Sugarloaf Mountain

CROSSING THE DIVIDE...FROM RACING IN DESERTS AROUND THE WORLD TO TAKING ON THE ITALIAN ALPS...


Well, I spent the weekend training in Clermont, Florida.  It is about 20 miles west of Orlando.  This area has the highest "Mountain" in peninsular Florida.  It is 312 feet (95 meters) above sea level!  It is really a ridge with rolling dome-like peaks which rises abruptly from the surrounding flat terrain.  It is thought to be about 245 feet.  It is about a 1/2 mile long from the base to over the crest and at one point has a grade of about 17 percent.  It is really the only hill I have to train on and it is about a 4 hour drive from North Miami.

SATURDAY

On Saturday morning I was up at 4am.  I got my gear ready, along with a cooler full of food and drinks to get me through a 6 hour hike up and down that hill!  For food I packed cut up apples, grapes, and bananas.  I had sandwiches with salami and provolone cheese.  I added some fig cookies and rice pudding.  I also had some low-fat chocolate milk for when I was done.  For drinks I had gatorade, crystal light and fresca.

I started hiking up the hill in the dark at 6am.  Up and down, up and down, up and down.  The sun began to rise at 7am.  It was going to be a great day because the sky was partly to mostly cloudy, which meant I would be shielded from the sun.  It was going to get to 84 degrees today.

Pretty soon I got into a rhythm.  I would run up to the first mailbox.  Then I would stop and walk briefly to the second mailbox.  I would run again to the third mailbox, stop and walk briefly then run up and over the crest to the road sign.  I would then turn around and run downhill.  I did this over and over again.

This is where the Horrible Hundred bike race takes place.

Clermont is a really popular area for cyclists and runners from all over the state to train.  The National Training Center is here which is a 300 acre facility unique to Florida and throughout the world. www.usantc.com .  It features a Fitness Centre, a Human Performance Lab, a Rehabilitation clinic along with athlete and team training.

This weekend featured a massive cycling event.  On Saturday there was the Sugarloaf Road Race and on Sunday The Race of the West was held.  It featured Cat 5, Cat 4, Cat 3 and Pro 1-2 athletes.  Races varied from 100 miles down to 42 miles.  Cyclists were racing by me all weekend which helped alleviate any boredom I might have.  I spent time admiring all the beautiful bikes flying by me.  What an expensive sport!

I finished the 6 hour hike and headed back to my room.  I had booked a hotel room for this weekend.  Usually I stay at a friends cabin, but it was being used by the people who owned it.  I spent the afternoon hanging out by the pool and stretching.  Life is rough!  I went to bed early because on Sunday I had a 3 hour ride in the hills.

SUNDAY

On Sunday morning I was able to sleep in and got up at 5am!  I was at the hill at 7am and watched the sun come up.  I then hopped on my bike and began my loop of the area that included Sugarloaf and 5 other hills.

This is a really beautiful region that you don't hear much about.  Even in North Miami, when I tell friends I am going up to Clermont, they don't know where that is!  I mentioned earlier that it is 20 miles West of Orlando.  In the 1940's citrus plantations flourished here but freezes in the 1980's devastated local groves.  But you can still see orange trees growing out in the wild.

 Now this area has been rezoned and there are some beautiful residential properties out here.  People have horses, cows, alpacas and the like that graze on the acereages.  There are also big, beautiful oak trees.  I love the oak trees!  I would like to have a hammock in one and just swing in the breeze all day long, looking up at the canopy of leaves.

My handsome puppy Dune.  He loves to workout too!

I put in a 3 hour ride and was just finishing up when the Race of the West was starting.  I was able to watch the first wave of riders go swarming by me and speed down Sugarloaf.  I don't know what speeds they were travelling at, but they were really moving.  I am scared to death to go to fast downhill on my bike.  I have heard too many stories of people being killed in these events, and I have seen some really bad wipeouts.  I never allow myself to go faster than 35 mph going downhill.  I want to live to do a few more trail races!

I talked to my coach Cal on the way home, and told him that I was feeling the tiredness from the workouts and he assured me that next week would be tougher.  Great, bring it on!

