Snowshoe Racing, Downton Abby, and the Iditarod

Snowshoe running: Neither for the faint of heart, nor the out of shape runner. In January, I made my second finish at the Tahoe Rim Tour Snowshoe Race. Somehow, I remember it being so much easier the last time I ran it. But then again, I suppose I was in better shape that time.

In fact, I think it was the ease and joy of the 2011 race that had me eager to return, and of course I had Jamie in tow this time as well.  What’s the fun in tromping through powder with tennis rackets on your feet if you can’t do it with your best friend? Unfortunately, for this year’s edition, we’d both run long just the day before, but I thought it would be a good way to get my winter ass back into shape. Ha! Well, it was. Depending on what you mean by “good.”

This is what it looked like at the start. Do you see anyone without skis on their feet? Yeah, me neither!

Ready for a long day on beautiful trails!

Here's Helen, getting ready to ski away from us at the sound of the gun.

Fortunately, the conditions were pretty firm, and we set a conservative pace early. This was a good move, since we certainly didn’t feel like it was easy at any point. Snowshoe running for me isn’t so much about going fast as it is about focused coordination: Don’t step on your own shoes (or your friends), don’t kick your ankles (Ouch!), and don't forget to point your toes on the downhills. 

The course, starting in Tahoe City and finishing at Northstar Resort, has a solid climb over a mountain pass. Not easy. We enjoyed incredible scenery and were happy to find some downhill running in the later miles.

Jamie, tearing up the downhill.

We finished exhausted and happy in the bright Tahoe sunshine. Thirty minutes slower than in 2011 and with our snowshoe craving sated for the year.

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In February I joined many of the wonderful women of my family for the second annual Snowshoe Jamboree (aka “SnowJam”) in Arnold, CA. It’s ladies’ weekend at the cabin, and we always have so much fun.

More snowshoeing? Okay, count me in!

This year, my sister and I spent the first morning skate skiing at Bear Valley.

View from the summit!

Skate skiing is hard work!

I also learned about the quaint little town of Murphys, which was just a short drive from our cabin. If you like wine tasting, you will appreciate Murphys. The whole main street was packed with tasting rooms, and we had a grand time exploring. Perfect for ladies weekend!

A lovely afternoon in the tasting room at the Frog's Leap Winery.

See why it's perfect for Ladies' Weekend?

They sort of have this thing about frogs in these parts, especially the jumping kind. These two were just hanging out though.

On day two we went snowshoeing around Lake Alpine. The weather could not have been better!

Yosemite Gals at Lake Alpine.

With Mom and Sister.

I'm already looking forward to next year's SnowJam!

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This weekend will see one of my favorite races take place: Way Too Cool 50K. I’m signed up for it, but I’m not sure I’ll be at the starting line this year. The prospect of not running it makes me mighty sad, but I still have some lingering health questions to answer for myself. I’d like to get those things figured out before embarking on any serious races.  Part of the reason I haven’t committed to the DNS is because I just can’t face it. I love this race!

We’ll see how the next week plays out, but either way, I will certainly be there. If I don’t race, I’ll be volunteering at the Highway 49 aid station, cheering you all that final 1.4 miles to the finish. My advice if you’re running Cool? Make friends and have fun. It’s a big race, and the upside of that is that you’ll get to meet a lot of great people. Ultrarunners are pretty cool folks (no pun intended).

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And in extremely important non-running-related news, I burned through the entire second season of Downton Abby in three days last week. Based on the spoiler-y comments on Facebook, I have decided that I will not be watching season three. This is where it ends for me. As far as I’m concerned, there is no season three. Aside from the fate of poor Mr. Bates, (who, let’s face it, as the story’s martyr, is pretty much doomed), everything seems to be resolved quite nicely, thank you very much. The End.

And it occurs to me that this must be a particular challenge of writing for a television series – you never know just exactly when your story is going to end. If Downton Abby were a book or a movie, the end of season two would be a pretty solid ending. I mean, (Spoiler Alert!) the war is over, Sybil’s made her break, Edith has had some growing experiences and is more mature (less of a bitch), Anna and Mr. Bates are together (okay, sort of), and Mary and Matthew … Well that took long enough, didn’t it? It was very Pride and Prejudice. But nonetheless, resolved.

When you’re writing a book, you know exactly when it’s going to end, and you create your story arc to arrive there at the right time. Even in a series, if you were writing, say, seven books. You know that it’s at the end of book seven where either Harry or Voldemort is killed by the other. You wouldn't write that part into book five.

In TV, it seems that it’s more like, “Okay, we might get cancelled so maybe we’ll resolve this storyline, but leave these others hanging in case we do run next season.” But then if things are too resolved and the show does run for another season, they have to reopen old storylines, or invent some new ones, and eventually it all starts to feel rather ridiculous and contrived. I mean, how much drama can one family really go through?

