Gorge Waterfalls 50k

Photo: Glenn Tachiyama

One again, I raced in the Gorge Waterfalls 50k put on by James Varner at Rainshadow Running. Again, he put on a fantastic event with a great race course and plenty of fun surrounding the race. If you haven't done one of James' races before I highly recommend it!

Weather in the Gorge area (border of Oregon and Washington)  can be a little treacherous, especially in early spring. This year however, we couldn't have asked for better weather. It was a bit chilly at the start, but warmed up to the mid 50's-60's and it was SUNNY! Anytime there is sunshine in Oregon (Bend not included) it's a good day. I was pretty psyched to put my rain jacket away :)

My race was a lot of fun. I didn't really have a plan or a goal, I just wanted to have fun. This was supposed to be a fun weekend for me and my only goal was to be smiling for most of the race. I think I successfully accomplished my goal (see race photos).

The course is a pretty hilly out and back, with a few small technical sections, and LOTS of beautiful scenery. There are many waterfalls and there is always something to look at as you run. This year at the turnaround (which is unmanned) runners had to pick up a poker chip out of a bucket and bring it back to the next aid station for 'proof' of making it to the turnaround. I loved it. Takes some of the seriousness out of a race and makes it more fun. I was running with a great group of guys who were also having fun. It was nice to chat with them and have some company for the a portion of the race!

Course Profile

The end of the race is always tough. Just when you think you're getting close you hit a 3 mile climb. It's brutal. There's about a mile of switchbacks, which are numbered so you know EXACTLY how much further you have to climb. I always try not to look, as it's pretty demoralizing to see 'switchback 3 of 12'. This year I ran the whole hill, which was more of a mental battle than anything. I'm good at long grinders, so it played to my strengths. I'm not saying I was moving fast, but I did keep moving forward. Over the hill I moved up 3-4 places and kept going strong to the finish. I crossed the finish line in 3:49, which was good for a new course record. I'll take it! It was a fun day and I didn't feel like I had pushed too hard. I kept it fun, which was the goal for me :)


Full race results here: http://ultrasignup.com/results_event.aspx?did=18798

Press Release: http://www.ultrarunning.com/ultra/features/news/kollar-and-howe-win-gorge.shtml

There were a number of Bend locals who also had great races. Mario Mendoza, still new to ultras, was leading the race before he injured his ankle. He is going to be one force to reckon with when he's healthy! Zach had a super day and ended up 3rd, followed by Ian Sharman in 4th, and Jeff Browning in 6th. There was a pretty strong men's field, including the likes of Hal Korner, Yassine Diboun, and Chris Kollar, so I was proud to see so many friends finish so high. On the ladies side, other Bend locals included Darla Askew and Susan Barrows finishing 3rd and 4th, respectively.

Now onto the good stuff :) James really outdid himself this year. Moments after crossing the finish line runners were greeted by the smell of a wood-fired pizza oven. Yes, that is correct. There was a wood fired pizza oven on site making customized pizzas for the the runners. Is there anything better? Oh yeah, there was also a keg of beer to accompany said pizza. And if that wasn't your style there was plently of other good fare, including fresh fruit and vegetables, chips and guac, sandwiches, cookies, etc. Seriously one of the best post-race food selection/party I've ever been to. 

Photo: Glenn Tachiyama
ACTUAL photo of the post-race pizza. So good!

Post-race festivities for me included wine tasting. Zach and I had never been to the Dundee area before (south of Portland), which is known for it's Pinot Noir. My favorite. We had to hustle a bit to make it to a couple of tastings, but it was worth it. We visited Lange and Erath and had a couple (READ: multiple) tasters before calling it a day. Such a great day! 

Wine tasting at Lange

Zach tasting some Pinot at Erath

The nest morning we drove into Portland and did NOTHING. It was wonderful! I hardly ever do nothing. We did stop by Albina Press, one of the best coffee shop in the world to get some good espresso. Other than that, we shopped around a bit and got some lunch in the Pearl district before heading home. Even the drive home was beautiful with all the sunshine. 

Snowshoe Nationals & Other Different Things

This winter has been a time for me to recharge. After a bad start to the year I chose to take a step back and not take life so seriously. This resulted in me doing quite a few things out of the ordinary.
Let me start with the most recent.

