Rundles Revenge

Sunday morning saw my first trail race of the year - it was also the first time I had gone to a race entirely on my own - no Andy, no Wilson or Brandy, no friends and not even any familiar faces that I could put a name to. It was also a 50km ultra which meant I had to be self-supporting in terms of monitoring my fluid intake and nutrition for the duration of the race.

I'd heard lots of positive comments about Rundles Revenge and with it being organised by the same folks as the TransRockies Run and the now defunct Kananaskis Triple, I had been contemplating entering the 50km since just after Christmas. I knew it was likely to become one of my favourite races if I decided to do it, but then when I won 2 free entries in IMPACT Magazine's "30 Day Race Entry Giveaway" competition I guess the decision to register was made for me and I found myself signing up for the 50km.

The day didn't start too well. It had been exceptionally hot in Calgary in recent days and I hadn't been sleeping at night due to the heat, so a 4.30am alarm wake up call didn't really go down too well after just 4 or 5 hours kip. The race took place at the Canmore Nordic Centre which was a 90 minute drive from home, it started at 8am, and I had to account for the usual 20 minute bathroom queue that seems to exist whether you're racing 100 miles or 100 metres! Add to that the fact that I was unable to take Wilson and Brandy with me today so they needed a walk before I headed off, plus Andy wasn't here to drive me so I could sleep in the car, I thought I'd given myself sufficient time to get there.

I have never seen so much construction work on a Sunday morning at 6am - road closures on the major routes and diversions onto roads I didn't even know existed put an extra 15 minutes on my journey time, and then because I'd been trying to stay hydrated in preparation for the race, I was absolutely bursting for the loo but the bathrooms at the service station on route were out of order! Time for a quick visit in a nearby bush where I'm sure anybody seeing my bare behind would have been even more frightened than seeing an actual bear behind!

Thankfully I arrived at the Nordic Centre with 20 minutes to spare and just in time for the briefing on wildlife safety and the compulsory gear check which simply involved making sure you had your can of bear spray to hand.

I'd been checking the weather all week and I knew that today was going to be hot with temperatures in excess of 30 degrees. Although it was a lapped course with aid stations every 6km or so, I was well aware that if I ended up having to walk, that 6k would be tough without any water. I also tend to use just gels in a 50k race, taking them every 5-10km, so I had opted to carry a Camelbak to make sure I had constant access to water and also the gels if and when I needed them.

The race started bang on time and a mass of around 150 or so runners set off at a fair old pace. Rundles Revenge offers a number of distances but with everybody setting off altogether, you have no idea who is doing what. With me doing the 50km, my plan was to just take things easy and pace myself as I knew that with things heating up as the morning progressed, I would no doubt start to suffer not only from the heat but also from the general fatigue of racing.

Photo thanks to TransRockies Rundles Revenge
Start of the 2015 race on a beautiful but hot Sunday morning

The first 3 or 4km of the race is pretty much all up hill and I was determined not to start walking until I really had to - besides, I've been doing far more hill work and trail runs recently and I was feeling strong. It started off on quite a wide trail but then as we entered the trees, the trail narrowed and became far more technical with tree roots and rocks making things a little more challenging. A section of switchbacks saw some people already starting to walk and I was somewhat surprised at how many folks I was starting to pass - I was barely out of breath and the legs were feeling good despite the early climbs.

Picture thanks to Transrockies Rundles Revenge
Start of the Rundles Revenge Run on a gorgeous Sunday morning in Canmore

I knew that once I reached the top of this section, things got easier as the trail became more undulating with lots of downhill, before the final long, drawn out climb commenced at around 8 or 9km which took us back towards the end of each lap.

I had no idea what position I was in the ladies race and I knew that I probably wouldn't have an inkling until I'd started my 3rd lap - by then the field would have thinned out and and anybody ahead of me would either be doing the 50km or I would be lapping the slower runners that were doing the shorter distances.

The first lap passed without incident - no bears, no falls, no complaints about the heat - it was just lots of fun and I was feeling good as I passed the timing mat in around about 72 minutes.

