Thy Eternal Summer, Part II

Winter has arrived. Absolutely and without question. She made her presence abruptly known when, from one weekend to the next, we traded our shorts and tanks on long runs for tights and gloves.

The photographic evidence from Saturday's long run on the Emigrant Trail in Truckee, where it was a speed-inspiring 17 degrees Fahrenheit:

Pre-run Smiles.

The Perfect Amount of Snow

Mid-run Frosty Hair

Sunshine peeks through.

Post-run Happy Glow

I enjoyed last year's summer tribute so much, that I thought I'd make it a tradition. Here's a look back, photo-style, at some beautiful moments of summer:

The Miwok 100K. This was my best race of the season. One of my best races ever. I had fun, felt strong and relaxed, paced myself perfectly, and finished faster than I thought I could. Bliss.

Me and my 5-year-old nephew, as photographed by his 7-year-old brother, during our family gathering in Yosemite. To me, this shot captures a lot of the awesomeness of this annual summertime reunion.

Western States finishline at about 9:30 A.M. Sunday morning, June 26. Eating breakfast and watching runners finish was easily the best part of the race.

Post-Western States high-fives with Brett Rivers before the awards ceremony. The Placer High School track was just a good place to be that Sunday. Good feelings all around, good friends, good community.

Betsy leads me down the trail from Virginus Pass in the last five miles of my crazy-but-awesome experience pacing her at the Hardrock 100.

At the finishline of the TRT 100 with Donald after an awesome 50 miles of pacing.

Andrew and I canoed the Carson River in July. Two days, no portaging, camping at hot springs. Wilderness whitewater love!

Silver-buckle bluegrass boogie with the Dead Winter Carpenters.

Desolation Wilderness. Any photo tour of summer would be incomplete without a shot of our favorite running terrain.

For now, I'm snuggled up by the wood stove looking forward to some snowy backcountry adventures for the next few months. It's a good time to be dreaming and planning races for next spring and summer, and remembering the best of this one.

What were your favorite races and adventures of this summer?

Living and Training in Snow Country

I grew up in southern California, 20 minutes from the beach. With only a 20-degree temperature swing between summer and winter, I was a child without seasons.

Considering this, I think I've adapted fairly well to a climate which receives an average of 30 feet of snowfall per year. To be sure, I love the mountains. We get very little rain (most of our precip comes as snow), and if it's not absolutely dumping outside, it's sunny. Friends in the valley complain of the fog and how they haven't seen the sun in weeks, while I wouldn't dare leave the house without my sunglasses for fear of snow blindness.


Here in the Sierra, we lack the frigid temps of the midwest. Even in summer we're absent the heat of the desert and the humidity of the coast. The only real challenge we have is vast quantities of snow. With last week's storm dumping five feet in four days, and today's storm already totaling two feet at my house, I wanted to share a few of my strategies for running through a winter of snow.

Crosstrain

Some days, my house looks like this:

When that happens, I generally don't run. Trails are chest-deep in powder, making snowshoeing and cross country skiing ridiculous endeavors, and roads are full of cars sliding around with drivers who can't see - not a good scenario for running.

If getting to the resort is a viable option (taking road conditions into account), then powder skiing is the best crosstraining around. (I don't recommend backcountry skiing on big storm days!) Think a gravity sport like skiing isn't a good workout? I dare you to try doing it all day in deep powder.

Other good options for big storm days include shoveling, snowblowing, snowball fights, and carving out sled runs in the neighborhood.   

Andrew gets his snowblower on, along with all the neighbors.

After the driveway is cleared, head inside for some yoga and strength training. This is a great time to do some serious stretching!

On non-storm days, snowshoeing, skate skiing, and telemark skiing all make for excellent crosstraining.

Skinning up and skiing down is a serious workout for me!

Snowshoeing!

Drive for Dirt

Getting tired of running the roads or snowshoeing? If you're lucky enough to live within driving distance of snow-free trails (like I am) then take your Saturday to drive somewhere that you can get in a long run on dirt. It's a welcome respite!

When the Storm Breaks, Go Big

I took five days off during our last storm. I actually needed the rest, but when a clear day coincided with a day off work, I made the most of it. Not only did I drive for dirt, taking an hour to get to Auburn and the Western States trail, but I joined a friend for a 36-mile day. It was wonderful, and I'm glad I did since I'm back to crosstraining for the next couple of days.

Embrace the Life

When people complain about the snow, I often wonder why they live here. This is what you get in the Sierra! If ultrarunning were my highest priority, maybe I would live elsewhere. I find, however, that doing multiple sports early in the season not only helps prevent injury, but it also helps prevent burnout later in the season. I haven't been running like a madwoman all year long, and that is a good thing.

I guess embracing the life is about attitude. I make the most of good weather, and I don't let myself get frustrated if mother nature throws a wrench in my training plan. I simply adapt.

I also recognize that there are a myriad of wonderful things about life that have nothing to do with running. Crazy, I know.

Here's one way the people in my neighborhood embrace the life. At the moment, our street looks like this:

After the blower plow comes through, the snow banks become sheer, white walls. And what do you do with a blank white canvas? You draw on it, of course!

Some of the snow bank art on my street:

Peace, and a flower.

Smiley face and "Hi."

Flower. Someone is ready for spring!

I think maybe this poor guy got run over by the snow plow.

More smiley faces.

Apparently we're a happy neighborhood.

Patriotic!

Your standard pooping duck. Clearly we have children living in our hood. :)

And of course, declarations of love. Aww.

