This post is long overdue (I ran the Squamish 50k in August 2018) but better late than never. Also this is mainly a pretext to post a recap of last summer adventures, as we start gearing up for the upcoming summer – and training for the next race.
Back in the fall of 2017, a group of runners got together at our place to look at the 2018 racing calendar, and pick some ultras to sign up for – particularly a “destination race” that we could participate in as a group and make a fun goal race out of. The evening was somewhat un-fructuous, due to conflicting schedules and in the end, we weren’t able to come up with a race to do all together.
Still looking to sign up for my second ultra, I soon-after realized that the perfect event was right under my nose: the Squamish 50k, probably one of the most popular local races near Vancouver. If I wanted to train for a fun event and spend a week-end surrounded by trail-running friend, this one was no doubt the best option.
The race has become very popular in the last couple of years, in parts due to its Race Director Gary Robbins, becoming the most notorious Canadian to participate in the infamous Barkley Marathons. The last few years, race registration for Squamish 50 had sold out in just a few days and even hours. With that in mind, I was online to sign up at 7am on registration day. That year, the race sold out within 45 minutes.
Brice had also decided to tackle, for the second time, the gnarly 50/50 challenge – running the 50 mile course on the Saturday, followed by the 50k course on the Sunday.
With both our registrations taken care of, and the race 9 months away, we proceeded with our winter plans of running for fun, trying out some winter sports, and not worrying about training for a little while.
Most of my running in the winter months consisted in our Saturday morning runs with the Salomon Vancouver Trail Lab – a really great running group led by the fast and fearless Katie Mills. Katie always came up with new fun routes, keeping us motivated to get up at 6am on rainy Saturdays, to go run around the wet and muddy forest of the North Shore.
Aside from those weekly 10-15k, I didn’t do much running, favoring instead a few ski and snow-shoe outings.
Training
Early April, I flew back to France for my brother’s wedding, and did something I never thought I would do back when I lived there: I went for a couple of runs around my home town. The first one was really more of a pretext to insta-document the places I used to roam as a teenager. The second one left my family slightly baffled – and even myself a bit surprised – when I decided to go for a 10k run from my mom’s house, the day after my brother’s wedding. Somehow a 10k shake up after dancing my butt off til 4am seemed to be just what I needed.
When I flew back to Vancouver, I counted time left before Squamish, and figured 20 weeks was probably a good place to start some kind of a training plan.
I looked online a bit, and found a 19-week, “run your first ultra” plan sample. It listed out suggested volume per week, along with weekly long run distances, and a couple of examples of a week running breakdown, so I decided to use it as a guide and put together a little google spreadsheet to keep track of my progress.
Right off the bat, I realized I might not have chosen the most realistic plan. Total volume for the 1st week was 50k, with a 25k long run. I had barely ran 20k per week in the previous 6 months, so going from that to more than double in the span of one week really didn’t seem like the smartest choice (they say that you’re not supposed to increase you weekly volume by more than 10% a week in order to stay injury-free).
I decided not to overthink it too much, and broke down my weekly training into more manageable goals – a couple of road runs, one “long” trail run, and Sunday for big hikes/time on feet day.
This is the log of my training volume. The far right columns were the initial targets from the plan I downloaded. As you can see, my actual was pretty far off, with an average of 40k per week…Also, the sunday mileage was a long hike most of the time.
When trying to remember what my training looked like for the Gorge 50k the previous year, I came up blank. All I could remember was that I injured my foot in the first week of training, resulting in 6-weeks of water-running, and I ran no more than three or four 25k-and-over long runs, 30k being my longest distance before the race.
It’s hard to compare two different races, especially over 1 year apart. I knew my fitness level had significantly improved since Gorge50k, mainly due to the regular amount of mountain hiking that we did. I also knew that the Squamish course had a gnarly reputation, from attending as a crew and spectator 3 years in a row. I had run the 23k course in 2016, and remembered the endless climb to the top of Mount of Phlegm, albeit the lowest climb of the whole 50k course. So even though I knew I was a stronger runner than when I ran my first Ultra, I really had no clue how I would do on this one.
Running the Squamish 23k in 2016
I’ll tell you right there. My training plan was pretty hackily–crafted, and my training turned out to be just about as unstructured and miss-matched as could be.