Snowshoe National Championships

Photo: Joe Viger

Yes, it's true I became a snowshoer.  I've still only been on snowshoes three times, with one time being the national championship. It all started because Bend was to host the 2013 national snowshoe championships. If you know Bend this is not surprising because in the last couple years they've held many national championships, including:

• USATF 50k Trail National Championships
• USATF Half-Marathon Trail National Championships
• XTERRA Trail Run Championships
• USA Cycling Masters Road Championships
• USA Cycling Marathon Mountain Bike Championships
• USA Cycling Junior, U23, and Elite Road National Championships
• USA Cyclo-Cross National Championships
• US Flyfishing National Championships
• National Beard and Moustach Championships
• National Snowshoe Championships

So it didn't really surprise me when I heard that Bend was hosting yet ANOTHER national championship this winter. I wasn't, however, expecting to race- that I got roped into. We'll just say that Richard Bolt can be convincing :) It made sense to try though since the race was in my own backyard this year. There were only two problems, 1) I didn't have snowshoes, and 2) I needed to qualify. Apparently Richard had answers for those questions too- I borrowed some Dion demo snowshoes and they were planning to hold a last minute qualifier race in Bend two weeks before nationals to give another opportunity to qualify. Since I like a challenge and it sounded like a crazy idea I decided I was in.  The day before the qualifier race I tried out my snowshoes. I did a 3 mile loop with Andrew Jensen, who was RD for the race. Not too bad I thought- just like running but WAY slower. So the next day with little practice under my belt I attempted my first race. It actually went better than I thought. The course was two-5k loops at Meissner that included quite a bit of climbing. Uphill running is really my specialty, so it suited me well.  It wasn't a big field of racers, but men and women started together so I got to chase Max King and Mario Mendozza (two of my runner friends also from Bend) until they dropped me. I finished in just under an hour...third overall behind Mario and Max. An hour for a 10k!? Yep, just like running but very slow. Nationals was two weekend later, and I did not touch my snowshoes in between at all. I figured running was similar enough and I'd been sick for over a week with a bad cold turned sinus infection. Good excuses, right? The morning of nationals I went up early to Meissner to catch the men's race. Mario was racing and I knew he had a good chance to place very well.  Out on the course I ran into Brandi Erholtz, who I was excited to see! She is a two-time past snowshoe national champ and a very accomplished runner. We've run against each other a few times and she is one of the nicest gals I know. It was nice to see that so many racers had traveled to Bend for this event.

The women's race started at 11:30, meaning the snow was soft and I was hungry because it was lunch time. Tough time of day to race in my opinion. We started off and I surprisingly took the lead before we started the first big climb. That wasn't part of plan to relax, but I decided to go with it. I was moving well up the climbs and trying to stay on my feet on the downhills. I was actually having quite a bit of fun sliding down the backside of the hill. I came through the first loop with just over a minute lead and extended it to a 2-minute lead over the next loop. I came through the finish in first, smiling the whole time. It was cool to finish so well with my limited experience on snowshoes and in my hometown. Now I'm officially on the National Snowshoe Team :) Now onto retirement...

 The next day I flew to Kauai for a 9-day photo shoot with The North Face. I am totally psyched for warm weather and to hang out with some cool people. It's a much needed break and I am SO stoked to be here!

Waimea Canyon, Kauai

North Shore Kauai

 Other fun/different things I did recently:

•  Nordic Ski Racing. I decided to race the Boulder Mountain Tour, a 30k skate race in Sun Valley, ID. I've done this race a couple times in the past when I was nordic ski racing more seriously. It was always a weekend I enjoyed because, hey you get to spend the weekend in Sun Valley! Things on my agenda for this trip were ski in the sunshine, do some shopping, drink some wine, and spend some time with the Max family. Sarah Max has been one of my closest training partner/friends over the past few years and we've been on a few trips together. Its always fun to spend time with Sarah, her husband Kevin, and her twin girls Fiona and Izzy. We had a blast over the weekend and the race went better than I expected. I surprised myself by finishing 10th, in a pack of skiers that I used to race near when I actually was training for skiing. It was great! Although, I did lose the sprint to the finish line- I'll have to work on that next time. 

•  Jillian Visits. My cousin from Minnesota came out to visit me for TWO WEEKS! I was so excited to have her come and stay with me. We've been talking about it for a long time, so it was great to finally make it happen. Jillian and I are very similar people, so it was easy to integrate her into my daily life. We spent a lot of time running, baking, and drinking wine together. I think we thoroughly convinced Jillian of how great Bend is. I expect. To see her again soon :) 

Jillian and I

•  Fun Photo Shoot. Once again I was honored to earn the title of Bend's Hottest Athlete in The Source Weekly's annual Lust List. This year though I got to do a cool photo shoot with a fun photographer. We had a blast and he got some good photos.

