicely. Haven't been up skate skiing in Park City since our first storm cycle over a month ago, but I'm holding out for the guys at Round Valley to get some good grooming in.  Next week, I'll be up there for sure (with the pups).

I've gotten out ski touring several times in the last week.  My neighbors, Kate and Brett, have asked me to join them for weekly Dawn Patrol (starting out skiing before it's light out).  We've gotten out twice so far.  We start out in the dark with headlamps and make our way up the mountain on the skin track, and as it's getting light we transition to the downhill.  It is so gorgeous up on the mountain with the light coming up and the peaceful quiet all around.  I am calling our group of three "Roberta Street Dawn Patrol" (because we are neighbors on Roberta Street in Salt Lake City).  As an aside, when we got home this morning (at about 10:30am) the cops were at one of our neighbors' houses checking out what looked like a domestic dispute ~ ahh... Roberta Street.  Takes all kinds.  Gotta love it.

We've been hitting up an area that's relatively close to home and low-angle (not very steep) with lots of aspen trees to keep the safety factor up and the danger-level down.  I can't believe how much better it's gotten just in the past week with the snow that we've gotten.  Not much happening as far as avalanches so far this year (which is good) and we are keeping our eyes on the forecast and conditions.

Saw my brother's old friend John Carlquist up on the hill today, and hopefully I'll be able to contact him and get out with him a few times this year.  It was nice to see him, and he recognized me straight away even though we hadn't seen each other in several years.

Lots of people out today, and as we got back down to the highway after skiing, we sort of had to scurry across the road because there were so many cars going up to the resorts.  Kate, Brett, and I all rejoiced as we got to the full parking lot, with dozens of people just starting up the hill at 9:30 am and we were all done and had gotten what very likely were much fresher tracks than they will get today!  We also were so thankful that we weren't skiing in the resorts today with the holiday crowds.  We are lucky folks, indeed, that we ascend the mountain under our own power!

Christmas Eve I got up to Pocatello for a couple of days with my brother, Stefan and my sister-in-law, Abigail.  Nice thing ~ we opened presents just a little early (on the 23rd)!  Yay.  My brother totally styled me out with some nice garb from Patagonia.  We ate traditional Bavarian "brotzeit" dinner and had a great time.  Stefan and I took all the dogs for a snowy walk on Christmas Eve day before I went back to Salt Lake.  The dogs had a great time, especially Artemis and Ali (Abigail's dog) who found some dead deer bones on the hill.  Yum!

And finally, I want to share with you a video that our friend Brendan Nicholson made about Kate and her battle with breast cancer in 2010.  I still remember the call when she told me that she had been diagnosed.  I feel so fortunate to know her ~ she is such a fighter!  Ski touring can be hard, but I'm sure it must pale in comparison to the battle she fought against cancer.  She is a true survivor and a shining spirit.  I feel blessed that I got to be in the video that tells a little bit of her story.  Click here for the link to view the video.

The following photos are from Christmas Eve (dog hike), Dawn Patrol (day one, last week) and Dawn Patrol (day two, today).

It is dark at 5:30am on December 20th ~

Kate & Brett on the skin track

Morning light coming through the aspens ~

Gorgeous morning view of Mt Kessler and
the Salt Lake valley below ~

Mt Raymond (left) and Gobbler's Knob (right)

me ~ on the ridge ~

Dogs getting a Christmas treat ~

Franklin & Artemis are ready to rock the Idaho snow ~

Stefan and dogs on the Blackrock Road ~

Me and my brother, Stefan ~

Artemis loves that fresh mountain air ~

Ali girl, very tired after the hike ~

Are you beeping?  (or were you sleeping,
while we were beeping?)  Avalanche
beacon check station ~

Kate & Brett on the skin track,
Roberta Street Dawn Patrol day two ~

Feelin' the burn ~

Kate finding some nice turns ~ rippin' ~

Gray-bird days, stinky dogs, and cosmic curling

So far this winter is shaping up to be a lot like last winter ~ warm and brown.  Not my favorite combination.   If I were to think of other situations where those two things occur naturally together, it would bring me back to my ICU nursing days... yuck.