I think a few things ended up making it relatively successful though, as far as my racing goals went.
Most of my training involved crashing other people’s work-out sesh’:
– My friend Pargol is a slightly compulsive (said with love) BCMC climber. Tagging along on one of her climbs once a week for a few weeks turned into a great opportunity to improve my climbing game, while providing social gathering opportunities (she always manages to bring other people along with her).
Pargol (middle photo) participates every year in the Multi -Grouse Grind challenge, climbing the trail as many times as possible in the span of 18 hours. In the last two years, we’ve joined her for a few repeats, along with many other friends. Her current best is 13 climbs in one day.
– Our friend Jeanelle started putting together running work-outs for a few friends on Thursday morning, i.e. speed or hill training in Stanley Park. I only managed to tag along a few times, but I’m pretty sure it helped – if not to make me faster, at least to make me more mentally resilient to hard effort.
– In the last couple of months before the race, my friend Wiebke and I got into a steady routine of going on a trail run after work on a week night. While we both work a somewhat monopolizing job, we took turns motivating each other to drive out of the city to the North Shore, even for a “chill” 10k – which almost inevitably turned into an involuntary speeding competition. It also provided a great excuse for a “venting-about-our-day” session and however lazy and un-inspired to run we felt going in, we always finished stoked and energized by the end.
Running down Old Mountain Highway with Wiebke, on a wet Thursday night
Because I know there are so many nurses working 12-hour shifts, or full-time moms-of-four out there who still manage to sneak in their daily run and even train for marathons, I feel slightly guilty saying that my biggest challenge was to find the time to train. I only have to take care of myself (and to be frank, Brice does at least 50% of the job for me), and my main obstacle is my 8am-7pm desk job, which while I do love it, can be slightly overwhelming at times. (That being said, I also know loads of free-lancers with more flexible schedules who can go for long runs on a week day so maybe I don’t feel that guilty after all :P).
I figured pretty soon that If I wanted to run during the week, I’d have to take advantage of the one daily chunk of time that otherwise felt a little “wasted” – my commute.
I could make it as short as a 3.5k, straight door-to-door run, or I could take the longer, more scenic way around the Vancouver seawall, running along the water edge and by one or several of Vancouver’s urban beaches.
I did this once or twice a week, and generally ran from work to home, rather than the other way around, adding anywhere from 4 to 15k per run to my weekly volume.
Funny enough those road runs were some of the most challenging ones I had during my training. For some reason, a 6k run on flat pavement often felt harder and more sluggish than a 15k run on trails.
I mentioned this to Brice one day as I was walking in the door and he looked at me, lifted my pack and declared “that’s why”. Run-commuting means that you generally have to carry a change of work-appropriate clothes (and shoes) with you. Add to that potential lunch left-overs, an umbrella, wallet, phone, keys… Turns out I was running with up to 3-4 kilos on my back. No wonder I felt so much better when I carried nothing other than a ½ litter of water…
My trusty Salomon pack, which I usually use for hiking, but also running if we go into more remote areas, to make sure I can carry all my essentials with me. Also doubles as a commuter/gym bag during the week…
When I ran the Gorge 50k, my main challenge was the sharp knee pains that I started to experience at km 30, and prevented me from running any downhill in the last 10km. Investigating the cause of it afterwards, I learned that they were likely due to tight IT bands, and other thigh/hip muscles progressively stiffening and pulling on the knee.
The main thing I learned from that experience, and continuing to run regularly after, is that strengthening and taking care of those muscles was just as important as training to get stronger and faster – in fact, it was probably the best way to get stronger and avoid injury.
I found out through a friend about this massage therapist using a technique called rolfing. The method consists in targeting specific points in the muscle fascias, and releasing tension which cause improper posture and structural imbalances in the body. The massage studio was only a few blocks from our house so I decided to check it out. I felt the benefits of the treatment after the very first session, and booked a series of 10 appointments – 1 every two weeks throughout my training.
I’m pretty consistent with using a foam roller and a lacrosse ball after running, but those massages truly made a difference in my training, as I could feel my running being a lot easier, my stride longer and less stiff, and even my breathing stronger after a session targeted around my rib cage and upper body. Brice also started getting deep tissue massages from another therapist, and he confirmed that they made a huge difference in his training recovery.
