Beware of the Winter's Revenge! :-)

After losing Brandy back in December, it took me a while to get over her loss and to get myself back on track with things - even now, I find myself thinking about her and shedding a few tears, but the pain is slowly passing and along with Andy, we’ve both been making sure that our other pups, Wilson and Tillie, have been receiving lots of love and attention.

Over the Christmas break, we headed out to Jasper for a few nights in a log cabin. It was just what we needed, and as the snow came down and we settled down in front of the fireplace with a hot chocolate in hand and two pups snuggled up on the sofa next to us, it felt extremely warm and cozy. We had a fair bit of snow whilst out that way, but I still managed to get out for a couple of runs, whilst the 4 of us did a couple of low level hikes at Athabasca Falls and Valley of the Five Lakes. It was nice to be in the fresh mountain air and with the snow and lack of summer crowds, it was so peaceful and relaxing.

Family time over Christmas :-)

Family fun in Jasper :-)

As is usually the case, the Christmas break flew by and come January, I was back into the swing of things with my running. The winter so far hasn’t been too bad here in Leduc compared to previous years living in Canada and yet the lying snow and the sometimes icy, treacherous pathways have made it difficult to run at a decent pace outside so I have been to the track a couple of times, and I’ve even graced the treadmill with my presence at the recreation centre.

Just another winter's night for running in Leduc :-)

With the start of a new year, it was time to start planning races for the coming months and whilst I do have things pretty much set out, there may be some changes in May and June in terms of my racing schedule. All will be revealed in due course, but for now, it’s all about building a base, increasing the miles, and getting some pace back into the old legs.

One of the things I missed last year was running the marathon distance and 50km races, so this year, I’m trying to fit in some of these races to use as training to help to build some strength for the longer stuff later in the year. Although the weather isn’t conducive to fast races in Alberta during the winter months, I still signed up for the Frozen Ass 50k in Calgary which is on my birthday in February, and one closer to home, the Canadian Winter River Valley Revenge which took place just a couple of weeks ago.

This year, the WRVR was a total sellout and I actually took the last spot in the 50k when I decided to enter just a couple of weeks before race day. I hadn’t really done much research of the race but it was held in Edmonton, it was a two-lap trail race, it was held in the depths of winter, and from what I had seen from the photos from previous years, it had lots of tough climbs and steep descents.

I’d been keeping an eye on the weather forecast all week and it looked that come race day, there was a possibility of snow along with freezing temperatures and a windchill of around -28 degrees. Such cold temperatures are no joke so I made sure that the kit I would wear on race day would be enough to keep me warm. I figured that I would also need an additional layer just in case I needed to start walking – slowing down or walking would be a surefire way of allowing my body temperature to fall and I really didn’t want to be the one suffering from hypothermia!

I’d looked at previous race results and it looked like even the top runners had finished in over 6 hours in the past – this was going to be one tough race, and I had no idea how long it was going to take me. Andy and the dogs were heading up to Edmonton with me, but I really didn’t want them sitting in the car or waiting outside for 6 or 7 hours – it would be far too cold and an extremely long day for them! As it happened, Andy headed home a couple of times throughout the day, and even the dogs had tons of fun as he took them to the dog park a couple of times and made sure they were all warm and dry.

For me, it was quite the day in more ways than one and I was just glad to get home to have a hot bath!

The race started at 8am. It was only just coming light, the wind was blowing a gale with snow flying all over the place, and we knew it was going to be a cold day. Thankfully, the majority of the course follows the woodland trails alongside the river banks which provided some shelter from the wind – when we left the trees, the biting wind was terrible and I found myself burying my face in my thermal face cover that I had taken with me.

The first 400m or so,we battled deep snow as we headed out across the playing field. This was followed by a couple of kilometers on snowy pavements before heading off onto the trails for the start of the adventure. 

Within the first mile or so, I was already in love with the course as we dropped down into a ravine and followed a frozen creek. As we hit the creek, there was plenty of climbing over and under fallen debris and trees along the route. At one point, we passed a gorgeous frozen waterfall – it was such a pretty route with all the snow and ice and I was loving it! It was inevitable that despite the freezing temperatures, we would likely encounter a section where the creek wasn’t quite frozen, and as I scrambled over one of the many tree trunks, my left foot went straight through the slushy surface and ended up submerged in the water. I hopped out pretty much straight away and warned the following runners, and then a couple of hundred metres later, my other foot went through the ice. I now had two very wet feet and for a fleeting second, I did ponder about the risk of frostbite with a good 2 to 3 hours of running ahead of me before I had access to a spare pair of dry socks and shoes. I carried on, not really giving it much more thought, and as time went by, my feet seemed to warm up and I really didn’t notice how wet they really were.

Frozen waterfalls, frozen creek and the ravine
Photo Credit to Melanie Steiner

Start as you mean to go on! Yep, it was pretty much like this :-)
Photo Credit Mike Mackenzie

For the next few miles, we weaved in and out of trees, up and down steep, snowy hills, and occasionally we’d hit patches of ice where the only way down was to slide on the old butt and cling to the tree branches along the way.

