Seven Mile Summit Ride

This ride was easier than I expected. The grind up to Seven Mile Summit was long and hot, but managable. Certainly not as bad as some West Hills grades, so I just curled my back and pumped my legs, and soon enough I was surprised to be cresting the top of the climb. After that it was a screaming fast downhill to the old historic highway, the easy climb to Rowena, and a sprint to the car parked at The Dalles Discovery building. Here's someone else's GPS route of the ride. This would be more challenging as a lollipop with the Hood River->Dalles ride.

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                                                               2,797 ft total gain, 25 miles.

The Twelve Mile Mark

I ran 12 miles today, although "running" might be stretching the truth a little. Technically, I jogged at a 12 minute mile pace the circumference of Sauvie Island. The good news is that my nine mile run on Sunday was in the 10 minute mile pace range, so I feel that I will be able to bring the time down soon. My concerns are that Sauvie is extremely flat, and the Timberline Half is not only a hilly unpaved trail, but an extra mile longer than a true half marathon. Tomorrow, Dog Mountain... because my legs need a break?

Shamrock Run 8K

My first race! Super fun, perfect weather, 9.5 minute mile pace. Over way too soon.

A Full Weekend

I packed the last couple days full, with a nine mile running loop over the Sellwood Bridge, a surprisingly easy ride to the Vista House (didn't that used to be really hard?) and then a double whammy ski-and-run today. Trillium Lake conditions were icy and lame this morning, which just goes to show that bluebird skies do not equal prime conditions. Reluctantly, I returned to Portland and headed down to Helvetia to run on some country roads until I got bored. And so far, the carb-protein combo is doing the job of helping me keep my energy and immunity up. And all of this is to get me ready for what I really love to do - hike my ass off. I've been plotting the two challenging hikes to Tank Lakes (via the east Fork Foss River through Necklace Valley) and Jade Lake (via Deception Pass) in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and hoping I'll be ready by summer. Good times, good times.

Hagg Lake Run

I set out to test myself today at Hagg Lake, a week after the flu took me down. I initially wanted to run the entire loop on the dirt trail, until I realized halfway in that the trail is fifteen miles as opposed to my familiar road biking loop, which is only ten. After five miles of struggling up and down muddy inclines, following elk tracks and scaring huge ospreys, I opted to pop out onto the pavement. Still hilly, but manageable. According to the pedometer, I did just under 12 miles by the time I got back to my car. Not all of it was running, but that's okay. My brain is already used to managing long, boring distances from years of hiking - now it's a question of getting my body in tune with my mind. It took me a couple hours to complete this loop, and granted, I wasn't going for speed: I tinkered with my iPhone, took many "stretching" breaks, slowed down to unwrap cough drops, etc. The point was to finish, having run most of it, without getting sick afterwards. Both before and after, I had carbs and protein in the form of my sweet potato/protein powder/glutamine/blueberry shake and... a tuna sandwich from a gas station. Because it wouldn't be me if I did everything right.

Exercise-Induced Immunosuppression, Or: WTF Is This Shit?

In case you haven't noticed, I'm not an elite athlete. I sleep well, have a job that couldn't be less sedentary,  and try to exercise a little during the week. But I also like to eat and drink, and as a result have to push myself really, really hard on the weekends to do the things I want to be able to. This weekend, for instance, I felt great after two bike rides, and kept telling myself how awesome it was that I was kicking ass on those Gorge hills in February. I couldn't wait to hit the trail today and try to run 10 miles for the first time, and spent all night looking at the weather report to try and find the best spot. And while that was going on, little by little, my body started to deteriorate until I was hacking and feverish.  Instead of charging hard another day, I stayed in bed.

This isn't the first time this has happened, either. Last summer, any strenuous hike of more than 4,000 feet of elevation gain or a distance of more than 12 miles could end in me feeling like I was kicked by a horse. I was embarrassed by it, at first, thinking it obviously reflected poorly on my fitness. But eventually I stopped feeling sorry for myself and started doing research. Apparently, it is a very common thing for even trained athletes to experience suppressed immune system function after a race, match or any strenuous physical event lasting more than a few hours. This leads from symptoms ranging from simple flu-like aches and pains lasting only a day to full-blown upper respiratory infections.