The skies have been gray and depressing, and I think the last time I was in the sunshine was over a week ago when I ran the Draper Shoreline with Ann.  That was the day that Artie rolled in deer poop and all three dogs ended up at the Dirty Johnson's Dogwash for a thorough scrubbing.  The gray-bird days are bringing my mood down and sapping my energy.  I just want to take naps and eat carbs all day!  Dang Trader Joe's coming to Salt Lake City (they opened on November 30th) and their large assortment of delicious cookies.  I'm fighting Seasonal Affective Disorder which has made me feel as though I'm on the verge of getting a cold for the last two weeks, but realizing that the only thing that really will make me feel better is exercising in the sunshine.  Maybe it's time for a trip to San Diego.

All this mild weather is bad for the skiing, but good for the running.  Hopefully at this rate, I'll be ready for the Buffalo 100 which is my next "for sure" event on March 22nd.  I hope to be able to cross train with some ski touring and cross country skate skiing for a couple of months before that.  We will see what the weather brings.  We are supposed to get a bit of a storm this weekend, but it looks right now to be a southerly flow, so likely we will not see very much snow accumulation.  Probably just a lot of wind.

I went curling at the Olympic Oval a few nights ago with a group of friends, and my brother and sister in law came down from Pocatello to join us.  What a blast we had!  Already thinking of starting up a team for leagues that will begin in January.  Public curling runs Monday nights from 8 to 10pm, and you get instruction from one of the ice-sheet staff.  Totally worth the $7 admission price, and we had 2 for 1 coupons from the website.  I highly recommend you check it out.

For now ~ some photos of the pathetic pups as they received their punishment at the dogwash. Think snow!

Vernon wondering why he hangs out with troublemakers.

Poor pathetic Franklin just wants a cookie.

Artie knows she is guilty, but is trying to look innocent.

And some photos from curling night (the cosmic lights were turned on after 9pm).

Prepping the ice.



Sue Lee throwing down a 40 pound stone.
Britta and Jeremy are ready to sweep.

Nick Francis takes his turn.

Abigail under the cosmic lights.



Summoning the Snow Gods

The first winter storm of the year was weeks ago and the weather has remained warm.  After skate skiing once in Park City, the weather turned warm again and although the highest reaches still have some snow, the trails are either dry or dotted with mud.  I hit the streets for the past couple of weeks, and this past week decided to re-institute my weekly interval running session, at least until the snow flies again.

In order to summon the Snow Gods, I have done several things ~

1)  Laid out a 4 month running training plan that includes those weekly interval sessions and a weekly mid- to long-ish run (10 to 20 miles).

2)  Committed to commuting by foot (walking 2 miles per day) and Trax train twice a week.  (I figure once the snow does fly, I won't be wanting to walk alongside a busy street with slush-water getting splashed up on me, potentially slipping on un-shoveled sidewalks, and walking said street in the dark.)

3)  Bought a new pair of touring skis.  Yes, another pair for my quiver.  I got a screamin' deal thanks to my Speedgoats Mountain Racing Team discount at Backcountry dot com.  I also did not buy a ski pass this year, which saved me upwards of $500, so I figure I just spent my ski pass money on a worthy investment, and will have a much more productive season (exercise-wise, and quality of turns) out of bounds.

By increasing my weekly running mileage and commitment, I figure by way of Murphy's Law it is bound to snow... unless by buying new skis I just negated the whole process.  We will see...

The dogs and I made it out to the West Desert yesterday to do some running on the dirt roads.  I got a bit chilled about 5 miles into it and felt down-right ill by mile 9 (of 10).  But I figure running while feeling somewhat ill can be good practice for those race days, middle to the end of a 100-miler, when you really don't feel good and want to quit, but you don't.  You tough it out.  So that's what I did yesterday (that, and I did an out and back run and I had no choice but to turn around and head back to where I started by way of the route that I had come, because I didn't know the area and there didn't appear to be any shortcuts.)

It was gorgeous running though ~ only saw one sheepherder and a couple of dogs, otherwise it was quiet except for the wind.  Gorgeous sunset when driving home, and someone was shooting off fireworks near Eagle Mountain, which was lighting up the sky.  The following pictures are from the run near the Pony Express Trail (road) near Faust, Utah.

The wind is blowing and a bit of scattered rain is starting to hit the ground.  Hopefully my efforts have been productive and we will get a real winter storm out of this ~ one that lasts ~

View to the west ~ House, Deep Creek, and Fish Springs Ranges ~

Near Red Pine Mountain ~

Dogs enjoying the view ~

Holding Vernon back from going to check out the people
shooting guns (he loves to chase the bullets) ~ Franklin
peaks through the window behind me ~

Fireworks in the desert ~

The day-after run-hangover ~