the bird ridge race...

officially known as the Robert Spurr Memorial Hill Climb, occurred yesterday. there were roughly 250 racers who took off in three waves. the first wave was made up of competitive racers who expected to finish in under 50 minutes. the second wave was for those who thought they would finish in 45-65 minutes. the third wave was for the youth racers who would be racing to the halfway point (a new addition to the race this year) and for all other racers who were out to run at whatever speed they liked.

being my first attempt at this race i situated myself near the front of the second wave, taking off 5 minutes after the first wave. going into the race i had no idea about what kind of time to expect. i've only been to the very top of the ridge (the race's end) once (in the winter) but i'm pretty familiar with the lower trail. i set my sights on 1-3 hours. i was pretty certain i would fall within this time frame.

i was able to stay near the front of the pack for the first 25 minutes or so but began slowing down after that. about 40 minutes in there was only one guy directly in front of me and a woman about 80 yards behind me. this became my race: to pass the guy in front of me and not let the woman behind pass. a small world, but a manageable one.

the weather was cold; raining and blowing on the ridge. that sort of weather is able to isolate a person even when other runners are in sight. i focused on one steep step at a time, head down, pushing into the wind that pushed back against my right side and drove frozen rain straight through my apparel and into my skin. it was especially easy to fall into the trance while on sections of the open ridge where the wind steadily howled, pulling at my number and causing the windshirts of racers ahead of me to flap loudly and violently. i tried my best to ignore the cold until i had the odd sensation of losing feeling in my chest. it was strange but from above my stomach to below my neck i couldn't feel anything except the tightness of my breath.

at about 50 minutes in i began to see the race leaders on their way down. typically the winners finish in around 40 minutes or so and as they began to trickle by some gave encouraging words, others a smile, and still others passed with arms wrapped tightly around themselves and glassy stares. the cold had taken it's toll on some runners. my brother-in-law reported that his time was "terrible" as he passed me on his way down. i asked what was up and as his voice blended into the wind behind me all i heard was something about the cold.

i turned my focus ahead and felt strong as the trail's angle started to lessen. i by no means have any kind of illusion that i will be competitive in these races. i do it for the sole purpose that i want to see what my body and mind are capable of. that, and the camaraderie of the trail running community. right before the false summit a down climbing racer encouraged "right over this this rise it flattens out and you can jog again." unless you've been power hiking uphill for almost an hour you may not realize how much of an encouragement that is. at this point, any leg movement other than the single leg squats you've been doing is welcomed. it did 'flatten', meaning become less vertical than it was, and i was able to air out my legs a bit.

i had passed the guy that was in front of me on a similar short section several minutes ago and no was focused on an older woman in front of me that had passed me much earlier in the race on a steeper section. i wasn't going to pass her in these last 100 yards or so to the endpoint, that's just bad form, but i did want to catch her. i did in the last short climb and we finished roughly together with a time of 1:08 something...

the official results will be posted here at some point.

i took a shot of gu. guzzled a bit of water that someone offered at the top as i hadn't brought any, and began the hike down. i sipped on a can of Coors Light that had been handed to me at the summit with a declaration of "Happy Solstice!" oh yeah, this is not only Father's Day but also the longest day of the year was my thought as i had received it. heading down i now did my part to encourage the racers still coming up: staying out of their way and shouting words to spur them on. i poured out the remainder of the beer and put the crushed can in my pocket. this wasn't because i didn't want it but because i couldn't really feel my fingers. well, i could feel them but they felt like frozen hot dogs. i attempted to re-warm them and continued down. the rest of the way down was uneventful, just a slow slog on tired legs.

overall the race was exactly what i had imagined going into it. on the way up it hurt terribly, upon finishing there was that sense of elation, and then coming down i wished it would end quickly. though it wasn't the sunny version of the race i envisioned, it was just as well. another AK experience recorded in my mind and body.

rabbit lake

the clouds hung low over the peaks of the front range of the Chugach, as my trusty trail running companion and i headed back towards Rabbit Lake for a training run. because of the weather there was one thing i knew for sure, i wouldn't be overheated, but there were other issues in my mind as i began down the trail.

it has been a busy couple of weeks and this was my first serious run since o'malley. i knew that i would still be able to run the 8 miles to Rabbit Lake and back, but didn't know how i would feel afterward. i am also nursing a pulled leg muscle that throbbed with every step. but the weather was great for running and i quickly settled into a groove on the initial 2 mile climb.

as we leveled off the view of the suicide peaks came into sight. typically this is where one would get a view of the tops of these impressive peaks, but not today. just a snowy headwall and the far-off view of the last rise one climbs before dropping down to the lake.
it is a gradual, rocky uphill trail from the halfway point, and we arrived at the lake in under an hour. there was one tent on the northern shore and the lake was as beautiful as always. i've visited the lake in sun, wind, rain, and snow and it always impresses me with it's alpine beauty.

we only stuck around long enough to eat a granola bar and snap a picture, it was a 'training' run after all. bouncing back down the trail was much easier as it is all slightly downhill on the way out. we passed a couple of hikers on the way and exchanged pleasantries. it's always refreshing to me that the further you are back on a trail, or the rougher the country, the nicer the people are that you encounter. i venture that if you saw the same people in the grocery store you'd get the same responses.

the weather held on the way out, but i could see sun over parts of anchorage. we made it back to the car in 1:41. a decent time considering i thought it might take 3 hours. another great day mucking about in the Alaskan frontcountry.