So, anyway. Downton Abby. Only two seasons. End of story. (Unless there’s a season four, and it really rocks. Then, someone call me.)

~~~~~

And lastly, the 41^st Iditarod started this week! Once again, my 5th –grade students and I are following the race, learning about the history, and each choosing a musher to track online. Many of my students’ mushers are already in the top ten, so they’re pretty excited.

Last year, I chose to follow Dallas Seavy. Despite the fact that there were six past champions in the race that year, Dallas pulled out his first win as the youngest person ever to be Iditarod Champion. Of course I spent the last 3 months of school bragging to my students about how my musher kicked all their mushers' butts. 

I always give the students first choice of which musher they want to follow. This year, even though no one chose to follow Dallas, (I need to teach them better research skills!) I picked Aliy Zirkle. I still kind of think Dallas is the one to beat, but there are a lot of strong dogs and experienced mushers out there. Aliy is smart, has a strong kennel, and could definitely pull out the win! (I try to tell my students that it's not about choosing the winner, but it's hard not to want to see your musher first to Nome!)

If you’re interested in a silly thing like long distance foot races, you can check out the updates on Iditarod.com. The Iditarod Trail Committee also has a Facebook page, but I have found the best updates so far on Dallas Seavy’s Facebook page.

Happy running, doggies (and everyone else out there)!

Zoya DeNure's team at the 2011 Iditarod (Photo by Dana Orlosky)

Family

One of the biggest disadvantages of living in a remote, mountain town is being so far away from family. I have a bit of a reputation for “independence,” when in reality what I’m most often seeking is adventure. (It’s just that sometimes, being independent is a requirement of the adventuring gig, you know?) But the truth is, I don’t get to see my family often enough.

So it was a rare treat last week when I was able to join 12 other women in my family at a cousin’s cabin near Bear Valley for our “Snowshoe Jamboree.” Can I just tell you how much ridiculous fun it was? And can I further state how awesome my family is?

There is a whole lot to be said for surrounding yourself with people who have known you since the day you were born. People from whom you do not need to hide your embarrassing truths because they most likely know them already. People who can laugh as loudly as you can, and do so regularly. People who, in so many obvious ways, are quite a bit like yourself.

There was hiking involved, and snowshoeing. A good amount of eating, of course, and some consumption of wine. One lucky ultrarunner could run straight out the cabin door, no driving needed, to run trails through the nearby state park.

But all of those things were just joyful accoutrements to the main activity of laughing, sharing, and remembering with family.

Rumor has it this will be an annual trip, and I'm already looking forward next year's rendition.

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? 

Tahoe Rim Tour Snowshoe Race

Showing up to a Nordic race with snowshoes in hand is kind of like being an ultrarunner at a triathlon. You are surrounded by slim, fit athletes with the very best, top-of-the-line gear their niche sport has to offer. And you? You’re wearing a down jacket and a pair of ragged Nike tights and feeling a little self-conscious about how they make your butt look. Or maybe that’s just me.

This was the scene at the start of last weekend’s Tahoe Rim Tour, a half-marathon ski and snowshoe race from Tahoe City to Northstar resort in Truckee. In the 20 degree morning chill, I made my way towards registration across a parking lot full of lanky skiers. I plowed through a sea of Craft tights, Toko tops, and approximately a thousand Swix beanies. Don’t forget your Swix beanie!

I immediately found my friend Helen, who was signed up for the classic ski division, and confessed, “You know, I kind of wish I was skiing since I know I would finish faster, but at the same time, I’m glad I’m not, since all these people would kick my butt!” She nodded in sympathy.

At least I know my place—and that’s with the runners. The one’s who aren’t coordinated enough to be real skiers.

I found myself standing around, a bit lost because I don’t know anything about wax. Seriously, you can’t have a conversation with a Nordic skier before a race unless you know how to talk about wax. What colors, how many layers, klister or no klister. People were busy with last minute scraping and buffing, running fingers across perfect bases.

One skier did ask me about my snowshoes though, and I was happy to feign my expertise on the subject for him.

Eventually I found Jamie and Jack at the registration table, and we all made our way to the start, where we gladly let the skiers take the lead.






I had hemmed and hawed about even entering a snowshoe race this far, since my previous two racing experiences on snowshoes, both 5K, showed me the challenges of this sport. Last year Jamie had horror stories about how hard this race had been, so I couldn’t believe she was back for more. She didn’t bother trying to talk me into it, but her mere presence shamed me into showing up. Having a training partner who’s tougher than me is such a good thing!

As it turned out, we set a decent, but reasonable, pace, and Jamie and I ran together the whole way. All we did was talk and run. It was perfect! There weren’t a ton of snowshoers, but we spent our entire two hours and thirteen minutes gradually catching and passing many of them.










The weather was perfect—partly sunny, warm, but cool enough to maintain firm trail conditions. Fast!

In the last mile, I finally decided to catch this man in a blue top whom we had been seeing for the past hour. I was annoyed at the fact that he hadn’t been getting any closer to us! I kicked it up a notch and caught up to him. I immediately confessed that I’d been trying to catch him forever. There wasn’t time for a response before he zoomed ahead of me again. Ha! I was actually quite enjoying the chase.

I had nothing at all at stake, so I gave it another go. We were flying downhill, and my only concern was that I might trip and fall—a real possibility!

I caught up to him one more time, but in the end, I never did pass the guy. After we crossed the finish line, we immediately exchanged high-fives and smiles. Clearly we’d both enjoyed ourselves. I love early-season fun at races!









Post-race activities included a chili-fest, some sitting in the sun with friends, and a huge number of raffle prizes. Cash prizes were given away to skinny young people who all seemed to have names like Bjorn and Hans, and snowshoers got cash prizes, too. I came away with a sweet pair of insulated Salamon Nordic gloves.

After Jamie left, conversation seemed to center around wax again, and I decided it was time to bail. I caught the free shuttle back to the start, and realized that maybe this snowshoeing thing isn’t so bad when you have a friend to run with.

Thanks to all the skiers for putting up with the goofy snowshoers on the trail, and thanks to Farwest Nordic and Northstar for a beautiful January day!