Now I knew what to expect, I found myself getting into race mode, picking up the pace whenever I saw another runner ahead or when the terrain allowed it. I was still pacing myself quite well and was still running up the hills on the second lap, but I had started to notice that things were warming up and it was causing me to sweat more profusely. I was glad I had the extra water in my backpack, but the backpack was starting to irritate me and I knew that I would be ready to throw it in a bush before too long.

As the trail started to wind itself back downhill, I found that I was running really well and knocking out some pretty fast km splits even though I hadn't really got a target pace in mind. I was absolutely loving the run - the twisting and turning through the trees, the silence of nature around me with the occasional sound of flowing water, the birds singing in the trees, the scuttle of squirrels running up and down the tree trunks, and the sight of the surrounding mountains whenever we reached a clearing and we could safely look up without the risk of tripping over a rock or a tree root.

Due to the recent prolonged dry weather, I was finding the trails extremely dusty which was drying out my throat. I tried to release the tube to my water supply to stop me wheezing and coughing every so often, but as I did so, I tripped on a rock and almost ended up flat on my face in the nearby bushes. Thankfully I balanced myself just in time, although my right glute took a battering in the process. I recovered well enough though and managed to keep going and as I approached the final long climb that signalled I was almost at the end of lap 2, I put my head down and pushed forward.

This time it felt much harder, but I still refused to walk and I was thinking back to the runs I've done recently with my friend Joanna. We've done some really steep climbs of late that were far longer, harder and steeper than this, so I found myself repeating "longer and steeper with Joanna, this is easy in comparison". It worked - I overtook a couple more runners including a lady and although I was starting to tire, I was still feeling pretty damn good. I spoke to lady to find out what distance she was doing and thankfully she was doing the 25km, but even though I couldn't recall that many ladies still being ahead of me at this point, I sensed that I wasn't actually leading the 50k and that whoever was must be having a bloody good run in this heat!

My lap time for lap 2 was 1 hour 16 mins - slightly slower than the first lap but not too drastic, and I was still on target for my goal finishing time of around 5 - 5.15.

By now, rightly or wrongly, I decided to ditch the Camelbak. I had drank most of the water already and with the aid stations having such a good supply of drinks, I opted to reduce the weight I was carrying and just take my mandatory can of bear spray and a couple of gels to keep me going. I figured that I could last 6km without a drink so long as I made sure to drink plenty at the aid stations,

Lap 3 was even slower and yet I was still overtaking people that were doing the 50km. I still couldn't see any ladies ahead of me, but I still sensed that I was not leading. I'm always amazed at how perceptive we can be when racing. I never consciously count those ahead of me, and yet somehow I always seem to know approximately what position I'm in. I still felt like there was somebody to chase, and so I was still running pretty much all the hills and pushing hard on the downhills. My determination to catch whoever was ahead of me cost me yet another fall - thankfully no damage, but it's hard to get going again when you're so hot and feeling tired. And it was hot! Even in the shade of the trees and the shelter of the wind, it was so still and quiet and not a breath of air - it was almost suffocating - and the dry dusty trails were still playing havoc with my chest. In the latter stages of the third lap, I was beginning to crave ice cold water and yes, I was starting to get extremely thirsty and wishing I had my Camelbak!

The end of lap 3 couldn't come soon enough and having just passed 4 guys that were clearly struggling due to the course and the heat, mentally I was feeling fantastic and brimming with confidence, although physically my body was having a hard time coping with the stress I was putting on it.

I consumed 2 cups of water, 2 of coke and 2 of energy drink prior to starting my final lap, and took a gel for good measure. I was surprised I wasn't throwing up with such a wonderful concoction of nastiness, but I guess over the years my stomach has got used to the crap I throw into it when I race ultras.

I knew this final lap was going to be tough. My last lap was 1 hour 23 mins and I knew I didn't have the energy to go much quicker. But then about 800m after the start of the final lap where the trail turns back on itself as it heads up the hill, I saw the leading lady. I don't know how I knew it was her - maybe it was the look of panic on her face, the way she tried to speed up as she saw me a mere 2 or 3 minutes behind her, the double take she did as if to say "really?!" To be fair, she looked to be moving well - or at least far better than I felt I looked - but then I recalled how many times I've been told I'm "looking strong" in a race when inside my body is crying in agony whilst I grit my teeth and force my brain to tell my body to get a move on and stop being a wimp.