I tried to do a bit of gym work as well – weighted squats and lunges, and other strengthening exercises, but didn’t manage to make it as consistent as I wished. I only found time to hit the gym about once a week. Finally, I managed to attend a hot yoga class once a week as well. I found hot yoga to be a bit more effective than regular, in keeping my muscles flexible and getting rid of stiffness or DOMS after running.
Even though I was pretty cautious with my volume increase and how much I pushed my body, I did end up with some annoying pains in my ankles or feet 2 or 3 times during my training. Every time, I just stayed off running for a couple of days, but made sure to stretch and roll, especially in those areas that might be the cause of the pain – I’ve noticed that knee pain is often caused by thigh or hips tightness and ankle/foot pains, by trigger points in the calves. Whether those were premises to injuries, or just muscle fatigue, the short time off and stretching seemed to work every time.
The Squamish 50k is a pretty runable race when it comes to terrain, but it features about 2500m of ascent and 2750m of descent. Probably one of the most effective part of my training was all the climbing I did – and most time for fun. I mentioned that I regularly hiked up the 800m of elevation of the BCMC trail, but also, Brice and I spent most week-ends in the spring and summer hiking up mountains. We didn’t always run, but we definitely built-up our uphill muscles, which turned out to be invaluable for the three major climbs of the Squamish course.
One thing that we’re incredibly fortunate to have, is this amazing playground just at our doorstep. Most of our weekend outings were not so much about training, but more so about having fun and exploring our backyard. Some of the most memorable hikes we did:
• A 25k run up and down a portion of the Skyline trail in Manning Park.
• A 26k hike/run up to Coliseum Mountain in Lynn Valley
• A 25k hike to Alouette Mountain in Golden Ears Park.
• A 23k hike along the Sea to Summit and Al Habrich trails in Squamish
• A 14k hike to Iceberg Lake in Whistler.
We’re also lucky to have an incredible trail running community around us, with friends constantly reaching out to each other to go on running adventures. Such adventures included:
• a 29k “shuffle” on the Sunshine Coast trail – a week-end of running on new trails, camping in the rain and Brice showing off his shelter and fire-making skills to the 7 women who formed our group.
The above photos are actually not from the Sunshine coast week-end, but from a hike/run to Petgill Lake on a different occasion, but with most of the same crew…
• A 25k run, followed by a 16k hike the next day, part of a group week-end in Manning Park where the fun-runs were only matched by all the 90’s movies we watched on old VHS tapes at the cabin.
Above: Climbing and running down the Skyline trail starting from Lightening lake Below: a windy hike along the Heather/Three Brothers trail (July 1st long week-end)
• A 33k group run/hike through the intimidating Haynes Valley boulder field, up Grouse Mountain and down old Mountain Highway – turns out, the most challenging part was running the last 10k of downhill on boring forest road and tired legs.
• A slightly improvised 18k group trek to Elsay lake near Mount Seymour. For once, the trail started with 7km of technical down which we had to climb on the way back. Thankfully it was all made easy by good company and a refreshing mid-way jump in the aforementioned lake.
Another important aspect of training – for me anyways, was knowing the course. I had run the last 23k of it 2 years earlier. The 23k race follows the same course as the 50k, except for one climb, Legacy, which it by-passes. Brice was not aware of that fact when he took me for a training run before the race 2 years ago, and I remember just wanting to cry the whole way up – but still managing to get there. 2 years later, I knew I was much stronger, so even after running the first half of the course, I figured that one way or another, climbing Legacy would be easier than that very first time. Similarly, I wasn’t too worried about the second half – I would be tired but at least I knew the course and was mentally prepared for how long that last climb to Mount Phlegm would likely feel.
I was however not familiar at all with the first half of the course. Two weeks before the race, Brice thought it would be good to go run up Galactic – the main climb of the first half, just so that I knew what to expect. We started at the Four Lake loop trail head and ran the first 9k of the course until the start of Galactic. We power-hiked up Galactic at a steady pace, but without pushing too hard. As we were going up, I took note of some “landmarks” – the first opening through the trees offering a viewpoint to the town below, a small collapsed portion of the trail on a narrower section, and finally the bridge over the creek – not quite the very top but less than 5 minutes from it. I’m really glad that I was able to familiarize myself with the trail, as I found it helped me knowing how far I was and what was yet to come.