I was wearing 3 thermal layers plus a waterproof jacket and I had put my backpack under the layers in an attempt to stop it freezing. But when I tried to take a drink, the mouthpiece was frozen solid and I had to do with out a drink. I’d grabbed a hot chocolate at the last aid station but other than that, I’d not drank anything and I was starting to get a little thirsty. The next aid station was apparently at 12km, so I kept on going, knowing it wouldn’t be too long before I could grab something.

I was running well and running strong despite the cold. I had no idea what position I was in in terms of the ladies – some passed me on the trails whilst others got delayed at the aid station and as the race progressed and we merged with the relay runners and the 25km runners, I really had no idea who was who!

The route carried on in pretty much the same vein – steep climbs, icy descents, weaving in and out of trees and snowy trails, but we had been warned that the last 4km were tough and were probably going to be the worst 4km we have ever experienced.

Just one of the many climbs mid-race
Photo credit to Gail Quelch

They weren't wrong! Having left the final aid station on loop one, we made our way over the bridge and were then directed down to the river where we followed some wonderful single track and were greeted by some wonderful wintry views. But as we progressed, the path narrowed further before entering a tree covered area. It became really difficult to run due to how narrow it was and how low the branches came, and at one point, we had to literally crawl on hands and knees to get through a particular section. However, the worst was yet to come. 

Riverside trails during the race - very pretty, but a very tough section!

20km in and crawling through "the teepee"
Photo Credit to Vanessa Drobig

Just when you think you’re done, we were directed up a crazy steep hill that was covered in ice and snow, and almost like a sheer cliff. Otherwise known as Fireball Ridge, trying to get a grip was nearly impossible and a couple of times I found myself sliding back down and making little progress. A slip down the hill would mean a dip in the frozen river and I didn’t fancy that! Unlike the earlier sections, there were no trees here and I found myself trying to cling to clumps of grass and the occasional root and with all my strength, trying to pull myself up whilst my feet and legs scrambled to get a grip. Even with Kahtoolas it was hard work and it took every ounce of effort to make that climb.

It was probably about 50m to climb and on reaching the single track again, we continued along the ridge where shortly afterwards we had to go down. This time it was just a sheet of ice and the trail sloped slightly towards the river. There was only one way to go, and as I got down on my butt and started to slide, I couldn’t control the speed, there was nothing to slow me down, and I was precariously close to toppling over and bouncing down the hill into the river again. I slammed by Kahtoolas in the ice as best I could to control the speed at which I was sliding, and thankfully just about managed to maneuver myself to get safely to the bottom of that hill. I felt extremely relieved, but I knew that I had to do it all again, and next time would be worse on tired legs, along with a much more slippery surface having had more people slide down the slope in the meantime. 

Icy, steep and slippery - the only way is down!
Photo Credit Jill Peckham Moore

On finally reaching the end of the ridge, we headed back up the hill through the woods which brought us back to the start and finish area where Andy was waiting to check all was well. It had taken me just over 3 and a half hours to do 25km – this didn’t bode well for a sub 7 hour finish I was hoping for given that the second lap would likely be slower and tougher!

I headed inside briefly to change my clothes – they were extremely damp from sweat, condensation and the cold air, and I desperately needed to put on something warm. I also dropped my backpack as the tube was still frozen and I had carried a full pack for nothing – I swapped it out for a handheld instead which worked much better although slushy Gatorade sure takes some getting used to!

I so desperately wanted to change my shoes and socks – I had a spare pair of each, but my laces had frozen solid and I’d tied them pretty tight so couldn’t slide my shoes off to swap them out. I knew I needed to change them, but although my feet still felt wet, they did not feel cold, so I decided to head out on lap two.

Lap 2 was an eye opener. I lost my footing once again in the ravine and my feet got even wetter than before. I seemed to be running more of the hills on this lap, but I had quite obviously slowed a little. I also seemed to catch up with more of the other runners and having spoken to them during the race, it sounded like we had all taken a wrong turn at some point on lap one. It was on the second lap that I realized that I too had gone wrong on the previous lap and I had actually missed the crazy climbs after the second aid station which appeared to have been a common mistake by the other runners. These climbs were also extremely icy and snowy and I was using tree trunks and branches to drag myself up as I tried to grip in the snow – my weak runner's arms were aching but it really was an adventure!

With about 10km to go in the race, I noticed that my left foot had started to go a little numb. It still didn’t feel cold, but when I tried to bend my toes, I couldn’t seem to move them. My fear about frostbite came to the forefront again and I started to worry that maybe my toes were in the process of falling off. I was wearing two pairs of thermal socks but the soaking in the creek had done me no favours, and looking at my shoes, they appeared to be frozen solid. I stopped for a second and prodded my feet – there was still feeling in them, but I just couldn’t move them.

