Oboz Trail Experience: Charlottesville

The Oboz Trail Experience is a challenge to hike or run a certain number of predetermined local(ish) trails within a month. With only seven locations this year, I was surprised that Charlottesville made the cut (among the likes of Bozeman, MT, Burlington, VT, and Fort Collins, CO.) I’m assuming it’s because a new Public Lands just opened here.

Total distance varied by location. For Charlottesville, there were 22 trail segments totaling 101.52 miles to be completed within the month of October. It’s free to sign up and all you have to do is connect an Activity Tracking account and the website updates automatically once you complete a segment. The trail segments ranged from 1.76 miles to 13.29 miles. Some are flat and relatively easy and some are mountainous and technical. The combined elevation gain for all 101.52 miles was 30,516 feet.

I was worried about the technical aspect (figuring out how to connect and sync my Garmin) because it’s not something I’m great at, but it was easy and everything went (relatively) smoothly.

I can’t upload (download? I’m clueless.) maps to my Garmin, and the challenge did seem to assume that you could do that. I had to put some effort into figuring out where I was actually supposed to go once I was out there. Luckily, I was familiar with all but two of the trails. But the exact route I needed to take for the challenge often differed from the one(s) I usually take. I ended up with a few bonus miles as a result, but that just added to the challenge.

It was fun to monitor everyone’s progress on the Oboz Trail Experience website. There is a map of all of the included trail segments that switch from red to green once you complete them. You can click on each participant’s name and see their map and which trails they’ve completed. There’s also a Facebook page where you can share pictures, ask questions and interact with other participants.

Oboz and Public Lands donate $10 to local nonprofits (Ivy Creek Foundation, Rivanna Trails Foundation, and Shenandoah National Park Trust for the Charlottesville one) every time someone completes an associated promoted trail segment.

There are also several promoted trail segments that you get prizes for completing. I think you pick them up at Public Lands, but I haven’t done that yet. I’m trying very hard not to accumulate things I don’t need. One of the prizes was a pair of Farm to Feet socks that I could actually use, so I may try to pick them up at some point.

I ran most of the segments but did some hiking too. Running isn’t allowed at Ivy Creek so I had to hike that one. Once I started the challenge, my competitive edge took over and I wanted to finish as quickly as I could. Since I don’t usually run every day and was worried I would end up injured if I did, I hiked some of the segments so I could complete more of them each week.

The only bad thing about this challenge is all of the driving involved. I’ve cut way back on how much I drive for environmental and economic reasons. I typically only need to fill my gas tank once a month at most. I was filling it weekly during the challenge.

Getting out on so many trails did wonders for my mental health though. I may need to let go of some of the guilt and drive to more trails. Trail running makes me happy.

The challenge got me back to some of my favorite trails that I haven’t been to in a while. I loved watching the sunrise from Turk mountain.

Walnut Creek used to be my favorite place to run and I hadn’t been there in over a year.

It also got me out on trails that I love but tend to avoid running on because they’re so technical (Three Ridges and Riprap/Wildcat.)

Three Ridges

Riprap/Wildcat

I always try to run Riprap/Wildcat in the spring when the Rhododendrons are blooming but it is equally spectacular in the fall.

Overall, I didn’t run more miles than I normally would have during the challenge, but I did run more trail miles. I also did more hiking and a lot more climbing.

The sections of the Rivanna Trail included in the challenge made me realize that I really should take advantage of it more than I do. The Rivanna Trail is a twenty-mile singletrack loop around Charlottesville. It’s a great perk that I tend to take for granted.

Rivanna Trail

There was an afterparty at Public Lands with free food and Oboz shoe giveaways. I was in Montebello getting ready to run Mountain Masochist that night, so I wasn’t able to attend. Although if I’m being honest, I wouldn’t have gone anyway. Social things are hard.