Getting slightly lost on Seymour Mountain during a run, and finding possibly the least runnable trail on the mountain.
I’m a planner, I like to be prepared, and to know what’s ahead – especially if it’s an intimidating physical challenge and I’m unsure of my ability to get through it. Mental preparation was definitely key in training for this race. A great tip that Brice gave me, was to make a list of smaller goals to focus on through the race, just to be able to cross them off when you get there – get to the top of Galactic, get to Quest, get to the top of Legacy, etc…
Race Day
I was pretty nervous in the last couple of days leading up to the race. Brice was running the 50miler on the Saturday, so I was on the course all day cheering him – but still making sure to eat properly and hydrate ahead of the next day. Our friends Megs and Drew were his officially designated “crew”, so I enjoyed just hanging out at the aid stations and letting them take care of him when he came through.
That night I was feeling even more nervous, but I focused on getting my pack and drop bag ready, and not thinking too much about the next day. Brice had found a comfortable Airbnb apartment in downtown Squamish, and we shared it with our four friends and crew. It was nice to have people around that night to distract me from my nerves.
Eating at 5am (or earlier) in the morning is often a challenge, but I managed to ingest an omelet and some avocado. I was reconsidering this whole thing and even telling myself “ I don’t want to go” but then I looked over at Brice, who had ran 50 miles the day before, and was getting ready to go for round 2, and that thought made me stopped my inner whining right there and then.
And then a funny thing happened when I put my shoes on. Something sort of clicked and all of a sudden I felt ready.
I started really conservative as we left the start line at Alice lake and crossed the road to the Four Lake loop trail. I decided to adopt the same approach as I had during the Sunshine Coast shuffle – slow in the first half, then push a bit more in the second if I still felt good. The first 9 km went by pretty fast, and I ran through Corners aid station without stopping. I locked into a pretty steady pace on Galactic, sticking behind another woman for the first portion then passing her later when she started to slow down. I actually passed a number of people in the upper section, who had rushed their way up only to run out of steam before reaching the top.
I was really pleased when I reached the bridge as I knew the climbing was pretty much over. One goal to check off my race list. The downhill after that point started off quite technical, then followed by flowy, rolling trail, really fun to run.
For some reason, I got the 50miler and 50k course mixed up as I thought we would be running trough Corners again, but then realized that it wasn’t the case when I reached the second aid station, at the junction of Fred and Word of Mouth trails. It was actually a nice boost to realize I was further along than I thought. The trail continued mainly downward and eventually I reached a forest road crossing, and I could hear cheering nearby. I had already made it to Quest, the 3rd aid station, and the halfway point.
Quest is the biggest aid station on the course. Located on the steps of Quest university, in the Garibaldi Highlands, it faces the mountains and offers a great vantage point to see runners come in. The trail ends at the bottom of a grassy slope, where spectators sit to watch runners make their way up 20 or 25 steps before reaching the volunteer station.
In the last 3 years that I attended the race, as a crew and a spectator, I had seen and encouraged dozens of runners coming through. Most managed to run up the steps, but not all of them did. Brice always said that no matter how tired you felt and how steep it was, you should always run to the aid station – a slightly over-confident statement if you asked me, but one that I kept in mind as I approached the dreaded stairs.
Guys, that feeling of coming out of the trees and reaching the bottom of Quest! Of hearing the spectators cheer, and knowing that I had made it to the halfway point and I was feeling great, with no pain in my body or dent in my spirit. Running up those stairs was probably one of the most exhilarating portion of the race. I heard a couple of people cheer my name but couldn’t quite make out who – likely my friend and “crew captain” Wiebke, who waited for me at the top, with my food supplies already laid out for me to grab.