I tried to speed up, I really did but by now I couldn't give much more than what I was already giving. I shuffled along the trail when I'm convinced walking would have been faster, but I was trying to avoid walking, especially when the hills were runnable if I just put in the effort. But as I hit the switchbacks on the climb, I suddenly had a sharp pain in my leg as if somebody had just pierced me with a hot needle. Something had stung or bitten me and I had no idea what it was, but it was so painful that it just stopped me in my tracks as I cried out in pain. As I pulled up my shorts, I could see a big, red, lumpy spot developing as my leg started to throb and burn, forcing me to walk whilst I waited for the pain to subside. I dabbed some spit on the red blob and although I'm sure it didn't really do anything, after about 10 minutes the burning sensation started to fade, and I found I could start running properly again.

The next few kilometres flew by as I was thinking all manner of things about insect bites - what if it was poisonous and here's me running in this heat, blood pumping around my body and causing infection or whatever to spread through my body? What if it was one of those flesh eating things,?What if this, what if that? I'm not bothered by bugs of any kind in normal circumstances, but I was hot tired and thirsty and my brain really was going into overdrive with all the crazy thoughts!

Undoubtedly I had now lost sight of the leading lady, and I reached the final aid station with relief, throwing down yet more coke, energy drink and water. Having my cap dipped in ice cold water felt fantastic and certainly helped to cool me down somewhat, but within 20 minutes it was bone dry again and I was starting to drip with sweat whilst I could feel the salt drying out my skin on my back, shoulders and around my face.

The downhills by now were starting to take their toll on the old legs - some were quite steep and required control to stay upright - and with tired legs, I was being far more cautious over the sections that were covered with rocks or tree roots. I couldn't muster enough energy to run all the way up the final hill but I certainly tried, and as the trail started to flatten out, I attempted one last surge to take me into the finish. It was then that I started to feel my legs cramping - 2km to go and my body decides now to tell me that I need more bloody salt! The first and last time I ever had cramp in a race was at the Lost Soul 100km - I was in hysterics when trying to climb up a very small hill that took us away from the river, but everytime I lifted my leg an inch off the ground, my legs would seize and I'd howl in laughter and pain at the same time. Today wasn't as bad as that - at least not yet - and all I could think was that if another lady is just behind me, I'd be gutted to lose out now with just 2km to go.

Thankfully the cramp didn't get any worse - sure, I could feel the tightness and numbness in my quads, but I forced myself to run through it, slapping the cramping area and talking to myself to keep my legs going.

Finally I was approaching the last couple of hundred metres and I was so happy to be done, crossing the line in 5 hours 28 mins - 6 minutes behind the winning lady in the end. I'm not to complain though - I was happy with my run and really pleased with the effort - I can certainly feel the difference when running hills thanks to all those recent runs with Joanna. 

Looking back at the lap splits, I actually ran my last 2 laps faster than the winning lady but not fast enough to catch her. Her first lap of 67 mins to my 72 had already given her a 5 minute advantage but fair play to her for keeping going in some pretty tough conditions.

Purely for recovery  honest!

Would I do Rundles Revenge again? Most definitely yes! I loved the course, the atmosphere was fantastic and the organisation was amazing. I won a Salomon Camelbak as a prize - maybe I should take the hint and not be so eager to dump the extra weight next time eh?!

So what is "next time"? Next time will be the TransRockies Run and next time will see Andy and my dogs there with me. I'm very excited although I know I have some pretty tough training weeks coming up, but I'm ready for it and can't wait to get out to the mountains again over the next month or so as I complete my final prep for my next major event of the year.

In the meantime though, all I need to say is happy trails and happy running to each and every one of you - and thank you for sticking with me :-)

New Girly pink trail shoes post race -
not so girly now eh??!!

Pushing the Boundaries

I'm a firm believer that life is for living - there's no point sitting around thinking, "I'd love to do that, but...." and then coming up with a whole load of excuses for not doing something. Sometimes we have to take a leap of faith into the unknown, to challenge ourselves and get out of our comfort zone, to move away from all things familiar, as that's the only way we truly find out what we as individuals are capable of.