Yeti 100 takeaways and musings (warning feet pics)

Takeaways

1. I shouldn’t change my shoes during an ultra unless the ones I have on are causing an immediate problem.  I’ve only gotten blisters during a race twice: the only two times I’ve changed my shoes and socks mid-race. The conditions were so wet at the Yeti 100 that the blisters may have been inevitable, but I didn’t feel them until after I changed my shoes and the pain showed up very quickly after I did. My feet were definitely my weakest link. A week later, my blisters have just settled down enough to walk. My right foot was pretty swollen after the race and still hurts, so I’m worried I have a more serious injury. One of my blisters became infected. I made a trip to the doctor Tuesday morning and am now taking antibiotics.
2. I really need to do a little more planning and think things through ahead of time. Brian and I should have figured out when we would need to pick up our headlamps. There was no excuse for us getting caught in the dark like that.
3. We need to do a better job of organizing our gear for our crew.
4. I personally am not ready to return to normal activities. It was SO nice to have things feel relatively normal for a couple of days, but my Covid anxiety is definitely up now. I’m paranoid that one of us is going to get sick. I’m not ready to be around that many people.
5. Having crew and pacers makes a huge difference! Coke and Advil late in the race do, too.

Musings

1. I wasn’t the only one who had to pee a ridiculous amount of times during the race. The next day, somebody posted this on Facebook:

A bunch of people responded that it had happened to them too.

2. I wasn’t sure if I’d want to do another 100, but I do! They’re hard on the body, though. I don’t like having to take so much time off to recover. I was planning to take a week off regardless and I knew I would have to take it easy for a while. But it’s looking like my body is going to need longer than I anticipated. I’d be happy if I could just walk at this point. My muscles were only tight and sore for a couple of days, it’s my feet that are giving me so much trouble.

3. Why do I run ultras and backpack long distances? What do I get out of it?

I spend a lot of time in my head, the daily grind can get monotonous and I don’t feel particularly good at life.

I like that races get me out of my head. They force me into the present moment. I have to focus on what my body is physically doing and what it needs. I love the simplicity of that. It’s one of the things I love about backpacking too.

Sometimes I just need to work towards a goal to feel a sense of accomplishment; to prove to myself that there are things that I’m actually capable of doing. I feel like I come up short in so many ways. I possess no useful talents, I suck at making money and I’m awkward with people. I’m not fast, but I can cover great distances on foot.

I do these things because they make me feel miserable and euphoric and alive.

When I’m running or hiking in the woods, I feel like I’m where I belong. I feel most like myself, and sometimes I just need to get out there and do something to remind myself of that.

The world would be a better place if we all did more of the things that make us come alive.

Photo credit: Samantha Smith Taylor

 

Quarantine step goal streak

Walk in Belmont

I hit my Garmin step goal 93 days in a row.

Most runners I know and follow on social media were doing all kinds of crazy running challenges during the early days of lockdown. As much as I wanted to join in, I knew if I tried to run too many miles (with all of the added stress of Covid-19) I would just end up injuring myself. It was due to all that added stress and worry that I couldn’t afford an injury. I needed to be able to run for my mental health.

IX park art 

Garmin’s step goal is based on your average daily steps. Each day you meet your goal, your goal for the next day is increased. If you surpass your goal by a lot, your goal for the next day increases even more. My goal when I started my streak in late April was 15400. On my last day in July, it was 16730 (a little over 8 miles).

Monticello Secluded Farm Trails

During this time, I was running 5-6 miles four days a week and doing a longer run of 10-18 miles on Saturday. My long run day is the only day I met my goal with my run. On my shorter run days, I needed to also go for a 3-4 mile walk in the afternoon. If I ran around the neighborhood, I tacked on a walk around the block as soon as I finished my run to get me a little closer to my goal during the cooler morning hours. Running takes less time, but you actually get fewer steps than you do walking because your stride is much longer when you run.

Belmont bridge

The two days a week that I didn’t run were by far the hardest days. Walking 8 miles a day is pretty time consuming. Being unemployed during this time definitely helped. The cooler temperatures in the spring allowed me to go for 3-4 shorter walks a day. Once the days started getting hot, I tried very hard to meet my goal in two outings because I needed a shower as soon as I got home from each one. Three or four showers a day just seems excessive. I know there was at least one three shower day, though.

Ragged Mountain

I’ve ended my streak, but I’m still trying to meet my step goal most days. I’ve gotten used to walking more and find myself itching to get out there a couple times a day. It is very nice not to feel the pressure to walk quite so much on those two days when I don’t run, though.

That was rough.

Fred leading the way.

