Here are a few of my cultivated winter shots from the past few years, as requested by Adam (and without, thankfully, the ice beard).

We like to run with friends as this generally boosts morale, we get to spend precious time with the people we care about and it adds some variety to our weekly training runs. Sometimes, we also like to run down the middle of roads (this is not advised, please run against traffic on the shoulder).

We did take a quick trip to the Pacific Northwest for the holidays, and so I submit to you a cheating on Ithaca running photo series from the Columbia Gorge in Washington State.

The gorge is well known for its windiness and the Hamilton Mountain trail definitely puts you out into some of that icy blast. This hopefully explains the uncomfortable smiles and my wacko hair do…

It is always nice to find new runs in the places we visit. It isn’t so nice when the trail turns into a foot wide ice slide with a cliff on one side. This quickly turned into a slow walk around ice patches and hand-over-hand scaling up icy climbs. Bonus pic of Adam and his creative solution for forgetting his gloves:

We finished that “run” with a stop by a beautiful frozen waterfall. Happy to be off the windy ice death trap of a trail!

Alright, I promise that’s the last “cheating on Ithaca” picture. But I figured, it was still snowy, and felt like Ithaca. I suppose if Ithaca found out though…there’d be drama.

……back to Ithaca! We still run with friends, and even drag them on a few trail runs. Here we convinced Amy and Phil to join us for part of a 20 mile run in Danby State Forest along the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT):

We’ve really grown to love the FLT through this winter. It is a safe refuge from the snowplows on the roads. Also, it is quiet. Ah, the serenity. I’m looking forward to watching the trail change as summer comes along.

Here is one quick snap of a beautiful winter sunrise, though not on a trail. I find I run later in the day during the winter to run during warmer temperatures. Like, anything above freezing, if possible.

And to add to the icy facial hair pics, I present Ice Eye Baby: The Lashening.

I get asked often if I run through the winter. Yes, yes I do.*

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my round of winter pictures! Thank you to Adam who inspired/suggested that I also add some of my photos!

Now to appreciate the warm office I’m sitting in with a warm cup of tea. mmmmmmmmm

*unless temperatures drop below 0 degrees F. No, thank you.

I took up swim conditioning, because there was little to no impact and my knees were just dandy putzing around behind me in the water. I started seeing fun things appearing on my shoulders (whoa, muscles!), and decided to keep swimming even when I added running back into my routine. It even helped on recovery days to loosen those sore running muscles! (Bonus points if you can not drown while attempting to butterfly stroke while your legs are coming off a big weekend)

Then…I couldn’t make the swimming class fit into my schedule. So like any brain zapped athlete (I can call myself that, now, right?), I looked for another way to work a different workout into my schedule. My good friend Jessie convinced me that powerlifting was the ONLY choice I had, and she’s really smart so I listened. I believed her, mostly.

I started lifting 12 weeks ago. We worked on form and set up a program which has been a blast! I’ve made HUGE progress (though this is expected of beginning lifters) and already see results in my upper body and my core (my lower body still looks like I run, eat good food and drink beer… a lot).

My fear is that this isn’t going to work in the long haul. I’ve been able to keep up in both areas of training, but at some point, one expects that at least one of these areas will suffer. I’ve felt great in both workouts, and they seem to be complementary. But I’ll keep you all posted. We all know the trail running comes first; if I have to I’ll back down on the lifting.

Until then, I’m going to keep lifting heavy things and putting them down. Repeat.

We don’t have as many plans for 2016, although part of that is due to Jeney being wrapped up, for good reason, in completing her PhD work. Another reason is the uncertainty of what our time will look like after that is done (July / August timeframe).

So, we’ve planned out what we want to do until that point and will probably take a look at some races (like the Ragnar ADK) for the fall once we’ve actually hit the summer.