Photo: Ian smythe

Photo: Ian Smythe

The Source Weekly

• Treadmill Races. I hate treadmills. But I guess they are more fun when you are racing head to head against someone with a room full of people cheering. Footzone organized a series of head to head treadmill races with some of the best runners in Bend. The goal was to see who ran the furtherest in 10 minutes running at a 15% grade. Not easy, especially since I had to race Renee! 

Lots of spectators cheering us on!

Photo: Jill Rosell

Getting Healthy

Running in Bend in January

It seems that every year around the holidays, or shortly after, I end up getting sick. This year was no exception. The only difference was that this year I was planning to race in January. Maybe that was bad planning. In any event, I got the flu shortly after the New Year and it hit me like a brick wall. I had a fever, sore throat, aches, chills, and a nasty cough. Ugh. Now, 2 weeks later I'm starting to feel better but still have the nasty cough and sinus pressure. I actually coughed a rib out of place a few days ago. Not fun. If you haven't gotten a flu shot (which I didn't) DO IT NOW! 

I had planned on racing Bandera 100k last Saturday, and, well.... I didn't have the race I was hoping for to say the least. In fact, I didn't even complete the race. I had my first DNF result ever, and it was hard to swallow. I had flown all the way to Texas and I had to give it a shot. Much to my disappointment, my body was not ready. Pulling out of the race was one of the hardest things I've done. It still stings.

The first few miles were ok; I was coughing a lot, but that seemed like no big deal since I'd been coughing all week. I came into the first aid station in second place, but not feeling quite myself. And from then on it got progressively worse. I knew around mile 8-9 I knew I wasn't going to be able to finish. I challenged myself to see how far I could keep running before I needed to drop out. That may have been a mistake. Hindsight, I should have pulled out earlier when I started to feel crummy. But I just didn't feel ready yet, I wanted to keep going to see if things would turn around. Hey, it can happen in long races! 

Around mile 20 things started really going south. I've never had asthma, so I don't know what an attack is like, but I think I experienced something similar. I was running and suddenly my throat tightened and I couldn't get a breath in. It was scary. Erica Baron was near me when it happened for the first time. Without a hesitation she stopped to make sure I was ok and offered to walk back to the last aid station with me, which was over a mile back. I was blown away by her benevolent offer to help. I was so grateful, but figured I'd be ok to just walk the next aid station. I walked for a bit, then started to run again out of fear of getting cold. I had two more scary 'asthma attacks' while making my way down the trail, and each time the runners near me stopped to make sure I was ok. That's what I love about this sport, people are so unselfish and caring. I was very grateful to everyone who helped me out. Once I made it to the aid station at the mile 22 mile I called it a day. I really wanted to continue, but I felt it was starting to become unsafe. I was worried my lungs were only going to get worse. I was totally bummed.

I did, however, salvage the day by making myself useful. Since I couldn't run I tried to help out by crewing for some of the runners as they lapped through the 50k mark. Also, I was able to run the last nine miles with Meghan Arbogast as a pacer. She was struggling with a similar illness and not having the race of her life. When she asked if I'd like to run the last few miles with her I jumped at the chance. I was feeling ok at that point and really wanted to finish the loop. I started running with Megan at the aid station I had where I had dropped out earlier. We took off running into the fading sun and spent the next two hours talking, laughing, and having a blast. It was wonderful and it cheered my mood ten-fold.

I was so happy for how the others around me finished. In the 50k distance, teammate Timothy Olson cruised to victory while making it look easy. On the women's side fellow Bendite, Denise Bourassa, placed second and won a really cool Road Runner trophy.  In the 100k, Zach completed his first ever at that distance and was still able to walk after. Jeff Browning, also from Bend, battled a tough day to walk away with a well-earned 7th place finish. And Megan, despite not feeling well toughed it out and finished, doing so with a big smile on her face. It was a tough day and I'm proud of everyone who finished- a feat I hope to accomplish someday.... I guess I'll have to come back next year. 

Going to enjoy the snow!

All in all, it was a good learning experience despite not having a great day. I was bound to DNF  sometime or another. Hopefully it doesn't happen again for awhile because its no fun to write about! Next on my agenda: get my body healthy and start planning my next adventure. I need a break from forcing out runs in the ice and snow and want to mix it up. It was 3 degrees in Bend this morning and I went to hot yoga instead of running. It was nice. I'm thinking that a ski race sounds pretty good right now too. It will be fun to get out in the snow and not curse that it's in the way of my running!

And here are some shots that have nothing to do with running, but they make me smile!

Stephanie Howe - The North Face Endurance Challenge Championship GORE-TEX 50 Mile Race Report

Stephanie Howe - The North Face Endurance Challenge Championship GORE-TEX 50 Mile Race Report

The North Face 50 Mile Endurance Challenge

Wow, what a day! I cannot express in words how unbelievably happy I was with my race. To finish the season with such a high despite the set back I had this fall was amazing! I could not have been more excited!

