Women's Trail Running and Yoga Retreat

It's time for the third annual Women's Trail Running and Yoga Retreat! Well, I guess I should rephrase that, as the temperature is hovering around zero and we're enjoying perfect skiing conditions right now: it's time to get excited for the third annual Women's Trail Running and Yoga Retreat! Join us May 2-5 for an extended getaway to experience the best the Methow has to offer: sun, fun trails, snow-capped mountain views, wildflowers, and relaxation in a beautiful place. This year we'll be based next to the Methow River, at Winthrop's River Run Inn. They have cabins, inn rooms, and a main house to accomodate both groups and individuals, complete with a swimming pool and hot tub for afternoon relaxing. They are giving us a crazy good deal (rooms between $35 and $55 for single occupancy), so as not to break the bank.

The plan: wake up, eat yummy food, run, eat yummy food, practice yoga, relax, eat yummy food, sleep, repeat.

Early May brings sun and myriad wildflowers valley-wide, and we'll tour the area on daily runs (or twice daily if you're so inclined) between one and three to four hours.

This year I'm excited to have a demo fleet of Scott Running shoes for everyone to try: their lightweight and innovative design make a great, fun feeling shoe. Also new this year, local photographer Kristen Smith will document the weekend and give everyone a photo-loaded cd of her work. Because food and fueling is so important for maintaining a healthy running lifestyle, Stewart Dietz Catering will provide us with nourishing, vegetarian meals (every meal except Saturday night so you can experience our local restaurants). There will be opportunities to work on trail running technique; learn strength exercises, nutrition strategies, and injury prevention to supplement your running; and how to formulate a successful training plan. Finally, local shoe whiz and Winthrop Mountain Sports owner, Rita Kenny, will give a talk on the importance of shoes and how to find the right one for you.



Details:

When: 5pm Thursday, May 2 to 11am Sunday, May 5, 2013

Cost: $275. Includes catered dinner Thursday, all meals Friday, breakfast and lunch Saturday, and breakfast Sunday; guided trail runs in groups based on level and distance; technique instruction; injury prevention/strength session; nutrition discussion; and a shirt. As I love a girls' weekend, bring a friend and take $15 off registration (email me for the discount code if you want to register online.

How: Register online, print or email this form. Call River Run Inn to make your reservation at (509) 996-2173 (make sure to mention you are part of the running retreat to get your discount).

The Rattler is Back!

April 20, 2013          9am

4-Mile, 9-Mile and Half-Marathon 

Pipestone Canyon: Winthrop, WA

A fun, beautiful and challenging trail run in the Methow's unique Pipestone Canyon.

Course Information:
Four-mile: a mix of singletrack and doubletrack, this loop has a couple of rolling hills in and out of the forest, with about 300 feet of climbing.

Nine-mile: this loop goes along the Pipestone Canyon ridge, with some steep climbs and lots of snow-capped mountain views. There is about 1700 feet of climbing and some technical trails. After dropping off the ridge, you can refuel at the well-stocked aid station, then make your way up the canyon on the doubetrack to the finish.

Half-marathon: put the two loops together into a figure eight and get about 2000 feet of climbing. There will be an aid station after the four mile loop as well.

Register online or send a check with this form. Bring a volunteer and run for free! Contact us for this option.

Other information:
The weather in April is often like the pictures below, warm and sunny. The day after these pictures were taken, however, it was raining, so be prepared for everything the Pacific Northwest has to offer.

Methow Valley Inn, is a beautiful and comfortable bed and breakfast in Twisp; it is close to the start and the owners are offering a 20% discount to runners. Call to reserve your room at (509) 997-2253. Make sure to mention you are running the race to get the discount.

Directions to the start:

The race is on Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife land, so a Discovery pass is necessary to park. Please respect our state lands by bringing your pass.

From Winthrop (allow 25 minutes):

View My Saved Places in a larger map

From Twisp (allow 30 minutes):


View My Saved Places in a larger map

Base Training At Its Finest

Cougar Mountain, from Gunn Ranch Rd (Photo by Reid Warner)

These first few months of the year are all about training volume and building strength. Given that we have about two and a half feet of snow (with much more in the mountains), I'm doing a lot of skiing outside and pumping iron in the gym.  If I've learned anything in the past couple of years it is this: strength training is important. Very important. Last winter I spent time in the gym and was rewarded with, oddly enough, running stronger up hills! Since the races I'm most drawn to have a lot of climbing, that strength really paid off. Aside from the benefits of moving better with having more strength, strong muscles are more pliable and less prone to injury: good things for a repetitive movement sport like ultrarunning. While moving through the different periods of training and then through the racing season, I necessarily increased my running time and transitioned to doing specific strength like hill sprints. By the end of the season, I was looking forward to getting back to the gym to build more strength onto what I did last year. Having a true periodized training plan has been helpful in getting all the different physiological pieces trained properly. It's just not possible to build everything at the same time.