There’s something a little surreal about being crewed on an ultra. About running on a trail mostly alone for a couple of hours (or more), and then being welcomed by a group of people whose main focus at that point is to take care of you. Within seconds my pack was off my back and being refilled with water and fruit bars, I had a fork in one hand and a container of avocado and mango in the other, and 5 people around me ready to fulfill any of my immediate requests. Our friend Drew had just gone on a coffee run for the group, and when I saw the tray in his hand, I proceeded to claim one of the iced-coffee as my own – and they let me. As I was chomping down avocado bits, I mentioned I should probably put something on my toe as it was starting to rub against my shoe, potentially leading to painful blister. Soon my friend Pargol was taking off my dirty shoe and sock and applying moleskin on the area, without even flinching. That’s trail running for you. People taking on a challenge, more often than not for admittedly selfish reasons, while receiving some of the most self-less support from the people around them. But the best part is we all take turns being supporter and supportees. And none of us are phased by the other’s dirty socks.
I probably could have spent a bit less time at Quest, but I was stoked and excited to see my friends, and to be experiencing the aid station vibe as a runner. Eventually, I said thank you to everyone and took off for the second part of the race, ready to tackle the next challenging bit, the Legacy climb.
The day before, our friend Julie had run the 50mile race (she, like Brice, ran both the 50miler and 50k that week-end!). At the finish line I overheard her say that she had taken some ibuprofen around km 50, and it made a huge difference, she thought, in her performance in the last 30k. Thinking back at how pain had been a major hindrance in my first 50k, more so than fatigue or moral, I figured I would do the same, and popped an ibuprofen cap as I climbed Legacy.
Still riding the high from going through Quest, I felt pretty strong going up Legacy, running most of the way, and power hiking the steeper bits.
Amongst all of Gary Robbins’ dedicated volunteers, one of them definitely stands out. Betty is a bit older than most, probably somewhere in her late fifties or early 60s. She doesn’t run much, but she hikes, and on any given Coast Mountain Races, she can be found standing as course-marshall at one of the higher points of the course. Sure enough, after about 40 min of climbing, I turned a corner and there was Betty – ‘If you’re here, that means I’m at the top!” I excitedly said to her as I ran in the direction she pointed, down the Angry Midget trail.
The only time I experienced a bit of a lull in my energy was on the following portion– I had been really good at eating my fruit bars or maple syrup consistently, not to mention the feast of avocado, chocolate smoothie and coffee I ingested at Quest, and so far had managed to keep my energy level constant. As I reached the 35km mark, I was starting to feel a bit fatigued. The trail was very runnable at that point, and although I don’t remember clearly, I’m sure I eventually refuelled because soon I was feeling better and back on a high again. It also helped that I came to a bend and saw our friend Chris, standing a few meters away, taking photos and encouraging runners. “I’m so happy to see you” I shouted at him, and he responded with his British accent “you’re flying Mel!”. Somehow these short and unexpected interactions have a way of giving you an amazing boost. After that I felt really strong and I can’t remember much of that section, other than miraculously recovering from a near face-plant on some flat but rocky terrain.
Eventually I reached the last aid station, Farside, at the 40k mark. Farside is at the top of a hill and around a sharp corner, and the only other AS with crew access. I once again managed to run up the hill and went straight for the food table – I had been craving pickles for the last hour and didn’t feel like eating anything else.
Wiebke and Pargol were there for me once again, but this time I didn’t linger too much once my pack was refilled – I knew what was ahead and I was ready to finish.
The last climb of the race doesn’t look like much on the elevation profile, compared to Galactic and Legacy – but in true Gary Robbins fashion, it is a bit of a soul-crusher if you don’t know what you’re in for. You will think that you’ve reached the top about 5 times, before you actually summit Mount of Phlegm. Every time you think you’re there, the trail takes you back down and around a bit, then back up. On fresh legs, most of the way would be runnable – except for maybe a couple of really short but steep sections. But after 45k, those ups and downs can feel like torture. Luckily, I was mentally prepared for it, and I once again remembered some of the landmarks along the way – like how seeing the powerline meant that you are still probably 2-3 false summits away from the real one.
Finally, I got to the rocky platform at the top. I took a beat to take it in. I knew the way from there, 3k of downhill, followed by 3k on the road before reaching the finish line. On the way up Phlegm, I could feel my energy lower a bit, and I thought I should probably take in some calories. But at that point in the race none of my fuelling options appealed to me anymore, and I ignored Brice’s advice to always “eat passed the finish line” – even if you’re only a few Km/s from finishing you should always refuel as though you were further away, to make sure you don’t bonk just before crossing the line.