Congratulating Emelie at the finish
Photo Credit: Brett Rivers, San Francisco Running Company

Post-race interview: iRunFar

Race recap on iRunFar: TNF 50 miler iRunFar

The race was epic in so many ways. It was pouring rain, muddy, foggy, and windy the entire race. In a way it took a little edge off racing and more focus on just trying to stay upright in the mud. I actually had a blast racing and found myself smiling during most of the race. I think attitude is really important in a race like this. I would have been really easy to get upset because the conditions were so bad, but it would have negatively affected my race. I tend to do well in races with adverse conditions because I keep a good attitude. I kept thinking to myself while I was racing "how cool is it that I'm outside, running right now?" 

Early Morning
Photo Credit: The North Face

The starting line, as always at a North Face Endurance Challenge, was full of energy and excitement. Despite the conditions, runners were laughing and smiling; excited to take on this challenge.

Start of the 50 miler
Photo credit: The North Face

Early Blur
Photo credit: The North Face

The first few miles were a nice easy warm up. It was really hard to see much with all the rain and fog, so it was easy to start conservatively. I felt really good as I settled in to the first long climb at a steady, rhythmic pace. It was so quiet and zen like and things were going really well. I had a good feeling about my race. 

Running in the elements
Photo Credit: Ken Schuh, Ultra Race Photos

After a few hours the sun came up it started to get light out and I found finally see what was around me. I had no idea what place I was in, and I didn't really care. I was determined to run my own race and have fun while doing it. I just focused on taking care of myself and trying to fuel every 20 minutes or so. In the past I've waited too long to start taking gels and ended up paying for it later. This race I made a point to start early and to keep it up throughout the race. I tried to get at least 2 gels down each hour. 

Lots of Mud
Photo Credit: Ken Schuh, Ultra Race Photos

Start of the second loop
Photo credit: Brett Rivers, San Francisco Running Company

After passing through Muir beach aid station (mile 13 ) I got a split that I was in third place. I knew that I was feeling good, but I had no idea I was doing that well. Although I was excited, I didn't change anything. There was a lot of running left to do, and I didn't want to get overzealous. 

Photo Credit: Brett Rivers, San Francisco Running Company

Near the end of the first lap and I caught and passed Emelie [Forsberg], and moved into 2nd place. As we lapped through, I picked up my pacer and (slowly) started chasing down Maud [Gobert], who was leading. Emelie and I caught Maud at about the same point, and the three of us jockeyed for position over the next couple miles. Near the top of a climb, Emelie took the lead and started to gap the two of us a bit. Still, I kept my steady pace. I was more interested in feeling good toward the end than busting my butt mid-race to maintain contact with Emelie. 

Somehow in the mix of chaos at one of the aid stations I lost my pacer. It was actually a good thing because I was able to pick her up again later in the race. This allowed me to really focus on what I was doing. I tried to make some small talk with Maud and her pacer, but quickly found out they spoke French (I had no idea). 

Nearing the end of the race
Photo Credit: Brett Rivers, San Francisco Running Company

The last 5 miles of the race were tough. I was starting to fatigue and really wanted to finish. I had closed the gap to less than a minute from the lead. As I passed through the aid station before the last 5 miles, I picked up my pacer again. Also, one of my teammates Jordan McDougal, was near me and slowed down to help pull me along. I could see Emelie and her pacer, Anna Frost, on the climb and tried my best to chase them down. 

As we approached the road at the last mile I knew I wasn't going to catch the lead. But I didn't care. I was so STOKED that I was in second. As we neared the finish line I could hear the energy of the crowd gathered despite the rain! It was so cool to see so many people out supporting the race.

Nearing the finish
Photo Credit: The North Face

As I rounded the corner and entered the finish shoot I had a big grin on my face. I was SO happy!!!

So happy!
Photo Credit: Ken Schuh, Ultra Race Photos

Photo Credit: Ken Schuh, Ultra Race Photos

Photo: iRunFar

I crossed the finish line, totally spent and totally happy. The first person to congratulate me was Emelie, and I gave her a big hug. I was so impressed with her strength near the end of the race. She is one tough girl!

Congratulating Emelie at the finish
Photo Credit: Brett Rivers, San Francisco Running Company

I really have to thank my pacer for helping me endure the last few miles and remind Jordan that although I really appreciated his help, next race he had better not run with me :) I also really have to thank The North Face crew, they worked so hard to pull this race off. Lots of hard work and long hours went into making this event happen. I was so impressed with how they handled the situation when the weather threatened to cancel the race. It takes quite a team effort to pull off such a great event. THANK YOU!