Spencer Loop

last night i went on a bike ride. it had been raining lightly and i had been putting off a run but finally convinced myself to get out of the house at about 9pm. had my sights set on Spencer Loop.

Spencer Loop was one time (years ago) rated as one of the top ten trails in some mountain bike publication. i wonder if the person who wrote the article ever rode the trail. it is a great trail if you like double track with long steep climbs and short non-technical descents. i've ridden on parts of Spencer Loop in the past, but this was my first time riding the entire loop. it was the workout i expected.

in fact, even the dog got a workout. he has been 'on loan' recently as we have farmed him out to friends who want a companion on their various runs. he had been up Bird Ridge earlier in the day so a 13 mile bike rode really wore him out.

all in all it was a good outing in spite of the rain, which had gone from a slight drizzle at the beginning of the ride to a substantial soaking by the end. good times.

O'Malley Peak

yesterday i ran one of my favorite peaks in the front range of the Chugach, O'Malley. having hiked this peak several times i was quite familiar with the trail, but only having run small portions of it i was unsure how it would be as a full trail run. about an 8 mile round trip with 4,000 ft. of climbing it typically takes a day hiker 6-8 hours to complete. my goal was 4 hours. my constant trail companion, Jackson, was along for the run.we started off down the trail a little before noon. it was another gorgeous day in which temperatures would reach near 70˚. i had worn long sleeves thinking that it would offer sun protection as well as warmth if it were windy up high. the shirt was quickly shed on the first climb as the day heated up. legs burning i reached the saddle between Little and False O'Malley and began to run up the ballpark (the large bowl below the main peak).there was a bit of snow to negotiate at the saddle, and again on the lower reaches of the ballpark, but it was to be expected. from this vantage point i thought that leaving the ice ax at home was a mistake as it appeared that the up gully contained a lot of snow. (this wouldn't be the case though as the snow ribbons were easy to negotiate around.) the trail becomes more of a route after turning off at the top of the ballpark and heading up the gully. i pushed hard and reached the top of the gully in under 20 minutes, and 20 minutes after that was standing on the top of O'Malley.the view from the top is amazing as in one direction one sees Anchorage and beyond, and in the other the Chugach range stretches as far as the eye can see. looking down on the east side of the peak one sees sheer cliffs falling away for thousands of feet. Black Lake lies in the shadow of the peak and at this time of year is still mostly frozen and drifted over. it's mind blowing to think that in a couple of weeks the lake will be completely thawed and ready for a chilly mountain swim.
all in all it was an amazing day out. my watch died shortly after reaching the peak so on the way out i had no idea if i was on track for my 4 hour time or not. i pushed hard though, or at least as hard as my legs would let me. coming down the scree and the snow is always fun and easy on the 'ol knees. when i reached the car the clock showed my total time had been 3:04. that was total time so subtracting the 5 or so minutes I spent on top and refilling water bottles at the Campbell creek crossing (i ran out of water on the way back), i figure it was under a 3 hour run. i've got a little sunburn and a few scratches to show for it...it was a blast.

1st time clamming

today we went clamming, well actually we joined some friends who went clamming and came in on the tail end of the low tide, but we got a few. our friends Brad and Tobi who own the lodge had gone to Ninilchik with a couple more of the crew staying at the lodge, so Tiff, the little guy, Jackson and I piled in the car and met them down there.

they were making their way in but we got on the beach in enough time to dig out 4 clams. I had never clammed before so Tobi instructed me in how it's done. I had two misses but dug out the third one.

it was pretty fun. now having done it we'll probably do it more as the whole family can do it. the little guy even got into it, probing the sand with his dowel, teaching mommy how it's done.

I love AK!

down on the Kenai...

Soldotna precisely. A bunch of us are out at my buddy's lodge on the Kenai river. it's the opening weekend for King Salmon in Nikiski, an hour down the road. a bunch of the guys got up in the morning (3am ish) to go. they came back after about 30 min. of fishing without any fish. not me...I was snuggled in my bed with Tiff. I definitely made the right choice.

last night the sunset over the Kenai was pretty nice.

ah, Memorial Day Weekend. school's out and summer is getting off to a great start.

peak 1 and 2

my buddy Jared and I ran peak 1 & 2 last night. our time was right around an hour. it was an awesome night to be out, as has been almost every night for the past 3 weeks. it was Jared's first time on that particular route and he, Jackson (my pound puppy) and I had a great run. I'm feeling strong and good about the upcoming summer. running hurts much less than it ever has for me. I attribute it to the core strengthening I learned in my last round of PT. Thanks Lisa at Healthwise in Eagle River!can you spot Jackson? he kind of blends in. this is Jared heading up peak 1.

on my way up peak 2, peak 1 (Flat Top) in the background.Jackson on top of peak 2 with Powerline Pass valley behind him.

Jared applauds himself at the top of 2.