I passed through the final aid station, grabbed some chicken noodle soup and a hot chocolate to warm myself up a bit, and then proceeded to do the horrendous climbs along the river again, conscious all the time that I really needed to get back as soon as possible as I really needed to look at my toes.

The second time along the river was just as scary and just as dramatic, and as I bounced down the icy hill, I could feel my buttocks bruising along with my hips and things! Soft snow would have been fine, but solid ice on a bumpy trail is no fun!

The slog up the cliff face seemed easier this time - maybe because more people had made small ledges with their footprints in the snow - but I honestly think I was running on adrenaline as the concern about the lack of movement in my foot had me going in to semi-panic mode. I seemed to fly along the ridge  and before I knew it, I was heading back up through the trees and heading towards the finish line.

I eventually finished in a little over 7 and a half hours and went straight inside to take my shoes off and put on some warm clothes. Andy wasn't there but thankfully he had left my drop bag and I knew I had some dry shoes and socks in there.

The concern about my toes really started to set in when I had difficulty removing my left shoe. My socks appeared to be frozen to my shoe, they were solid ice, and try as I might, I could not get the shoe off. I tried to wiggle my foot, but it just wasn’t budging so I sat there for 10 to 15 minutes, using the warmth of my hands as I waited for the ice to melt. Eventually the shoe came off and I saw that my big toe was just a wrinkled mess of dark purple and black. The toe nail was also black and I thought perhaps that it was just bruising from the shoes and wearing Kahtoolas all day, but when I touched my foot, it was like a block of ice. I jokingly said to the guys sitting next to me that I hoped it wasn’t frostbite, but I don’t think they realized what I was saying and laughed with me.

When Andy arrived, I immediately showed him the foot and too looked concerned so we sought out a medic for  a more professional opinion. Unfortunately, the medics only knew basic fist aid but they said it did look like frostbite although it could just as well be a blister. They said to keep it warm but don’t put in hot water, and to keep an eye on it. If it was frostbite, it would really hurt when the skin thawed out and I should go see a doctor just in case of infection.

WARNING: NASTY TOE PHOTO BELOW!

For the next two days I anxiously waited for the pain to kick in, but nothing came. My toe remained very dark purple, and the blood blister underneath my toe nail did nothing to alleviate the discolouration of my toe. By Monday, the toe had started to go red and shiny so I eventually bit the bullet and went to the doctors. It was there that he confirmed that it most likely was frostbite but it wasn’t too severe and I wasn’t about to lose my toe. The tissue will eventually die on the tip of my toe, but I could still run and I would be ok for Frozen Ass 50km in February – phew!

I found out late on the Saturday night that I had won the ladies race which I was extremely surprised but very happy about. Unfortunately  I did not attend the awards banquet and results were not available at the time, so I have no idea what I won. I haven't yet heard anything from the organisers to say how I go about claiming my prize but then it did take a couple of days to verify the official results due to the number of people that took wrong turns. Happily the final published results still had me as first female so I am just waiting to see if anything arrives. I'm not the sort of person to chase a prize as I personally run and race for fun and I guess that's enough for me :-)

The WRVR is a great event, the course is excellent and the volunteers amazing, especially given they sat out in the cold for as long as they did. But it isn’t for the feint of heart, and certainly not during the winter months if you can't handle the challenging winter conditions. Lots of people DNF’d due to missing the cutoffs, but the weather conditions certainly have a huge impact on how tough the course can be. I have to say that being out there for 7 and a half hours for "just" 50km was challenging even for me, but at least I know for next time.

There is a Summer Valley Revenge with distances up to 100 miles available – maybe I’ll do that next time instead and enjoy the climbs in the beautiful warm summer sunshine - who knows? But then I have to ask myself – if the course was easy, if the weather had been perfect, would I have felt the same sense of achievement?

In terms of the frostbite, my toe is still there but as others warned me, it does seem to be more sensitive to the cold right now. Yesterday I did another 50k run, this time just a training run, and the weather was milder which meant a lot of snow melt and slush. Getting wet feet caused a dull ache in my toe and I knew I needed to change my shoes and socks as soon as possible to be comfortable again. My concern right now is getting frostbite on the frostbite - that would be bad so I am being extremely cautious.

50km Training Run in Leduc - a bit of a struggle, but happy
to get in the miles :-)

I have been out running since WRVR but I haven't been able to do any speed sessions due to the discomfort in my big toe. Thankfully I've stayed motivated by taking part in the January Battle with Wild Rose Runners, where the goal has been to complete 400km by the end of January. I'm happy to say that today I passed the 400km mark - 405 km to be precise or approximately 251 miles - and I'm feeling ok despite the higher than usual miles. They may have been slow miles for me, but I'm pretty sure that they will benefit me in the long term, and I am looking forward to seeing how I get on at Frozen Ass 50km next month - I'm just hoping things are a little warmer and less snowy in Calgary :-)