Thursday, December 11, 2014

run, melissa, run!

as many of you know, i kicked my running routine into high gear this year. i ran marathon and 50 km distances in the early to mid 2000s before an injury sidelined me from anything over eight miles for a couple of years. once you stop running for five hours on a regular basis, it is a bit of a mental challenge to get back into the game! a change of jobs last year meant that i no longer had to commute 2.5+ hours every day, which gave me more ME time. i ran a 30 km last summer and was encouraged that my body seemed happy and injury free during my training and after the race. while i was in new zealand last spring, i got inspired by a friend who does some crazy adventure racing and the next thing i knew i was signed up for a 50 km run...and a relay race.

the first major run was the hood to coast relay from mount hood to the oregon coast. this is a 200 mile relay that is typically run by twelve people over the course of 24+ hours. i had done this relay twice before with the beloved sea monkeys, but when my best friend from 7th grade asked me to join her team i couldn't say no. michele was the only person on the team i knew before arriving in portland, but you get to know people very quickly when you are trapped in a van together for 30 hours... i ran just over 20 miles in the three legs and felt good at the end. i even went for a run on the beach the next morning.

a chilly start from timberline on mount hood

lunch at the food trucks in downtown portland while we waited 
for the runners in van #2 to run their section of the course

 van #1 replenishing carbs at the finish

 the whole team at the beach!

my next run took me back to oregon a couple weeks after hood to coast. the mckenzie river trail 50 km run is one that i have been eyeing since i lived in corvallis, oregon. the run has gotten so popular that entry is now via a lottery system. i threw my hat in the ring in march and was shocked when the email arrived in april saying i had a spot. time to start training! 

i slowly made my way up to oregon at the beginning of september and stopped to see some sights along the way, including crater lake and some oregon beaches on the way home. the run was great...as beautiful as i remembered it and a satisfying personal accomplishment. and i walked away with only one yellow jacket sting and relatively injury free!

crater lake, oregon

 mckenzie river falls - we ran in front of the falls
and then came around the backside later in the run

 somewhere around mile 18...

 one of the many bridge crossings along the trail

cool sand formations at driftwood beach

my last run for the year was a bit more spur of the moment. my sister steph and i have been talking about running the death valley trail marathon for a few years. i pushed for this year since we were both running a fair bit and our respective partners wanted to have some hanging out time as well. so we booked flights to vegas for the race weekend and registered for the run. two months later we met in vegas, kissed the boys goodbye, and headed for the desert. there were a few challenges associated with the run: 1. elevation - the course started at 3400 feet and peaked at 5200; 2. elevation change - we climbed 2000 feet and dropped 5000 feet over the last 14 miles (hello, quadriceps!); 3. desert - dry, dry air. we lucked out on the weather...mostly sunny, with some well placed clouds and 70ish degrees. the run was challenging but beautiful! neither of us had been to death valley before and were blown away by the stark beauty of the landscape (and also the loneliness - we were both glad to have each other as a running buddy).

 ready to get on the bus to the start

 top of the first climb

 the geology in this place is so cool!

 top of the second, ridiculously steep climb

 yippee! (i swear i didn't photoshop steph into this photo!)

 running through titus canyon

 running selfie...glad i didn't trip and fall!

 finished...and still smiling!

our running route is somewhere over there...

i'm excited that i made it through three long runs this year, but am looking forward to giving my legs a bit of a break in the next few months.