These past few weeks have been pretty awesome even with Andy being away from home. Even now, as I write this in my little 1 person-2 dog tent at the Lake Louise Campground listening to the wind in the trees, the sound of the nearby river rushing by, the crackling of wood from the campfires outside, whilst the birds are singing their last songs of the day, I can't help but smile at what I've been doing this past month or so.

Since my marathons have been completed, my focus has now turned to my next main goal - The Transrockies Run - 6 days of running over 120 miles with 20,000 feet of elevation gain in the mountains of Colorado - which means lots of trail running and lots of climbing over the coming weeks.

Whilst recovering from the marathons, I did a few 10-15km trail runs with Wilson and Brandy on Nose Hill in the north of Calgary. They've been easy paced runs which has been ideal for taking the dogs for company, and we've had so much fun running up and down the hills and  finding sneaky, winding, single track trails through the trees. I'm much more familiar with Nose Hill now and whilst I still have a fondness for the trails at Fish Creek, Nose Hill has become my new favourite closer to home due to the massive open space and the amazing views of the whole of Calgary with the plains to east and the mountains to the west.

Fun with Wilson and Brandy at Nose Hill

Despite my new love for Nose Hill, I have still found the mountains calling me so when friends have asked if I would like to join them on their mountain running adventures, I've jumped at the chance.

My first trip to the mountains since Andy has been away pushed me completely out of my comfort zone, not in terms of the physical effort but rather from a fear perspective and pushing those boundaries.

As a child, I used to do alot of scrambling with the family and the fear of sheer drops just a couple of feet away from me was never there as I clambered over rocky slabs or steep shale on narrow ridges - I'd walk along confidently and be in complete awe of the views around me. Now I'm alot older and wiser and whilst I do still have an adventurous spirit, I'm also a little more conscious of danger and risk and what it really means if you lose your footing on a narrow ridge high up in the mountains.

Mary Barclay Mountain stands at just under 7,400ft and the way to the summit is described as a moderate scramble. The climb is steep and it gets even steeper as you break out of the trees and the ridge starts to narrow somewhat. The final section as you near the summit becomes quite exposed with a pretty hefty drop either side, and it certainly wouldn't be for the faint hearted.

My good friend Joanna invited me along to this one, and I had the honour of meeting another great person in the form of Jamie who would be our guide. I knew I was in good hands, but having researched the mountain on the web and seen pictures of the ridge, I'm not ashamed to say that I was a little apprehensive. I so wanted to make it to the top and I knew that I would be disappointed with myself if I chickened out, but the description of the crux to the top got me shaking just thinking about it.

Mary Barclays - Photo Credit Joanna Ford

The first part took us through the trees where the trail was steep and hardwork but nothing to be afraid of, and we got treated to some wonderful views of the valley below and the mountains stretching out into the distance. As we broke the tree line, the route turned more to shale and as we climbed higher, the ridge did indeed start to narrow and eventually, there was a need to start using our hands to pull ourselves up the rocks. We'd been making really good progress and I felt that I'd actually been doing ok, but then as we looked up at the final section which would take us to the summit, I froze. I cannot explain the fear I felt as I was standing there looking up at what I now needed to climb - my legs were shaking, my heart was pounding, I felt like I couldn't speak properly, adrenalin was pumping through my body, and I steadfastly said, "I can't do it." I'd gone as far as I dared and I was convinced that I was going to trip and fall and never see my dogs or Andy again.

As I looked at Joanna and Jamie, for some reason I felt that I would be letting them down if I didn't at least have a go. I also knew that I would hate myself and be extremely frustrated if I turned around now and headed back down. Both of my companions were so calming, saying all the right things to encourage me to carry on but without neither of them saying directly that yes I should continue, or yes I should head down. After a couple of minutes hesitation, I made the decision to carry on, Jamie offering to lead the way, and Joanna following behind to help me figure out the best way to climb if needed. Being in the middle of such amazing people was very reassuring, and whilst I didn't exactly climb with confidence, I slowly started to scramble across the ridge, focusing on the 2 feet in front of me and trying to block out my peripheral vision which was showing me the huge drop either side of me. I tried to control my breathing, I talked to myself to calm me down and encourage me to keep going, and with every tentative step I took, I was making progres

Before I knew it, I was touching the cairn at the top and signing the summit book. My legs were still like jelly, my heart was still pounding, and yet the views from the top were out of this world. I knew that I had to get back down the ridge and that I would likely encounter that fear again, but now I knew what to expect, now I knew what that fear felt like and I knew that whilst I would still be a little anxious on the way back down, I would be able to deal with things far more easily.