Photo Credit: Brett Rivers, San Francisco Running Company 

 Wow. I'm still blown away by my race. It was such a great day! I look forward to more races in the future…….AFTER a much needed break to ski, relax, and drink some hot cocoa.

Happy Holidays!

USATF Marathon Trail National Championships

Double O Arch

I traveled to Moab, Utah for the USATF Trail National Championships. I was enticed by this race because I had never been to Moab before and I'd always enjoyed the USATF Championship races. Good courses, good competition, and cool places. This year, the location was no exception! I arrived a couple days early and was able to check out Arches National Park. It was beautiful, and so different from anywhere else I've been. Arches was spectacular! I'm glad I had the opportunity to visit.

Arches National Park

 The itself race was interesting. The website had shown some rocky terrain and a section of trail where a rope was needed to safely cross. It honestly looked like a lot of fun. I love races that have some tough terrain to break up the monotony. I tend to do well on those courses because I'm able to have fun with it.

The day before the race I checked out the course with Ryan and Natalie Bak, who also came down from Bend to race. Upon inspection we realized that the race was going to have a few more 'fun obstacles' than we expected.

Ryan checking out the trail

The morning of the race was clear and sunny, perfect temperature for running. I slowly made my way up near the front of the starting line, not really sure I belonged there with so many elite women racing! Everyone was super friendly though and before I knew it, we were off, barreling down the narrow, rocky trail.

View of the cliff we ran up. Picture doesn't do it justice.

  The race was hard. I wish I could say I enjoyed it, but I suffered. I'm not even really sure why it was so difficult. It seemed like I could never get into a rhythm- I was either climbing up over boulders, running through sand, or using my hands and legs to crawl down over rock ledges. The trail was not crazy technical, but there was never a point where it let up. It was exhausting because I had to constantly think about exactly where I was going to put my next footstep. It was also hard to follow the trail at times, because there was often not a designated trail, only flagging. Since I was spending so much time looking at my feet it was easy to miss some of the flagging. I ended up going off trail a few times, which was no one's fault but my own, but still annoying.

The course consisted a a big 21 mile loop followed by a smaller 5 mile loop that contained all the 'obstacles'. There were also two out and back checkpoints where we had to run to the checkpoint, designated by an orange kite, punch our bibs with a special hole punch, and turnaround to head back to the course. Adventure race, anyone?

Photo: www.HunterImagery.com

I think I settled into 5th place around mile 5 or 6 and stayed there until the finish. Due to the nature of the course, everyone was really spread out. There was a good 10 mile stretch where I could see no one ahead of me or behind me. No man's land. Not a good place to be when you are suffering. The last 5 miles were particularly challenging for me because I was tired, dehydrated, and not thinking very positively. I wasn't in the mood the climb up the side of boulders or use ropes to propel me down a rock slope. I think I would have loved the ropes and ladders more if the race in general had a better mix of crazy challenging sections interspersed with more runable sections. I almost ended up catching the 4th place woman, but in the end I didn't have the mental capacity to push myself into the next gear. I was just done. I crossed the finish line in 5th, thankful to have just finished! I took a couple steps past the finish line, realized how bad I felt, and immediately walked myself to the medical tent. I had stopped fueling and drinking during the last 5 miles and was paying for it. Not smart. I was ok after a bit of shade, fluids, and salt though.

Photo: www.HunterImagery.com

Although the race course was not what I was expecting, I think it was good for building mental toughness and making me stronger. I think every runner I talked to had a similar experience and wasn't feeling so great after finishing. I thought about dropping out more than a few times, but am glad I didn't. Now as I look back, the lessons I learned were different from many races, but still just as important.

1. Just keep running. Yes, things get hard and races don't go how you plan but you have to just keep going. 

2. Be flexible. In this race I was constantly having to change gears: jump up over something, turn sideways to fit through a narrow rock ledge, use my hands to climb down a huge rock drop off, run under something, etc. I challenged myself to be adaptable and accept everything that I encountered. 

3. Keep a positive attitude. It's hard to stay positive, especially when things don't go as planned. This is probably the issue I struggled with most during the Moab marathon. There were times when I did a good job staying positive and there were also times when I just gave up. I realized I need to work on my attitude when things start to come undone. I think recognizing where both of my strengths and weaknesses occur is the best way to learn and become stronger in the future. So here's to the future…. 

Enjoying Moab the next day!

Making my way down the 'trail'

So much sunshine!

Ryan on the race course