Sky Pilot 18K (although my GPS says it was 20K)

 

This was an amazing race. Last Sunday was the inaugural running of the Sky Pilot. It was supposed to be 25K but they shortened it to 18K when they couldn't build a longer safe trail, and then the course was changed again to just around 19K or 20K. They said it rained, and streams and waterfalls showed up out of nowhere so the loop course was nixed for an out-and-back in the interest of keeping runners safe.

The race director was all about being safe. Here is the list of items we had to carry with us (just in case we went off course and had to spend the night out there).
Mandatory Gear Items Are:
1) Whistle
2) Jacket
3) Buff or Toque
4) Gloves
5) Cell Phone
6) Space Blanket
7) Working Headlamp or Flashlight
8) Matches or Lighter
9) Evidence of Having Carried 600 Calories From Aid Station
10) Evidence of Having Carried Two Liters of Water From Aid Station
11) Printed Course Map

The race director was also all about making it the hardest race you'll ever want to run. I thought the turn around would be at a saddle that I could see high above us. Boy, was I wrong! After we ascended to that saddle, we climbed the mountain next to it! And that is where the views were incredible.

Here is a video at the highest point in the race.

 

This video is at the turn-around, just below the highest point.

This course was challenging. There was a lot of waiting during the first 2 miles. There were ropes to aid in getting up the trail and it took some time to get everyone through those sections.

These were the lines waiting to go up the ropes.

 

Here was a rope section.

Other challenges included rocky trails and boulder fields. One section was a scramble up switchbacks in loose duff. One the way down, I pretty much "skied" down. I didn't have any traction in the slippery stuff so I was happy to just slide down.

Is this a river bed? No, it's really the running trail.

 

Here is one of the boulder fields. There are people in this picture but they are so small you can't see them very well (that's how big these rocks are).

 

Another boulder field. I did pretty good on they way down through these and passed a few people. My legs were pretty tired and I was a little worried about twisting an ankle or breaking a wrist on the way down. This was about the time that I realized it probably wasn't a good idea to run a half marathon the day before this race.

 

Aid station 2.5K before the end. I was soooo happy to see these folks and to eat some potato chips.

 

There were tons of blueberries everywhere. Near the top, a course monitor was hanging out, picking berries, and offering them to us as we ran by. By the way, I knew I was in a foreign country because I never heard so many "eh?"s in my life. Canadians have to end every sentence with a question . . eh?

 

The finish line was at the top of the Sea to Sky gondola and Summit Lodge. I crossed the line with my son running beside me, and then the race director gave me a big 'ol bear hug. It almost made me tear up.

Here's my hug, with my son looking back.

 

 

This cool suspension bridge is also near the finish line.

 

This race is part of the Coast Mountain Trail Series and I would really like to do another one of their races soon. I'm afraid to admit that to my husband . . .

#52 of 52 - Beat the Blerch

The Beat the Blerch was a good ol' fun race! Not to mention that it was number 52!!!! The weather was just right--cloudy and cool. I ran with two wonderful friends, Tami and Lisa.

Tami, Lisa, and me at the start of the race. Thank you, girls, for sharing my monumental day with me!

And hear is how the race organizers made it fun.

They provided a couch at each aid station! We sat down and rested with a few Blerches.

 

Sasquatch was lurking in the bushes at an aid station.

 

They served cake at the aid stations!!

 

Lisa is enjoying the cake at mile 10.

 

The costumes were fantastic.

The signs along the way kept me laughing.

I'm at the end of the road--this was my last race! I completed my 52nd race in 365 days today, with one week to spare.



Just a week ago, I reflected on my year-long journey. And I realized that not once did I feel like a race was a chore that needed to be completed. Instead, I looked forward to each running event. I ran in places that I never would have gone to before, and met people that I would have never had the blessing to meet.

I amassed a few things along the way:

Shirts

Medals

Bibs

 

I also spent a few dollars, $7,260 to be exact. That includes some gas to travel overnight to races but doesn't include all gas. It also includes new shoes, hotels, a few massages, Gu, a couple of 5Ks with my daughter, and some other running gear (socks, gloves, shorts). I tried to go as inexpensively as I could so I usually opted out of buying a race shirt if I had to pay for it separately.

Am I really done running?? NO WAY!!