Summit of Mary Barclays - Still wobbly legged!

I actually took my GoPro with me that day and the footage of the scramble is absolutely amazing. Playing it back, I can hear the fear in my voice, and I can hear all the reassurances that both Jamie and Joanna gave to help me overcome things. They really are amazing people, and I can't thank them enough for helping me to realise that I had to at least give it a go.

The evening ended perfectly as day turned to dusk and the sun started to set, shedding a beautiful golden light over things. We spotted a bear on the trail ahead, a blue heron on a pond as we ran past, and several deer in the woods as we ran along. It was the most amazing Friday afternoon/evening I had had in a while.

The following weekend, I had a 25km trail run scheduled in for the Saturday, followed by a 30km run on the Sunday. The problem was that 2 major races were taking place that weekend - the Blackfoot Ultra and the Calgary Marathon - and virtually all of my friends would be racing in one of them. I'd initially decided that I would run Nose Hill again one day, and then Moose Mountain the next - that was until I heard that my other very good friends Kim and Adam would be heading up to Banff to do a few "hill" reps up Sulphur Mountain. Kim has been selected to run for Canada at the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships in July, so she's training really hard to be in the best shape possible, which includes lots of hill work on mountain trails.

I've been up Sulphur Mountain several times but I've always gone on the gondala as we've either being holidaying in Banff or we've had visitors from the UK and of course, the gondala is all part and parcel of the "must do" things when visiting this part of the world. However, I had always said that one day I wanted to run up there and thanks to Kim and Adam, I fullfilled my goal not once, but twice as I ran up the mountain twice that day.

Sulphur Mountain is just over 8,000 ft high, and when running from the base, the climb is around 2-2,500 ft. The trail consists of switch backs which makes it perfectly runnable, but it does get steeper in places. That particular day, it was also extremely busy with lots of people heading up on foot but for me, that was kind of reassuring as at least I knew I wouldn't encounter any bears or cougars with the volume of human traffic toing and froing.

Summit of Sulphur Mountain and the trail heading up/down

Kim did absolutely awesome and made the climb look easy, and I was in complete awe that she actually ran every step of the way - now that's commitment! I meanwhile, ran as much as I could and hiked the rest, and although I was much slower, I was really pleased that both runs up there took me approximately the same length of time give or take a minute or two. It was a beautiful run despite the fatigue in my legs as they made the climb, something that they aren't used to just yet. The coming down wasn't too bad and we made good progress on the descent, the quads not taking too much of a battering. It was a fantastic day and I was really pleased to have covered over 25km with almost 5,000 ft of ascent - I was feeling really excited about TransRockies!

With my confidence once again starting to grow, the following day I decided to tick another goal off my list. Although I had been up Moose Mountain on numerous occasions, I had never actually made it to the summit due to weather conditions - the closest I had been was the false summit that we ran to when I did the Iron Legs 50 mile race last year - so after Sulphur Mountain on Saturday, it was time to tackle the "Mighty Moose". The weather reports called for a gorgeously sunny day, and so as long as that didn't trigger any thunderstorms, I knew I was on for another summit.

With having to cover 30km, I decided to park at the very bottom by the highway as a return trip from there to the top would give me the distance I needed. I was running on my own today as everybody else was either recovering from Blackfoot or racing Calgary, and whilst I would have preferred the run through the forests up Pneuma, it was still early morning, I was on my own, and I knew that there had been recent sightings of both bear and cougar in the nearby areas. On that basis, I decided to run up the gravel road which had lots of steep sections and twists and turns. This time of year it is also open to traffic and people head up to the Moose Moutain trailhead, so everytime I encountered a passing motorist, I took in a mouthful of dust and dirt as they drove past.

Despite an early morning start, I was surprised to see that the trailhead car park 7km into my run was already full. I knew it would mean that Moose would be exceptionally busy, but I hoped that with my running and power hiking, I would be able to make good progress. It was another really warm day and I was carrying 2 litres of water which made the running extra hard, but with Moose being so dry with no mountain streams, it was a necessity.

