The past few years, Gene & I have talked about iconic routes in Washington we wanted to do. But we just weren’t finding much time for them. There was Ironman training for him, then we sort of inherited a dog (from a living relative, a story for another day) and we were in intense training cycles again in 2022—Ironman for him (first planned attempt was rained out) and first 100 miler for me.
This year, I didn’t want to let another summer slip by without doing some cool days in the mountains, further from home than we typically go. We were both signed up for a race in May and a big goal in mid-August, but we committed to not committing, to not filling our calendars with races that would remove flexibility from our weekend schedules. We would need to train for the August goal, but we also felt that mountain adventures would be great training for what was ahead and help keep us from getting burnt out on.
What we did
Let me tell you, we had some epic days this year.
March/April/May
Not summer, not Washington, but a couple of big things that were adventures on unusual terms.
End of March, Gorge Waterfalls 100K: Both Gene & I had signed up for the race. But I ended up with an injury a couple of weeks before, little running & an upcoming trip, so I elected not to start. While Gene & a couple of friends were in the middle of the first half, I tested my body with an easy 4 mi run on the PCT and felt good. When I saw peeps around 50K, it was clear the day was harder for everyone than expected. I ended up jumping in to pace Gene for the final 13 miles—in cold rain & hail. We cleared the last cutoff by 3 min, and he got his finish.
Then in April, I had an amazing trip—a women’s trail running & mindfulness retreat in Nepal & Bhutan. The volume wasn’t high for me, but it was an incredibly special experience.
local adventure, Gene, a couple of friends & I traversed across 3 of the “Issy Alps” (Cougar, Squak & Tiger)
While traveling for work, took a detour to visit family & did a trail run around Pilot Mountain, a place I saw often but never visited as a kid.
June
Mid-distance run with the pup in the Teanaway range, when we got caught in a thunderstorm, complete with hail & gusts.
Led a Trail Sisters Seattle hike to Snow Lake
Gene & I also revisited a route we’d attempted a few years before. This time we made the full lap and got some surprisingly incredible views, despite the cloudy start.
July
Loowit Loop! Epic 50K around Mt St Helen’s (aka Loowit) with friends
An easy hike with a friend to Lake 22
Mason Lake/Mount Defiance with Trail Sisters Seattle while Gene volunteered at the Mt Hood 50 in Oregon
Seven Lakes Basin and High Divide Trail in the Olympic National Park with a friend
High Divide and Damfino Lakes in the North Cascades for Gene’s birthday run (we want to come back to this when the cloud cover is a little thinner and higher
August
Not in Washington or on the list because we didn’t know much about it before going, but while on vacation in southern France, an 8-mi route in the Calanques National Park.
Squamish 50(/50) – the goal race. Gorgeous drive up, not many views on course (plus smoky both race days) but still an adventure run.
September/October (to date)
For me, pacing at the Wasatch 100 in Utah. For Gene, a long run in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness with a friend.
Oct 1: Ptarmigan Ridge and Chain Lakes in the North Cascades with a friend.
What I learned
Many of these adventures were hard days, testing me in different ways. Nutrition, hydration, long ascents, technical terrain, occasionally managing anxiety as we scaled down short segments so steep they came with rope/chain to assist.
I let go of lining up things precisely to my training plan. I’m happy to have a coach who’s understanding and generally supportive of a little improvisational editing. In part, I’m not training to compete or even to PR (which is a bit hard to measure in trail running anyway). I train because I love being able to play and explore in the mountains for hours. The adventure angle kept me from getting too caught up in metrics and turning training into a chore.
This practice also reinforced how moving through nature with others is a powerful way to build relationships.
The snow has started to fall occasionally in the mountains, heralding the impending close of the trail running season in higher elevations of the Cascades. But I’m already scoping out routes for next year—and staying mindful of how I can incorporate that sense of adventure closer to home.
Boundary Conditions 