Right now, it looks like this:

• April 16 – Breakneck Point Trail Marathon. Jeney took 2nd in women’s last year, I’m just going to try and complete the marathon distance this year after taking a bad fall on my ass during the 25k in 2015. Great race and really looking forward to getting out there again.
• April 24 – Seneca7. 7 runners, 77.7 miles, 7am! It’s been on my Finger Lakes bucket list for a few years and our friend Taz got a team together. We’ll be bicycling when we’re not running – should be a blast. The only concern is that this is the day after TAP NY (which we will be at!).
• June 18 – Manitou’s Revenge Ultramarathon. 54 miles near Phoenica, NY. 15,000 feet elevation gain. This will be Jeney’s second run through and my first…excited, and a bit nervous. This is the one that gets us out on the trails, or road, during the winter!

That’s about it for now. We’ve got several others that depend on timing and other plans (weddings, travels, all that sort of thing). A few more that we’re looking at:

• June 4 – Cayuga Trails 50 – We use this route as a training run year round. Since it’s close to Manitou’s Revenge date-wise we might opt for the marathon instead of the full 50 miles.
• July 2 – Finger Lakes 50’s. A fun local race that I did for the first time last year (50k) in some insane mud.

We’ll also be doing volunteering at local races like the Skunk Cabbage half marathon, the Gorges half marathon, and several others.

In addition to the single runs, we’re going to be looking for an opportunity to put together a team for a Ragnar Trail – perhaps an ultra team? We love hitting the trails, and the Ragnar Trail events are a great way to enjoy some trail running and have a good time with friends for a couple of days. The last one we did was Ragnar Trail MA and we had a blast with 3 teams from Ithaca!

What are you running this year?

Today I went out for a short 4 mile trail run and it was spectacular! Sadly, I didn’t have my camera on me, but it did remind me that I have taken a few good shots this winter.

So, without further ado, here’s some of my favorites from a few areas around Ithaca this winter.

A quick slow motion video of a little falls area in Treman…I recently got my Nexus 6P and had to put the slow motion to use!

While that rounds out the scenery shots from around here this winter, I have one more that I, for better or worse, take several of each winter – the ice beard pictures. I present, Ice Beard III, The Icening!

We recently found out that we’ll be here for one more winter – so hopefully I can remember to do a 2017 winter picture roundup. I’ll have to see if Jeney has some good winter pictures to share, although hopefully no winter ice beard pictures

Back in Vancouver, WA on the 13th of December, 2015, there was a big run/walk 5k to raise money for a good friend of mine who is having ongoing issues with a brain tumor. Since we couldn’t make it back from Ithaca for this, we posted on Facebook and asked friends to come out run a 5k in Ithaca with us and to donate if they could.

We had several friends come out to run [original run event here], and donate, based around someone they’ve never met before. I’m extremely grateful for their help, friendship, and donations – I know my friend and his family appreciate the help as the medical bills continue to pile up.

This won’t be a long post – I just wanted to say that it was nice to have this response from our friends and to use running and being outside as a way to help others.

Thank you.

On October 2nd, Jeney and I drove a few hours east towards Phoenicia, NY, for the inaugural running of the Cat’s Tail Trail Marathon. Once we got near the Catskills the colors exploded, combining the beautiful tree colors with the mountains and blue sky and we were just happy to be in the area!

I’ll fast forward to the next morning when Jeney’s “head cold” had progressed to the point that she didn’t really get any sleep since she kept waking up from so much sinus drainage and felt “like death”. And it was raining. And the temperature had dropped about 15 degrees from the previous morning (it was now in the 40’s).

Jeney made the hard choice to not run and preserve her health while I headed down the road to the waiting buses that would shuttle us to the start line.

Now, for a little background on this area – Jeney had run Manitou’s Revenge just north of Phoenicia in June. However, my knee had been having issues in the spring so I had not yet had a chance to run in the Catskills – today was going to be the first!

So, how was it? It was awesome!

It was cold.

It was rainy.