The run through the woodland area was beautiful and I made really good proress, but as I broke from the trees and started the rocky climb up the switch backs, my progress faltered a little as I caught up with those hiking up the mountain and at times it was difficult to get passed them quickly due to the rocky terrain. Fortunately the views were fantastic, and I found myself just gawping around me at every opportunity and being wowed once again by the beauty of Canada.

Before I knew it, I had reached the false summit and I was ready for the final push to the very top. I could see that the trail narrowed considerably higher up and that bottlenecks were already forming due to the sheer number of people heading up the mountain that day, but I pushed on and hoped that maybe I could sneak past folks or they would at least move aside as I approached behind. Up until this point, I had still been running as much as possible and although my legs were really starting to feel it, it felt good knowing that all this climbing would help me when I do the Transrockies in August.

The climb up Moose Mountain

The wind was starting to pick up as I climbed and I figured that it was going to be a little chilly on top which may put people off hovering around too much, and as I turned the final corner and saw the helipad, I became a little emotional that I had once again been able to tick another thing off my "To Do" list. It was certainly gusty up there, so I spent just enough time to have a cheese butty, some crisps and a banana whilst admiring the views before I started to head back down.

Enjoying the views on Moose Mountain

In total I ran over 32km that day and boy did my legs know it! It had taken around 3 1/2 hours to cover the distance including a couple of photo stops, but in the process it meant that I had climbed almost 10,000 ft in one weekend.  I was knackered, I was hungry, but I felt over the moon that I had achieved so much in just 2 days.

And so, just 5 days later I now find myself camping at Lake Louise and tomorrow morning I will be running a leg of the Banff to Jasper Relay. I'm here on my own with just Wilson and Brandy for company, but I feel reassured that there will be no troublesome bears tonight thanks to the electric fencing they have installed around the tenting area. It's a beautiful clear night and the moon is casting shadows of the mountains and trees on the campsite, and I would love to go for a walk and soak in my surroundings but I know better than to walk along trails on my own after dark in places such as this.

I will openly say that I do miss Andy at the moment and I do wish he was here to share these adventures with me, but I have Wilson and Brandy for company, and I know that we'll all be sharing new adventures in the not too distant future. For now though, I'm loving every moment I have in this wonderful country and I'm grateful for that.

Banff to Jasper Relay

Since writing the above, I have once again been a part of the Calgary Road Runners Banff to Jasper Relay Team and ran leg 3 on the southern half of the route yesterday. It was an absolutely amazing day and I got to meet so many new people again. It was hot and I found my leg quite tough with 21km all uphill and over 1000 ft of climbing, but like I keep saying, those hills are good at the moment! I ran 1 hour 43 minutes for my leg making me the 13th fastest on that particular leg out of 50+ teams. It was hard but I felt good, and I'm pleased to say that we did not encounter any bears on my part of the course, although apparently leg 2 and leg 5 had a black bear and a grizzly protesting at the number of runners from what I hear. Calgary Road Runners finished an outstanding 7th in the open category, and I was so proud to be a member of their team.

End of Leg 3 South - feeling relieved to have finished
Photo Credit Sue Co

With having Wilson and Brandy with me, I was unable to go to Jasper afterwards for the post race party, so instead I headed back to Canmore with intentions of running up Ha Ling with the dogs. I've only attempted this mountain once before, in the dark when I first arrived in Calgary in 2012. It was a night run with Alan Lam and Charlie Breaky, but we never made it to the top because of the ice and the steep incline. It was another of those mountains that I wanted to summit, but alas, yesterday it was far too warm for the dogs, and far too busy with countless hikers on the trail. The trail is steep and narrow so we had to keep stopping to pass people, and then when we broke above the tree line, the heat was so intense that even I thought I was going to get heat stroke! We still had an amazing day though, and I certainly got further than last time, turning back just 600m or so before we had made it to the top. It was disappointing to some degree, but I would rather save it for another day than see my poor dogs suffering from heat exhaustion.

600m from the summit of Ha Ling....but two hot for dogs - and me!

I've had yet another amazing weekend having finished off with a 17km run at Nose Hill again today - I've got sunburn and pretty tired legs, but  you know what? I'm very happy. Yes, life is good :-)