 

Father’s Day weekend hiking and camping trip in Boone, N.C. (July 28-30, 2019)

Dinner Friday night was at Lost Province Brewing Company. We shared a flight. The Just Bee Nice (local wildflower honey and chamomile) and Caffeinated Bastard (tasted exactly like a glass of iced coffee) were group favorites. The beet, rosemary and sweet potato pizza is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. If you’re ever in Boone, I highly recommend this place.

We rented the cabin at Honey Bear Campground. It is tiny, but cute and right on a creek in the middle of a Rhododendron thicket. One of the two fire pits on the site is in a private little clearing just feet from the creek.

Grandfather Mountain

Profile trail to McCrae Peak (10.4 miles round trip)

Saturday morning we parked at the (new and roomy!) Profile trail parking lot off of Highway 105. There is a brand new and sparkly clean bathroom there now, too! The new lot and convenient restroom come at the cost of an extra mile of hiking (each way). But I think it’s worth it. The old lot was tiny and a bathroom with running water is always much appreciated at the beginning and end of any hike.

The first mile is rolling, after that it is a relentless climb that gets steeper and rockier the closer you get to the intersection with the Grandfather trail.

Foscoe View

Dad doing his photography thing

Grandfather’s profile

The trail gets a little steep and rocky

Rock scramble! 

After a couple of hours of climbing, we finally turned onto Grandfather trail, where things started to get really exciting! Lots of rocks, ladders, ropes and views. It is slow hiking, but so much fun.

Descending “the chute” at attic window

We made Brian wait until we got to McCrae Peak to eat lunch. He nearly perished.

McCrae Peak

After a much anticipated lunch at the summit, it was time to head back down.

Climbing back up “the chute”

Indian House Cave

Back down the rock scramble. My aching knees!

A Hardywood Wee Heavy toast. To Dad! And climbing Grandfather Mountain!

The last couple of miles felt really long.

After cleaning up and eating dinner (corn on the cob cooked on the grill is so good!) it was finally time for rehydrating and relaxing by the fire.

Such a great weekend camping and hiking in Boone.

Happy Father’s day, Dad!

Helsinki Running Day Half Marathon (May 18, 2019)

Helsinki City Running day is an impressive (and very popular!) event with something for everyone. There is a 1K mini-marathon for kids in the morning. Then a half marathon, full marathon, marathon relay, double (half and full) marathon and a 5K.

We did the half marathon which was the second event of the day (after the kid’s mini-marathon). The half was split up into 5 waves with the first wave starting at 11:30 am and the last one at 12:10. We were in the very last wave based on our projected finish time (i.e. slow).

Unlike at the race we did in Belgium, the lines for the port-o-johns were really long. We also quickly realized that it must not be taboo to wear the race shirt on race day in Finland. Maybe that’s only a U.S. thing? Anyway, I’d say at least half of the crowd was wearing the purple race shirt.

Lots of purple in the port-o-john line

Lined up at the start

Even with so many waves, we were pretty bunched up for a while at the beginning. It didn’t bother me at all though. Brian and I were running together and he was counting on me to set the pace (he’s notorious for going out too fast). I had settled into my all-day-ultra pace (pretty much the only pace I know these days). A little exercise and a nice tour of the city was all I was looking for.

What was strange was how quiet it was. We were in the very last wave, where, especially so early in the race, just about everyone is usually chatting away. But we were the only ones talking. And we tried not to say too much because everyone could hear what we were saying (because nobody else was talking!), which was awkward. Plus we didn’t want to be the annoying loud Americans. The spectators were quiet too. A few people would say “hyvä” in a normal speaking tone as we ran by.  Hyvä translates as “good” but we reasoned it must mean something like “good job” in this context. Even the music was quiet. Strangely, someone early on was playing the “Footloose” album for us as we ran by. I definitely approved!

We ran through a park by some marshland,

Hmmm

followed a paved bike/pedestrian path, skirted the water,

ran on some soft dirt (heavenly!)  through beautiful green woods,

crossed several bridges,

ran through some not-so-pretty areas of the city with quite a bit of construction and finished up back at the Töölön Sports Hall.

There were several water stops along the way with Sportyfeel and water. I had some Sportyfeel at two of the stops. It tasted fine. Kind of like Gatorade. But both times I drank it, I got a side stitch. So I switched over to just water after that.