I am really excited about the coming year. Aside from the events we are putting on, I have some fun races planned. I woke up early on New Year's day to register for the Speedgoat 50k, in Alta, Utah. It's part of the International Sky Running series, that I've always been enthralled by, since first learning about the world of trail and mountain running. According to the International Sky Running Federation, skyrunning is defined as "the discipline of mountain running up to or exceeding 2,000m where the incline exceeds 30% and the climbing difficulty does not exceed II grade." Oh yeah! Most of the races are held in Europe, but this year there are a couple here in the states, the Speedgoat being one of them. Due to the quality of the event and available prize money, it attracted the best in the world last year, and will surely do the same this year. I'll likely only see them at the start, but I'm excited to participate in a race with the best mountain runners in the world.

That said, I have some serious work to do! The course boasts 11,000ft of elevation gain over the 50k course, between the altitudes of 7,700 ft and just over 11,000 ft. Just typing that makes me nervous. Needless to say, I'm motivated more than ever to get strong. Luckily, we've had amazing ski conditions and enough snow at low elevations to do front-country skiing on some of the very local, car-accessible spots like Cougar Mountain and Driveway Butte. The other day I did a strength workout in the morning, refueled with some friends, then took Nikki for a loop up Cougar with my backcountry gear to get some vertical. It was so fun!

Nearing the top.

I climbed a leisurely hour, with stops to look at the changing view and the cool, iced trees. The descent was even more leisurely, as it is a lot of work for a dog and required many breathers. It was a great first-time excursion for the season. A fellow enthusiast was out on his split board, and got some great pictures (thanks, Reid). It snowed today, and with a storm in the forecast, I'll have plenty of opportunities to do more laps. Skinning up a mountain is as close to hiking up a steep slope with hands on quads as you can get, with a really fun descent! Thanks to all the people who have been frequenting the mountain, the skin track is really well packed and easy to power up. Now that I'm getting my climbing legs in shape, next time I'll try picking up the pace.

Yet another forced dog picture.

One tired, happy dog!

Women's Ski and Yoga Schedule

Wow, what a great start to the winter we've had! After several days of constant snow, we have a great base for the Nordic trails. MVSTA is doing the stellar grooming that we locals have come to graciously expect; both skating and classic skiing have been spectacular, if you can brave the cold weather. It's been clear at night with endless stars and classic bluebird days that you see in magazines. Everyday I'm amazed at the place I live and how lucky I am to be here. I'm excited to share my enthusiasm for the Methow in March for the Women's Ski and Yoga Retreat. If you've never Nordic skied before, this is the perfect opportunity. Skiing is great cross-training for running and cycling, and is so much fun!

To kick off the new year, I thought I'd share what's in store. There is still space available, so if you'd like to join in on the merriment, register here. Bring a friend or two and make it a girls' weekend!

Here's the plan:
Friday, March 1
1:30-3:00 pm     Yoga: Mixed Level
3:00-6:00 pm     Free Time
4:30-6:30 pm     Check-in and Registration at Sun Mountain Lodge
6:30-7:30 pm     Hosted Wine and Hors d'oeuvres
Evening             Dinner on own

Saturday, March 2
7:00-8:30 am     Yoga: Beginner or Intermediate/Advanced
8:45-9:15 am     Breakfast
9:30-10:00 am   Orientation: Come ready to ski
10:00-noon        Ski Session: Classic*
12:30-1:30 pm   Lunch
2:00-3:20 pm     Afternoon Ski Session: Classic*
4:00-4:30 pm     Apres Ski Stretch
After 4:30 pm    Free time. Dinner on your own at Sun Mountain Lodge's dining room or in town.

*Skiers who prefer a skate session will be accommodated with a group size of six or more.

Sunday, March 3
7:00-8:30 am     Yoga: Beginner or Intermediate/Advanced
8:45-9:15 am     Breakfast
9:30 am            Meeting: Come ready to ski
10:00-noon        Ski Session: Skate or Classic
Noon                Check-out
12:30-1:15 pm   Lunch

I hope you can carve out some time to come out!

Ski Rodeo: First Time For Everything

Waiting to start. Photo Steve Mitchell, Mitchellimage.com

I find racing and racing communities deeply satisfying. There's something fun about going as hard as you can in a pursuit with the presence of others, knowing that everyone out there is finding new limits. Running races have become particularly fun, since I often manage to do well; no matter how unattached I try to be with results, the ole' ego loves a good performance. Last Saturday marked MVSTA's annual Ski Rodeo, which I often see as I'm plugging away on the road, maintaining running fitness. Since I committed to skiing this year instead of running (not such a novel idea living in the Methow, but old habits die hard); I advocate people jumping into running races "for the fun of it"; and didn't have other plans for the day; I thought I should put myself out there and try the race. I knew I would be slow, but I was excited to get out of my comfort zone.