There were no scenic vistas to take in at the top of the peaks as we were basically IN the clouds.

Speaking of scenic vistas…

But you know what? It was a total blast. One thing that I really like about running in this area is the people. Both at Manitou’s (as crew) and at this race as a runner everyone was pretty upbeat and really easy going – just a good group of people.

It also probably helps that this isn’t a “first timers” trail marathon – literally. Everyone has some sort of longer distance trail running experience which certainly helped on that day as the course was (in my mind) fairly technical, combining climbs, ledges, running water on the trail, wet log ladders, and steep ascents/descents.

I channeled my inner Seattleite and figured the weather was a benefit; I tend to run hot and it was better than being hot and humid! After getting the big climbs out of the way I thought about how Jeney would tackle the 8 or so miles of mostly down and got after it.

Even though I had a few close calls, the day ended well with a 7 hour finish and no injuries. For the rain and slickness combined with the tough course I call that a raging success!

Would I do it again? You bet! I highly recommend this course to anyone that wants a challenge in a marathon type distance. With the 7,000 feet gain in elevation and the long descent at the end this course is a ton of fun and a challenge.

Jeney met me about 1/10 mile from the finish where she had been cheering people on as they came in:

It was great to have her at the finish, along with some great food and a cold beer that we had brought along.

Sadly, we didn’t stay too long as the cold weather wasn’t helping me out after finishing and we still had to take care of our camping gear (and take a cold shower at the campground…that’s another story!).

This is one that we’ll hopefully get to both run next year if we’re still in the area.

Mt. Democrat, just outside Alma, CO, was a fun hike, and the weather couldn’t have been nicer. A short steep climb takes you from the trailhead at about 12,000 feet to the summit at 14,154 feet in 2.4 miles!

On the way down we got a little bit of running in on the less scree (and people) filled steep descents – and managed to snag a quick video that also shows the valley and the surrounding ridges and peaks.

Our plan this last weekend was simple: try to get Adam to do about 30 miles.

We started with a “quick” 18 mile run through Abbott’s Loop and Danby State Forest. The loop was as we love it: full of hills and mud. The clouds rolled in, and thunder became the ominous soundtrack for the last 4 miles of the loop. It only rained for the last mile or so, but it was a very quick downpour! We were joined at the end of the loop by our friend, Amy. This was her first “real” trail run, and we headed out for another 9ish miles on the Finger Lakes trail, hoping to not scare her away from trails (she lost her shoe only once in the mud). It was a good day, but we were a little apprehensive about running in the Forest Frolic 15K on Sunday.

On Sunday morning, we woke to beautiful clear skies and rejuvenated legs. We both agreed to “take it easy” and “consider this a training run”. Yeah. Right.

Bang! We were off! The first section was downhill; I remember Adam saying something like “I won’t take this at a 6 minute per mile pace like I did last time.” Sure pal! But he did and so I was shocked when he showed up right beside me when it leveled out and the path widened. For the next bit he ran right behind me, chugging up the first mile of uphill. Here, the course splits; the 15K-ers have a choice of running the course clockwise or counter-clockwise. If you run it counter-clockwise, you continue up the steep hill for another few MILES, roll over a few quick forest trails and end up out in the sun to the summit, going uphill (again) in the open next to powerlines. If, on the other hand, you run it clockwise, you turn off the trail and head into the forest, where you gradually wind your way up to the summit amid the trees. Eventually you pass people going the other way, and when the trails join back together, you head off for another 7K with only one big-ish climb.

I chose to go clockwise for 2 reasons: 1) to avoid continuing up the steep logging road of runner’s defeat and 2) to avoid the majority of people around me who were continuing up the hill (less people to dodge).

Adam chose to go counter-clockwise. I chose clockwise.

