Whiskey Hill Redwood Run 10K

I took a break from the monumental winter we've had here in New Hampshire and headed to the sunny skies of California last week. My dear friend, Smiti, lives in the Bay area and has been begging me to visit for years now. I finally took the plunge with the help of Zeb's frequent flyer flies (all those business trips paid off) and headed west.

Of course, I couldn't help myself but to look up what races might be going on in the area while I was there. I found the Whiskey Hill Redwood Run 10k (and half marathon) less than an hour southeast from San Francisco. I decided that the 10k would be the perfect “I’m going to going on vacation to drink wine but I still want to feel like I accomplished something” race and signed up.

Representative of my pre-race hydration strategy
(and if you're in Fulton, CA, I do highly recommend Fogline Vineyards)

The race was on a Sunday. Smiti and I just spent the past two days before exploring Sonoma County. We indulged on excellent food, and sampled lots of Pinot Noirs plus some excellent aperitifs from the fruit of Smiti's yard at Sonoma Aperitif. While not the best pre-race strategy but, hey, it's just a 10k. Right.

Sunday morning we headed to the race. While most of California is experiencing drought conditions, I wouldn't have guessed it when I entered Huddart State Park. The trees were dressed in a lush green moss and a drizzly rain was coming down. But who I am to complain? There was another snowstorm back home the day before so really a little drizzle is nothing.

At the start, trying to stay dry before the race.

Overall, there were about 70 runners between the 10k and half marathon. The half marathoners started off first and then 10k’ers left about five minutes later. The race started with an uphill, a switchback, followed another uphill. Repeat. It was like this for the first couple miles. I forgot that outside of New England, that most trails have switchbacks and took some adjustment with my footing. But I will take that over post holing back east any day. The trail was fairly smooth packed earth with very little to worry about as far as tripping. And to be in the midst of the mighty redwoods was just simply amazing.

Can't help but smile running through the forest
Photo credit: Mary Bersen Photography

Finally, I got to a point where the trail diverged where the half marathoners would go to the left and continue on an uphill course while the 10k course flattened out. I was thankful that I stayed to the right. From that point to the finish was a series of downhill switchbacks. I gleefully picked up my speed and made the rest to finish where Smiti and her husband, Partha, greeted me.

My time, well, it was definitely not my best 10k time at 1:22:19. Next time, I will plan the wine tasting for after race.

(Charley) Horseshoe Hill 7K

I snowshoe and I run, but I rarely snowshoe run. But that fact did not deter me from doing my first snowshoe race this past Saturday at the Horseshoe Hill 7k (or 4.3333 miles) in Merrimack, NH. I will admit that I was severely undertrained for the race. My previous snowshoe running experience this winter was a 2.5 mile loop over the relatively flatter terrain at Mine Falls Park. Also my regular training has also been abysmal lately. Perfect opportunity to test my ability on a challenging course!

At the start - I'm in the back in the maroon fleece.

I was mostly excited about trying out the Dion snowshoes that is all the rave among trail/snowshoe runners. I have been using my old Redfeather Sport snowshoes that I have had for over 10 years. I figured there must be some improvements in snowshoe technology over the past decade or so. I also proudly "waterproofed" my running shoes with Hello Kitty duck tape. Because Hello Kitty on anything just makes it that much better. Zoe, my five year old, thought it was hilarious. Yes, even she recognized the ridiculousness of it all.

Hello Kitty Duck Tape to the rescue!

It was hard. I placed myself somewhere in the middle but it didn't take long to get passed by several folks. The challenge was to get my bearings on snowshoes. I found I had to adjust my gait to accommodate the extra circumference of my snowshoes. Also difficult in snowshoes is the ability to pass or be passed. It takes more effort to hop off to the side of the trail especially with very deep snow. You also run the risk of stepping onto someone else's snowshoe. Come to find out, people get a little irked about that. I finally did get into a rhythm until I got to a hill. And then I walked. I got up and over the hill and then trail continued through a series of switchbacks. Thankfully, there were plenty of people in front of me that broke trail. Despite being a race of almost 100 people, there was a sweet serenity running through the birches.

I was probably a little more than halfway through the race when I fell. And then my calf cramped up. So I found myself sitting in a couple feet of powder whimpering in pain. A couple people passed and asked if I was okay. I told them that it was a cramp. They looked at me pathetically and moved on. I managed to massage my calf and get myself back up and run the rest of the race. Most of the time I was wondering when it would end after going through a dizzying array of switchbacks. I finally got back to the hill that was at the beginning and knew I was almost there. I flew down the hill and finished at 1:07:43. A whopping 18.22min/mile pace!

I grabbed some soup to warm up but then had to dash since I had a hike with Zoe's Daisy Girl Scout troop that afternoon. Although it was a short race, I definitely felt I got a good workout in. In fact, I was sore for a couple days as if I did a much longer race.

Right now, winter seems endless so perhaps I should try to embrace this newly discovered sport or maybe just download some more music for the treadmill.