Don't let the jacket fool you. I was totally 
out of my element. Photo Steve Mitchell,
http://mitchellimage.com

Race day dawned, and I was amazed at how my body prepared as if I'd been ski racing my whole life; I guess the brain doesn't distinguish much between sports. The familiar nerves, followed by calm while I did my warm up and waited for the start was exactly what my body was trained for, despite not being proficient in the actual sport of skiing.

Sam and I skied the new 10k course several days before, and I was pretty excited about the new hill. Since my heart and lungs are in good shape, I figured they could make up for what my technique lacked and propel me up. Starting the race I took Scott Johnston's advice of refraining from making large movements and hence, breaking poles. I made it unscathed; the large pack spread out immediately and I tried to keep an even effort as I made my way out to the meadow. Soon enough, I approached the hill and started my V1. Again, I thought about skiing within my ability. I knew it would be a while before I'd get a break, and my main goal was to not stop. My arms burned, but I managed to make it to the top without stopping and even passed a couple of people. Have I mentioned that running does not make for a strong upper body?

I recovered on the downhill and even got a tiny break when I fell making the turn at the bottom of the hill. Argh! I got up as quickly as possible, envisioning my hard work on the hill vanishing as people could make up time on the turn. I fumbled my way back to vertical and went as fast as I could to try to make up some time. The next part of the trail winds through the forest and is my favorite of the course. I felt pretty good at that point and remember thinking "this is fun!" Another little climb, followed by a fun descent and it was time to cross the road. Thanks to the friendly volunteers, there was a great snow pack and I didn't have to slow down to get across (if slowing down was possible).

It was around here that I started to feel like I was working exceptionally hard and not getting very far. I got a little frustrated at my lack of skill and then realized I wasn't gliding, no matter how well I shifted my weight from side to side. Ah, the complexities of wax and skiing. The lower section of the community trail passed pretty quickly and soon it was time for the final climb before the gradual downhill to the finish. My arms (still) burned and I felt like I was moving in slow motion, but I finally made it across Goat Creek Road and knew I was almost done. Sam was long-done with his race/workout and he came out to cheer me in. The Junior Nordic Team girls and Laura next cheered me on, while doing their cooldown, which was another boost and incentive to remember my technique cues. My biggest concern at this point was sticking a pole between my skis or doing something silly that would cause a fall right at the end. I finally was able to channel Sam near the finish and felt fast as I crossed the line: then I nearly collapsed of exhaustion.

Next time I hope to look more
like the skier on the medal.

I had so much fun and I'm excited to do it next year to see how much better I can do. Thanks to MVSTA and their volunteers for the stellar first-timer atmosphere, complete with silly costumes and hats. I urge anyone who is interested in skiing to give the rodeo a try. Congrats to everyone who raced: it was hard! Sam had to get going to Utah for National Championships, but we stayed just long enough for the awards. He blew everyone away and skied the 12k (due to the modified course) in 31:40! After he got his medal and we were getting our stuff together I was shocked to hear my name called for third in my age group. My time was much slower than first and second; but regardless, I was psyched! I spent the rest of the day lounging and eating. Not surprisingly, the satisfied post-race feeling is the same for skiing as it is for running. With my first one is out of the way, I have nowhere to go but up and look forward to the Pursuit. Until then, Happy New Year!

Core Strength

As winter really picks up steam and gets her frosty legs under her, all your various little inefficiencies are probably starting to rear their fatigued, glycogen-deprived heads and cry out for assistance. Though most of my winter is spent on the racing circuit I do get the opportunity to teach a few private lessons and there are some very common issues I see which can be categorized under the general heading: core strength.

Go for strength over showy

Let's start this discussion with a disclaimer: core strength is NOT six-pack abs. Not necessarily, at least. While the fit skier or runner will likely have a nice washboard stomach, it comes as much from leanness and body fat composition as it does sheer strength. Core strength encompasses far more than the rectus abdominus (the six-pack muscle): there are also the external and internal oblique muscles and the transverse abdominus. These muscles comprise the deeper layers to the rectus; they are also the ones that help stabilize and support your structure during both dynamic movement and when still. Additionally, we add (perhaps controversially) the lesser gluteal muscles into the mix - the minimus and medius, both on the lateral side of your hip. These muscles are also heavily involved in stability, especially for the pelvis.