I'm excited about my upcoming races, and I have been training hard. A six-week spell of warm, sunny weather in January and February allowed me to get a solid early-season base. Now that I'm back to winter-style training though, I'm enjoying the pleasures of winter in the mountains. I make the most of my running days, and play hard in other arenas. I think, for me, this is the best approach, as I have a tendency to get obsessively focused on things if given the chance.

As spring approaches, I know my training will increase in intensity and mileage. For now, I'm content with a "quality over quantity" approach.

How do you deal with the training challenges presented in your neck of the woods? 

Footwear Options for Winter Running

Winter is officially here. Oh yes, it is! When I say "officially" I'm obviously not looking at my calendar; I'm looking at the scene out my window right now. Wow!

Switching to winter mode means more than just putting your snow tires on the car, tuning up your skis and searching out your tights and gloves from the depths of your closet. For runners, it sometimes means cross-training in sports like skate-skiing, snowshoeing, or that Truckee favorite, snow shoveling. Even when heading out for a run, it sometimes holds different footwear needs than summertime.

Following, are some thoughts about what to put on your feet this winter.

Trail Shoes

Pretty obvious, right? 'Tis the season when trail shoes become road shoes! This isn't much of a change for me, since I run almost completely on trails during the summer season. In winter though, I find myself more frequently on roads simply out of necessity. And this time of year, trail shoes are your best bet on snowy, icy roads.

I also use them on well-packed, snowy trails. If it's not fresh, deep snow, there's usually no need for anything more! If it's icy trail, then I add my Yaktrax for awesome traction, and I feel totally confident flying. As a side note on the Yaktrax, I don't advise wearing them on the road, no matter how icy it is. The inevitable spots of bare (or nearly bare) pavement are basically unrunnable with Yaktrax on your shoes.

GoreTex Trail Shoes

For those days when Old Man Winter is especially nasty. These GTX Wildcats are bomber! I typically only use them on really wet, slushy days, or with my snowshoes (see below).

And if it's bad enough for GoreTex, then you're probably going to want a pair of gaiters.

You can use ankle gaiters most of the time, but if you're snowshoeing through deep powder you may want full-length knee gaiters. Either way, be sure they're waterproof. Spandex gaiters are great for keeping the rocks out in the summer, but pretty worthless when it comes to snow and water.

Snowshoes

Snowshoes come in all shapes and sizes these days, from tiny racing snowshoes, to big, backcountry beasts. A good rule of thumb is that the bigger the shoe, the more snow it can handle. I like my Atlas Elektra 11 Series (pictured) because they are so versatile. I can use them to hike in fresh snow, but they're small and light enough to run with on packed trails. As previously mentioned, these are accompanied by my Wildcats and a pair of gaiters.

Mukluks

Mukluks are the traditional winter footwear of the Inuit. These people know something about cold and snow. Mine, made by Steger Mukluks in Ely, Minnesota, are warm, comfortable and durable. I absolutely LOVE these things!

I bought my mukluks 12 years ago to use for a winter of dogsledding in northern Minnesota, and they're still treating me right. Because they're a moccasin-style shoe, they're soft soled, and that is their secret to warmth. They don't restrict the motion of your foot, which allows for good circulation, and thus, toasty tootsies! Buy them a size up so you have plenty of room to wear an extra pair of socks for those truly frigid northern days.

Mukluks are great in deep snow because they're so tall, and they get good traction on the soft stuff. Running in them is particularly fun because you can actually feel the snow compacting beneath your feet. When it's super snowy out like it is now, I use them for walking the dogs, snowshoeing, digging out my car, having snowball fights or snowblower wars with the neighbors, and pretty much anything else that happens outside. My husband wears his to work up on the mountain every day.

And if your play-time activities include skiing (as they should), then I'm right there with you. Those footwear choices, however, are well beyond the scope of this blog post!

A sampling from my winter gear locker

What are your favorite shoes for playing in the winter?

Thy Eternal Summer

With this weekend's heavy rain, it finally feels like summer may be coming to an end. It's been a warm fall in the mountains, providing a perfect venue for long weekend runs in the high-country. This Saturday's run on the PCT however was graced with a severe burst of winter.

Jamie makes her way from the Sierra crest, down the Granite Chief Trail, towards Squaw Valley.

Although I know it's not quite the last hurrah for high-country running, it seems like a pleasant time to look back upon the last several months. Most of these photos are from non-running days, ones that were just as much a part of my favorite season as the long trail runs. The summer may be fading, but the memories will keep me smiling until long after the snow melts.

An empty beach at Pt. Reyes

With Jamie at Pucker Point, Memorial Day Weekend training run.

An aptly named Mist Trail

Wedding on Donner Summit

Unhappy feet at the end of 100 miles. Oddly, I have yet to lace-up those Salomons since that day. Still, a small price to pay for an awesome race.

Moonrise from the summit of Lembert Dome, Tuolumne Meadows.

Running with the dogs, Lamoile Canyon, Ruby Mountains, Nevada.

Cap wants up front on the road trip. I swear this is not how we pack our dogs for a trip - they had plenty of space in back. Cap just had to worm his way up to us!

With Joel, controlling the awesomest ever wave machine, Minnesota Museum of Science. This is one of the coolest places I've ever been, and a must-stop whenever we visit the twin cities.

You can adjust the height and angle of the sea floor in five different places, plus wave strength and wave frequency. It's no wonder I'm fighting an 11-year-old boy for the controls.

Gus provides endless entertainment by repeatedly launching off the dock into a Minnesota lake.

Evening paddle on Lake Pokegama, Grand Rapids, MN

Another wedding, another tux.

Swimming in Donner Lake. This could be any one of several dozen afternoons spent swimming from the docks - an activity that, to me, sums up summer in Truckee.