It was really hot out. I kept hoping someone along the course would have a sprinkler on so we could run through it. No such luck, but at one point there were a couple of people with spray bottles offering to spray down runners legs. Brian and I both said yes to that! It felt really good. With about four miles to go we ran back by the water. I told Brian that if the finish line was anywhere near the water I would definitely jump right in as soon as we finished. Unfortunately, it was several miles away.

The last three miles were pretty excruciating. I thought I was just dehydrated because it was so hot and I wasn’t carrying any water. Less than a mile from the finish line we turned a corner and I suddenly felt light-headed. I told Brian I needed to stop for a minute. He was carrying a couple of bottles of Carbo Pro. I always make fun of his Carbo Pro. It is supposedly flavorless but has calories and carbohydrates. So basically it’s water with calories. I prefer my calories to have flavor. I don’t understand the point of Carbo Pro. Just before the race he had asked me what it would take for me to drink some. I told him I would just have to be really, really thirsty. And now I was. I drank some stupid Carbo Pro. And it actually tasted like sugar-water as opposed to plain water but I’m not sure that’s really any better. Regardless, he felt pretty smug and I felt a little defeated, but also physically a little better.

He asked me what I’d had to eat and I told him nothing. I had a couple sips of Sportyfeel twice. Maybe 8 ounces total. But it was just a half marathon! I thought that I had read that they would have gels at the water stops, but I guess I was wrong. But I hadn’t thought that I would need anything, anyway. I really thought my problem had more to do with dehydration than lack of fuel.

But once we finished, I realized that we hadn’t started running until 12:10. I would have been fine if the race had started at 8 or 9. Probably even 10. But it had started after lunch time. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. It was close to 2:30 pm and I’d been running for more than two hours. Of course I needed fuel!

After we crossed the finish line and were handed our medals, we were led through another buffet line of goodies. I downed several cups of water and a vanilla recovery drink and started feeling much better.

Helsinki City Running Day was (mostly) pretty awesome!

Seen on the run (May 26, 2019)

Riprap/Wildcat loop Cranky irritable annoyed exhausted anxious sad My cousin died Molly is sick again I can’t remember the last time I slept through the night I checked my hydration pack after Promise Land and couldn’t find a leak. I filled it up the night before this run and refrigerated it overnight. When I pulled it out in the morning there was no sign of leakage. Five minutes into the run my back and legs were soaked. By mile 6 I was out of fluid. It was hot. Fuck it. I hate rocky, technical downhill. Why did I choose this route? Oh yeah. I wanted to see the Rhododendrons. And jump in the swimming hole. There were a few Rhododendrons here and there. I tried to feel happy. I mostly just felt tired. There were people at the swimming hole. I felt self-conscious. And I really just wanted to get home and check on Molly. Two thousand feet of climbing in the last 2.5 miles. In the heat. Brian shared his water. *When I got home I discovered a crack in the small plastic piece that connects the tube to the bladder in my hydration pack. I’ve had it for maybe 9 months.

Helsinki City Running Day Expo and packet pick-up

The Expo and packet pick-up were held inside the Töölön Sports Hall.

It was a little confusing for us because all of the signs were in Finnish. Just about everybody in Helsinki speaks English, but it felt rude going up to people and just speaking in English, assuming they would understand. We knew how to ask “Do you speak English?” (Puhutko Englantia?) but had found that people often didn’t understand us and we’d end up just asking in English if they spoke English to which they would quickly reply “Yes, I speak English” in perfect English.

Anyway, with slightly different versions of this scenario playing out a couple of times we navigated our way through. The free samples were incredible. If I had actually been planning on “racing” the next day I would have skipped them. You know, that whole don’t try anything new before the race thing. But this was just going to be a sight-seeing jog for us, so I was free to partake. And I took full advantage. I tasted a carbonated energy drink, a vanilla recovery drink, a fruit and veggie smoothie pouch (which was…interesting), and some flavored sparkling water . I grabbed a (not-small!) cup of nuts and poured it on top of a nearly full-sized scoop of high-protein ice cream (yum!). And there were even more samples that I didn’t try (including the Heineken). By the time we left, I felt like I probably didn’t need to eat dinner.