Tomorrow I am running a 19K trail run in Squamish, BC. I can't wait!

 

#51 of 52 - Black Diamond Half

Last weekend's race was part of a bigger gig. It included triathlons--sprint, Olympic, and half ironman distances--and duathlons, and a half marathon. It was out by Enumclaw where I was born and raised. I ran this half marathon coarse once before. It was a long time ago when I was doing triathlons and this run was part of the half ironman. The last 1.5 miles of the run goes around a lake on a nice wide trail. This year was an unseasonably nice day for mid-September.

The run didn't feel very good for me though, and I can't figure out why. Was I coming down with a cold? Was I too hot? I just felt tired, all the way down to my toes.

I chatted with these girls at the start of the race. The course had several out-and-backs so I got to say hi to them often.

View of Mt Rainier. I grew up with a completely unobstructed view of this guy and it never got old looking at him.

Horse pastures. I grew up riding horses and I love them!

This is the lovely, wide path around the lake near the end of the race. It was nice and cool in the trees.

Here is the lake. The locals call it "Deep Lake" because it's, well, deep (and cold). I spent a lot of summer days here cooling off on a dock that is no longer in the lake.

Camping on the Coast

I intentionally kept last weekend open so we could do our annual backpacking trip to the coast with our friends. My kids are only 6 and 9 years old but this trip has already become a tradition for them and they look forward to it every year. I missed some great races, but I wouldn't have traded the beach and sand for any of them! I didn't exactly not run at all last weekend because my husband and I ran 7.25 miles together on the beach on our third day.

Crossing Puget Sound on the ferry. It is a 5 to 6 hour drive to reach the trail head, including this 30 minute ferry ride.

 

Having a snack at the trail head.

 

A lot of the trail is boardwalk. We hiked 3 miles to the Sand Point beach.

 

 

We spent 4 days at this beach. The kids played every waking moment.

 

 

My daughter found a star fish.

 

My daughter, eating dinner in her new "dining room." There is so much stuff that washes up on the beach and the kids gather it up and build forts and other things with it.

 

Here is the "kitchen."

 

Jiffy Pop popcorn, cooked on a little gas stove.

 

We had sunny, hot weather. The sunsets were beautiful.

 

Group photo before heading home!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#50 of 52 - Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon

I have wanted to do a half marathon put on by Destination Races since last fall. I finally got to do one last weekend! It was in the Willamette Valley in Oregon--the heart of wine country. The race was no more expensive than a mega race like the Seattle Half Marathon in November but it was infinitely better. For starters, it wasn't raining. The course was on rolling countryside roads while the sun was rising, and the scenery was beautiful. It was a little big race. It felt small and intimate yet there were 1,500 runners. The race started on a hilltop at Stoller Vineyards. The sun was rising over Mt Hood but I didn't get to see that part because there were too many clouds this year. Something to look forward to next year, perhaps.

 

I took this picture at the back of the start line. Then I walked about two-thirds toward the front.

 

Lining up for the start.



There were aid stations every few miles with water and sports drink. At mile 8, they served wine! I wish I had taken a picture of that aid station. At mile 10, there was a band playing in a field. At the finish, they handed out the coolest medals, and a wine glass. Of course, a free wine tasting with our new wine glasses ensued. I didn't count how many wines were offered but I guess there were around 15.

Country roads.

 

The band!

I loved the medal. This picture doesn't really show how beautiful it is.

I signed up for the pre-race dinner that was held the evening before at a winery surrounded by vineyards. It was a lovely place located on a hilltop. Before the dinner, we tasted wine and enjoyed the sunset. The grape vines were heavily laden with ripe fruit. There were hammocks swinging in the breeze. The food was delicious. I met some cool running folks. The founders of Destination Races spoke at the dinner and it was fun to hear their story about how these races got started.

The pre-race dinner was at Anne Amie Vineyards in Carlton, OR.

 

Watching the sun set while relaxing with my family on hammocks. (My kids screaming in the background--doesn't enhance the experience a whole lot.) 

This race is definitely one of my two most favorite races I've ever run. I would have rated it my very top race if it was on a trail rather than paved road. But I have to admit that the shoulder of the road was fantastic for running. I ran on the shoulder over 50% of the time. I think that is pretty incredible for a road run.