I pushed HARD the first third. The forest was cool, but the humidity carried the heat of the morning into the shade. I followed a group of runners, and they pulled me quite a bit up the hills. Towards the summit, they started to show the effect of the elevation, but I still had my Manitou’s pain-threshold, so I powered past and trudged upwards. Near the top, I passed Adam going the other way, gave him a high-five and reflected on how quick he must’ve been running it. The mud had slowed me down going uphill, and the constant rolling upwards had put a large dent in my energy stores. I hadn’t seen anyone in front of me for the last section, so I figured I was slowing. I waited for someone to pass me…

I blew across the summit and straight into the broiler of open trail. No shade. Pure sun. Considering my course took me downhill, I shouldn’t be complaining, but it was still oh-so-hot. I didn’t envy Adam who had to muck his way up…So I let my legs loose and increased my stride, feeling the almost-breeze I created for myself (hah). I opted out of the aid station, and headed back into the forest. The little climb here had me! I realized I was probably taking this too quick, and was burning energy too fast. I started walking hills I had been running earlier. And I still waited for someone to pass me…

But no one came, and I was on my own. The trail eventually led back onto that steep logging road of runner’s defeat, except for me went downhill. This is what demolished runners in the other direction (and why I turned and went clockwise in the first place). I was running so fast, I was nearing the boundary of being out of control. I let my heart rate dictate pace, and allowed gravity to pull me down the hill. I must’ve looked insane. Arms flailing, hair flying wildly about my head, feet bouncing from one side of the trail to the other, and my exclamations of surprise, joy and fear (I can’t quietly run, ask anyone). I think I make sound effects for every trip, slide and misstep…

Once I reached the meetup with 7K to go, I saw Pete, a recent friend from trail running. He was about a tenth of a mile in front of me, and now I had my carrot. I needed to catch him. The trails settled into light ups and downs, but eventually went up the big-ish climb to a Rock Pile. The climb is steep and long, and I walked nearly the entirety. So did Pete, and we chatted a bit as I slowly drew him in.  Once over the top and for the next few miles, I would catch him, pass him on uphills, and then wait for him to catch me on the flats and pass me.

We do-si-do’d for a few miles, and as we neared the finish, I shouted over my shoulder that he had to catch me or else. We sped up, ignoring the weights in our legs; slowly ratcheting the pace up.

I have to say, I don’t think I’ve run that fast in years. Pete and  I matched each other until the very end, and I can’t even imagine where that energy came from. And why I didn’t have that for the last few climbs…

What came next surprised me even more – Mr. “I’m going to run this easy and just see how my legs do” flys into the finish in the top 15! He looked strong and happy and I’m sure he’ll comment on here about how he liked the trails.

Overall, I’m very proud of how Adam ran, and excited to see how my legs could stand up to the “bang-bang”. I’m even ok with not quite hitting 30 miles (but we got close!). This bodes very well for the TransRockies Run6 in August. Colorado…here we come!

Gear:

• Wrist: Garmin Fenix 2, Garmin VivoSmart
• Feet: Vibram FiveFingers Spyridon LS
• Hydration: Nathan 18oz Handheld
• Head: Buff Headgear
• Noms: ….nothing :/

Overall – +1:25:32.3 (7th of 74!)

As a side note, I ran in my toe shoes the whole weekend and LOVED it. My feet and toes felt 100% the entire time. Looks like I’ll be returning to my toe shoes for good…muahahahaha!

As you can see below, we had a bit of rain that morning…

However, once we got parked and were walking in to the registration area it had pretty much reduced itself to a light drizzle and the temperature was a nice 55F or so.

This race has been around since 1988 but we had yet to sign up for any of the distances (25k, 50k, or 50 mile). We figured we had a good shot at enjoying the 50k since it is a relatively flat course and has tons of aid stations (~1300 feet of elevation per 15.5 mile loop and 6 or so aid stations per loop!).

The race probably had 200 or so people starting at 6 am (50k and 50 mile racers) and we all started out together. We quickly turned off the camping road onto trails which were mostly consisting of mud – this was to be the theme for the day!