In thinking particularly about Nordic skiing, the core is hugely important. Without adequate core strength, you will often see people skiing with their hips behind them, gliding with their weight predominantly on their heels instead of more appropriately, on the ball of the foot. Furthermore, a lack of core strength will manifest itself in the form of a cranky lower back after your first few skis of the season. Because skiing is such a dynamic sport, demanding that you be in a forward-leaning position and alternating between tensed and relaxed, you need a sturdy core to take the load off your lower back.

We prefer a max strength approach to core training, as opposed to the "1000 crunches every day" routine. Yes, you will get a ripped tummy with that many exercises (provided you're not snuggling up with Mr. Goodbar thrice a day), but will it make you stronger? We go for few reps and a high load to get maximal engagement of the core, complete with (and this part's crucial) correctly-fired muscles. Put another way, you want to engage your deeper core muscles INSTEAD of your superficial rectus abdominus. The easiest way to do this is, when doing a sit-up, focus on pulling up your pelvic floor; pretend your trying to hold in a pee. You'll notice your stomach contract and tension in your pelvic region, distal to your navel.

For a more visual reference, picture this: when you're using mainly your rectus abdominus in a sit-up, it will bulge from your stomach, mimicking a "bread loaf". Our good friend Dr. Colleen Ryan, DPT, coined that term and we think it fits very well. In contrast to the bread loaf look, an engaged deep core will display a flat stomach:

The incorrect engagement - note the "bread loaf" abs. Notice also how curved the cervical spine is; a true, challenging sit-up involves a straight back, relying more on the deep core muscles instead of "rolling" along the spine and using the rectus.

A flat, sexy stomach in a sit-up is a sign of a strong core. See as well how the spine isn't as curved; when conducting the sit-up be sure to have the neck at a natural angle, as it would be if you were standing upright and looking straight ahead.

A strong core is beneficial in every single sport. Our core is what is supposed to hold us upright and stable so that our more superficial muscles are left free to do the more specific, powerful movements. Beefcake McGoo may have a slammin' six-pack but without strong deep core muscles, he ain't gonna be out double-poling you in a 50km ski marathon any time soon.

Something Different This Winter

Heading up Cub Creek in the Rendezvous

This winter I'm trying something new: a little sport called Nordic skiing. Since I've now lived in cross country heaven with over 100 miles of perfectly groomed, connecting ski trails for almost five years, I figured it was time to take the plunge and put running on the back burner for a few months and start the long process of learning to Nordic ski. Two things come to mind as I write this: why did I wait so long; and running does not require upper limb strength.

So far I'm having so much fun, and while I don't like being bad at something, the silver lining of starting with virtually no technique is that I can only improve in terms of my efficiency and strength.

Nikki waiting for me...again.

MVSTA does an amazing job grooming, with  many ski trails having been open with a great tracks for a couple of weeks.  Luckily for Nikki, dogs are allowed on those particular trails, so she's already had several nice, long, skis. 

Sam and his mom, during our dusk outing.

We got our first big dump of snow over the weekend which opened up the trails right by our place and made current conditions perfect. During the storm we went classic skiing, which I really love, as it is much more like running, albeit more difficult. The Mazama Store had their annual open house, so it was perfect timing for us to ski, then head inside to sample their tasty treats and socialize a bit.

Looking toward Goat Peak, with Goat Wall in the foreground.

Today we awoke to crystal clear, cold skies. The snow was slower, but it offered a good opportunity to hone in on my skating technique, with the help of my model skier of a husband. Due to work, we couldn't go until the afternoon, so we ended up skiing quite a bit in the shade, but had some lovely views of sun. Skating doesn't come quite as naturally to me, but each time I go, a couple of things click. Hopefully, by the Women's Ski and Yoga Retreat I'll be able to hold my own. And by the end of the year-look out! Even before then, however, I feel it my duty as both a coach and an event organizer who encourages others to try races for the fun of it, to take my own advice and jump into a race. So, I plan to pull up the rear at this year's Ski Rodeo and the MV Pursuit, then have my trusty Husky pull us to victory at the Nordic Club's Doggie Dash.

Because Nikki isn't allowed on the trails in Mazama and I like to get off the beaten path sometimes, I added some backcountry touring skis to my quiver. They have metal edges, but have fish scales so I can go pretty much where my heart desires. I tested them out on Saturday behind the Freestone Inn. It was before we had a lot of snow, so it was a little tricky under the trees, and quite painful when I fell on a rock. Nevertheless, it was fun to get out. Once we have a bit more of a base, they will be awesome for getting in some long adventures.

To be sure, I still have my running shoes next to the door, and once there is grooming from the Sno-Parks I'll run on the Forest Service roads, but it feels really good both mentally and physically to mix things up a bit.  There's another storm warning for tonight and now that I'm into this skiing thing, I couldn't be happier. Let it snow!

A certain dog gets pretty excited