From what I've been reading, I could combat this by managing my pre-workout carb intake better. I tend to not eat as much before a big ride or hike because it seems counterproductive to gorge on calories when trying to lose weight. But I've read several places that carbs can help, so there you go. Also, supplements to reduce inflammation are supposed to be effective, so I guess a trip to the vitamin store is in my near future. It seems that it's all tied to adrenaline and cortisol stress hormones somehow. I usually flail about megadosing on vitamin C after I start to feel sick, which sometimes seems to work despite a lack of hard scientific evidence in its favor. I'm obviously drinking a shit-ton of liquids, resting, and eating well, but none of this changes the fact that I have lost a day off to illness simply because I went for a sunny but cold bike ride. So I'm going to try some of these solutions I've been reading about, but if that doesn't work it's time to talk to a pro. Because this lying around crap is unacceptable.

Rowena Ride

 

Stats here: http://thegorgeismygym.com/road-biking/hood-river-to-rowena-crest-out-and-back

I'd Make A Pun About the Woods, But I'm Stumped

So, I'm thinking global warming might work out for Portland. After yet another sunny Sunday here in the previously-unbearably-gloomy Pacific Northwest, I may just stop daydreaming about Bend and Mammoth.

Headed out to Trillium again, I know it's not exciting. But it was a great day nonetheless - I did two loops and even learned to control my speed a little better on the long downhill at the end. I think one of my problems last week was not getting my legs far enough apart... that's not a problem your Mom has - blammo! That's one of the things about teaching yourself, you can miss the basics. So I kept a wide stance this time and never got going too fast. The downside is that probably would've been an okay day to let go a little what with all the soft snow, but I like baby steps when it comes to high speed sports. Except all the freaking babies out there ski better than me.

But if anyone comes to this blog ever looking for a peaceful spot for xc skiing, I can't recommend this place on the weekends. Aside from a gaggle of shrieking blondes in heels near the trailhead who somehow managed to make it about 500ft down the hill, there was also a men's Christian choir treating everyone to their falsetto stylings next to the outhouse on the far side of the lake. I usually go into the woods to escape that kind of noise - don't be mistaken, this is not the woods.

Getting Good

Good is what I'm not when it comes to skiing. Today was my second day, and I have the bruises to prove it. I bumbled around at Teacup for about five miles, and then bailed out and looped Trillium Lake. It took me several years to become proficient in the wilderness, it's taken me my decade-long serving career to become somewhat knowledgeable about wine, and I trained intensely to do my first cycling double-century. And still for some reason it baffles me that I cannot just hop onto a nordic trail and look pro.

XC Skiing at Teacup Lake

It only took 34 years, but I finally put on a pair of skis. Teacup is a zoo on the weekends, especially with this run of gorgeous weather.  The snow was getting mushy and my rented skiis had too much grip, but my girlfriend and I had a giggly, sweaty, wonderful time regardless. I freaking love it - now, to get braver and faster!

The Sun Chaser

The mountain must have heard I've been waiting 36 hours to get up there and try out my new snowhoes, because the forecast changed from mostly sunny and clear to cold as shit and gray in about the two hours it took me to get there. I got out of the car and started up the trail at Summit Ski Area, quickly decided that I didn't want to spiral from a mild cold into a full-blown flu, and kept on driving. The road was icy and a little sketchy, but the Subie did fine even without snow tires. On the other side of the mountain, I finally found my sun. So there's that, which was nice.

Iron Constitution

Being productive right now is a huge effort. I tagged along on a rainy wine country ramble with my husband and his biking buddy the other day, and while I didn't embarrass myself completely, I was certainly tired with only 28 miles and 1500 feet of climbing. The only reason I even thought I could keep up is because it was supposed to be an easy ride due to our friend being "injured." And it was, objectively, an easy ride. But I have a long way to go before summer to get where I need to be, even to where I was in 2011. With that in mind, I hit the running trail again today. Only did three miles, but it felt good. Afterwards, I read another chapter in my Ben Franklin biography - in the winter I like to read about badasses with iron constitutions to inspire me. That's a good phrase, that one. A coworker described me that way last week -- but he's from New York, so he doesn't know that I'm like the first or second rung on the ladder above pussy compared to all these hearty Pacific Northwesterners who triathalon to work and rappel into bed. But I'm going to try to be inspired with that image of myself as the season progresses.

My First Snowshoe!

Gorgeous hike on groomed trails from Ski Bowl West on the Glade Trail on Mount Hood up to near the PCT at Timberline. Rented showshoes from REI, but I can see a new gear purchase in the immediate future.