I can now say that THIS was the muddiest race I have ever run – with the trails being multi-use (horses, etc), the rain before and during the race, and the large number of runners, this course became a mud pit in sections!

After a few years in upstate NY I’ve gotten more used to this, but even I was surprised at the amount of mud and super slippery sections. That said, this was a really good race with great support – I would definitely do it again and look forward to checking it out next year.

After the first lap was done, Jeney made the smart decision to stop at 25k due to issues with her feet and toes stemming from her Manitou’s Revenge run a couple weeks prior – better to stop early and not risk serious complications! I was pretty proud of her as this isn’t an easy thing for anyone, especially her, to do in the middle of a race.

I was feeling OK so I continued on. After stopping to wash out my shoes I kept a decent pace until I hit about 20 miles and just crashed a bit – naseua, fatigue, etc. Luckily I had been eating and drinking prior to this and was able to slow down my pace a bit and just keep going. Jeney helped out by surprising me at around mile 25 as I was coming out of the woods and getting ready to head into the cow pastures which really gave me a boost and was the turning point for the rest of the run.

With 6 miles to go it was much easier to keep a steady pace and enjoy the remaining time. The sun had come out and it was a beautiful day – still muddy and slow, but a great day to be in the Finger Lakes!

This, my first trail 50k ended up taking me just over 7 hours and was a great way to kick off my “real” running season for 2015. After rehabbing my legs/knee/hip from serious IT Band issues this spring it was a great feeling to finish this race without any pain or issues with my knee – hooray!

Next up – Colorado and the Trans Rockies Run 6!

We were excited when Ragnar announced a new Trail event in Massachusetts! Huzzah! A trail event in our backyard! Kind of…as we learned the location was still 5 hours away. Matters not! We’ll still do it and I bet we’ll have a lot of interest – we thought.

Fast forward a few months, and we came upon the brilliant idea of having a mens and a womens team. Perfect, we can have a Vagnar Team and a Twig and Berries Team. However, not even two teams was enough to get everyone we know from Ithaca who wanted to run this relay into the race – so our friend Eva headed up a third team – Team Ragtag Rag Gang.

I’ll skip the weird weather details and just say that we went camping near the race location the night before since apparently Ragnar could not secure the location for the night before or the night after (we could start setting up 7 am the day of the event and had to be gone by 6pm the day it ended…a little odd!). This worked out well as it was a 4.5 hour drive and not something we wanted to get up at 2 or 3 am and do on the day of the relay beginning.

Northfield is just outside of Springfield, MA and was a neat location. The trails themselves turned out to follow the same general topological feature – UP, UP, UP, and then DOWN, DOWN, DOWN. This isn’t my favorite way for a trail run to progress, but it takes all kinds! The forest was beautiful and running at night was a blast, for me, in these woods. Once I got over the hill on the Yellow loop at the beginning I was able to cruise downhill for several miles with my headlamp lighting the way.

For myself, this race was important as I’m coming off of some IT Band issues. Having built up to some 6-8 mile runs I successfully ran the 15-ish miles for the 3 Ragnar legs and had no issues. Hooray!

So – we mentioned that we had 3 teams go up together, right? Check out this shot of our “compound”:

We actually did a good job of staying in the allotted space (each team is supposed to stay with in a 17′ by 17′ area).

Logistically this was a tough race as getting everyone to the same places at the same times, planning meals, getting gears, etc, was a bit complicated. Not sure that we’ll head up doing all of that again, but it did work out really well in the end. The food was a real success as each team took charge of one meal – doing it this way meant more variety, “better” food, and quicker prep, as opposed to just bringing coolers full of sandwich fixings.

It might be a while before we run another Ragnar with all of the ultras and other crazy stuff coming up, but we would recommend this trail relay to anyone wanting to get out there and run around the woods with some friends!