But of course I still did.

We picked up our bibs, then followed a line of people that took us by all the tables handing out freebies, and then funneled us into an area filled with merchandise (running clothes, accessories and fuel).

We then had to cross back through the main entrance into a separate area to pick up our race shirts. I noticed big signs over the tables and made my way over to the “S” table, thinking that we were supposed to line up according to our names. There was a very young girl behind the table. We went through the whole “Puhutko Englantia, Do you Speak English, Yes I do” thing, before I looked up and it finally registered that the letters were “S”, “M” and “L”. Oops! I moved over to the “M” line and was handed a shirt.

Seen on the run (May 21, 2019)

Helsinki

My only run this trip other than the Helsinki Running Day Half Marathon on Saturday.

I ran by myself at 6am. It was light out and I felt perfectly safe.

Seen on the run (April 6, 2019)

Four easy miles on the Monticello trail.

Just me.

The anxiety crazies are back. And/or I’m injured. It’s just so much fun that I can never tell the difference. The pain always feels very real.

My toe started hurting at mile 5 of my run on Wednesday. I cut my run short, but I thought I was just being overly cautious. It didn’t hurt so bad that I couldn’t run on it.

I was planning to run Friday morning, but I decided not to because the toe was still hurting (I did a lot of walking around on Wednesday and Thursday). I also spent a lot of time Googling everything I could think of involving running and toe injuries. Stress fractures of the metatarsals are common in runners, but stress fractures of the phalanges (which is where my pain is) are not.

It could be metatarsalgia. There is some pain under the toe. And my second toe is longer than my big toe. And I always have a callus in that spot.

Or it could all be in my head.

Or just mostly in my head.

The fun is that there is no way to know.

I nearly made myself sick worrying about whether I should try to do a long group run this morning. There were two that I really wanted to do. One was a training run on the Promise Land 50k course. But I also knew I didn’t want to drive all the way down to Lynchburg when I wasn’t sure if I’d even be able to do the run. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted the hassle of driving to Sugar Hollow and meeting up with a group only to possibly have to turn around after a mile or two.

By the time I went to bed last night I was pretty sure I was just going to do a short easy run in town to test it out. Then, if all was fine I could still do my own long(ish) run on Sunday. I’m not convinced that I should be running 20+ miles on consecutive weekends anyway.

The run was fine. My toe was just a little achy.

I walked to the City Market afterward though and it hurt. Not bad enough to make me limp. Just bad enough to keep me guessing.

Fun with anxiety and running.

2018

Total miles run: 1280.1

It took me a while to bounce back (both physically and mentally) from my two ankle sprains in late 2017.

The winter months were tough. I just didn’t have my normal drive to get up and out on those cold, dark mornings. So my yearly mileage was fairly low and (unlike other low-mileage years) I wasn’t biking and swimming instead of running. Mostly, I was curled up in my chair with a cup of tea, a book and a kitty on my lap. Embracing the hygge. Time well-spent I think, as I lost my cuddliest kitty later in the year. I’m happy to have had that extra cuddle time.

2018 Races

WazUPwidis

Blue Ridge Marathon

Jogging de la Ligne

Conquer the Cove 25k

I feel bad that I never wrote anything about Conquer the Cove this year. It is possibly my favorite trail race, which is why I ran it even though it was held the weekend Brian and I got back from Belgium. I was jet-lagged, fighting off a cold and exhausted from vacation, but I really didn’t want to miss the race! It went about how you would imagine. Although in truth, it surprised me just how much that combination of circumstances affected my run. It took me three hours and forty-two minutes, which is almost a full HOUR longer than the last time I ran it (2:47). Yikes! It was still a great race and I loved jumping in the lake afterward just as much as I always have.

In addition to my dismal performance, I didn’t take any pictures this year. And these are the only two of me from the race pics (I’m in the peachy/orange tank top.)

:

Odyssey Trail Running Rampage Half Marathon

 

 

Non-running 2018 highlights:

My first (and second!) trip(s) overseas.

Belgium

View from our Airbnb in Compogne

 

 

London and Scotland with the family

 

 

Inside our Airbnb.

Edinburgh Military Tattoo

2018 was a mixed bag of high highs and low lows.

Life, I guess.

See you in 2019!