I’m not sure whether I would have been able to finish faster, even by a couple of minutes, had I forced myself to down one last pack of maple syrup, but at least I never walked, always kept running along the bottom of the climbing walls, through the Smoke Bluffs parking lot, alongside the highway and through the underpass, down the two or three longest street blocks ever and into the park, all the way into Gary Robbins’s arm, for the customary and much welcomed finish line hug he greets every finisher with.
Going into this race, I had no idea how I would do. My first 50k was over a year earlier, and although I felt more prepared and stronger now, I knew the course was also harder – plus you can’t really compare one race with another, as differences in terrain and climate can make a 7 hour race feel fast or slow just the same. I hadn’t set any goals, or at least not very high ones, and I figured I would be happy if I came in around 8 hours (but realIy I would be happy if I finished at all!).
After hugging Gary then my friend Wiebke who had been such great training partner and crew, I turned around to see the clock, and realized I had crushed my goal. Official time read 7:02:48. Best part was – I didn’t even hurt anywhere.
Brice came through the finish line about 1 hour later, looking all smiles after finishing his second 50/50 and getting the green hat.
Overall, I was really happy with my race. I hadn’t set a very ambitious goal for time – most of all I wanted to enjoy the day and finish pain-free, both of which I did.
Looking back, I think the things that made my training successful:
• Not overthinking a plan. Doing what I could and not worry too much whether that was enough. Keeping the motivation to do enough, but be ok with taking a day off.
• Keeping training fun – I ran mostly with Brice and/or friends, so it never felt like training, and always more like a social outing. I kept the strict “training” for the week and saved the week-end for adventures that happened to be both fun and added mileage/time on feet.
• Recovery – I gave my body time to recover (I actually rarely ran two days in the row). Most of all, the massages made a huge difference in releasing tension that could otherwise have built up and triggered injuries. They were also a great motivation boost as my body felt a lot more fluid and running was easier in the days after a massage.
Things that were key on race day:
Being supported by awesome friends – who know too well what goes on in an ultra, and can take care of you better than you could take care of yourself.
Being nervous and excited and grateful for every step that I took.
Weather (that one was outside of my control, but the temperature ended up very comfortable, as opposed to the heat experienced in other years, and I’m sure it made a big difference in my performance).
Things I kept my mind busy with while running for 7 hours:
• Doing math to calculate how long to reach the next aid station/the halfway point/the finish. I seem to always go about those calculations in the most convoluted way, but in the end it entertains me probably more than if I knew how to do math correctly (or just looked at my watch).
• Thinking about what I’m going to eat at the next aid station – thankfully I didn’t have any stomach or digestive issue, and craved a variety of foods throughout the race. I had prepared a dropbag for Quest, which included some chopped up avocado and mango – a favorite combo of mine, as well as a chocolate smoothie with almond butter and coconut oil – another easy to absorb/high calorie option to fill my stomach up with something else than sugar at the halfway point. Before arriving at each station, I tried to decide what I really wanted once I got there.
• Mentally pep-talking myself for most of the way. I would tell myself “you’re doing good, keep going like that, no need to rush, and when I felt a drop in energy, I would keep up the encouragement: “ it’s ok, it will get easier soon, I just need to eat”. Basically kept my mind occupied with being my own internal cheerleader.
• Honestly, both at the Gorge and at Squamish, I feel like time flew by. 7 hours might seem like a long time, but between having to pay attention to where I put my feet, focusing on keeping a steady pace on the uphills, and just plain enjoying the run, it all went by like a dream.
So that’s my Squamish recap – in the biggest nutshell ever. What a fun race to be a part of, especially after being a spectator so many times. I would probably do it again, just to see if I can do even better. After a successful 2nd participation, shaving a total of 3 hours off his first time, Brice says he won’t do the 50/50 again…but really, I give it a couple of years. That hat looks pretty sweet in yellow 😛
We had another race planned in November of 2018, the North Face 50k in San Francisco. Unfortunately the race got canceled due to wild fires in the area. Next up on the list for 2019: Knee Knacker!