My Support Network

CROSSING THE DIVIDE...FROM RACING IN DESERTS AROUND THE WORLD TO TAKING ON THE ITALIAN ALPS...


I am really lucky.  I am preparing for this new challenge with the help of some amazing people.  First and foremost is my coach, Cal Zaryski  http://www.criticalspeed.com/ .  Cal is one of the best endurance coaches in North America.  I have worked with him since since 2000.  He has been with me through the highs and the lows...commiserating with me when I am at the back of the back...and celebrating with me when I am on the podium!  Cal is putting together a training program for me which will prepare me for this 200 mile race.

As I mentioned before, it is going to be a real challenge to train for a high altitude race while I am living at sea level in Florida.  Throughout the winter I have been keeping fit by cycling and doing some long training runs.  I have been jumping into some marathons a couple of times a month just to shake the legs out and put in some time.  But now I am beginning to go hard.  I have started stair training and hill training. This weekend I am putting in some more hill training...I'll tell you about that later.

I have also hooked up with two amazing women who have been more than generous with their expertise.  I contacted Leslie Gerein (Banff Trail Trash Blog)  who has already competed in the Tor des Geants.  She has been wonderful in providing me with valuable information about the race and putting me in touch with other people who have also been generous in sharing their knowledge.

Nicki Rehn is another fantastic athlete who has competed in the Tor des Geants twice! (Nicki Rehn Blog) She is hooked on this race and is going back again this year.  She has been so great in providing details from big to small that have already set me on the right path to getting a mindset for this event.  There is so much to learn...gear, training, course knowledge, CP info, race structure... it goes on and on.  Both ladies are great ambassadors for the sport!

Leslie and Nicki both live in my old stomping grounds...Alberta, Canada.  Leslie is in the heart of the Rocky Mountains in Banff and Nicki lives in Calgary.  They spend weekends enjoying the beauty of our National Park.  It is spectacular there!  The perfect playground to prepare for the Tor des Geants.

This weekend I am headed to Clermont, Florida.  This is a major training destination for hardcore athletes here in Florida.  It is our only really hilly area in the state and many Ironman triathletes and Tour cyclists come here to work out.  It is about a 5 hour drive from where I live in North Miami.  I will post when I come back so you can see this part of the state I live in and where I put in my training time.  Have a wonderful weekend all!

From Deserts to Mountains

I have decided to take on a new challenge and I am really excited about it!  I am registered for the Tor des Geants (TDG) in Courmayeur, Italy this September. It is a 200 mile (330 km) nonstop race in the Italian Alps.  Runners are given 150 hours to race a course that has 24,000 metres of total climb, with 25 passes that are over 2,000 metres.  It is called Tour of the Giants because the trail winds around the feet of  Europe's tallest peaks...Mont Blanc, Rutor, Gran Paradiso, Monte Rosa Massif, and the Matterhorn.

This is the third year the race has been held, and it is being called the most gruelling, most spectacular endurance trail in the world.  Organizers cap the race at 550 athletes from around the world.  To give you an idea of how popular this event has become, registration sold out this year in 27 minutes!!!  I am so happy to be one of those runners!

This is going to provide a nice break from Desert running.  Don't get me wrong, I still Love the Desert.  But I have had some recent heartbreaks with these events and I need a sure thing.  I was registered for a race in Algeria awhile back, and that event was cancelled because of politics.Then I was registered for the Libyan Challenge for my second time, and that race was cancelled at the last minute due to revolt.

A mountain race is also providing some excitement because it is a brand new experience for me.  I can take on any Desert race now with my eyes closed...I know the ropes.  But I am a beginner in the mountains, and I can't wait to start trekking up the steep learning curve!  Gear, altitude, terrain, temperature changes, the Cold!  I hate being cold!!!

I moved from Canada to Florida because I couldn't take the Canadian winters anymore.  Yes, it is beautiful up in the mountains with all the snow, but I am just done for when the temperature dips below -10C.  I started running Desert ultras in 2000 and trained through 10 Canadian winters.  I knew my running was over if I didn't make a move.  I could not force myself out the door anymore to run in the cold.  I loved the heat, I loved the desert, I loved the sand.  So now here I am in North Miami, Florida!
It is sunny and hot all year round...and I run almost everyday on the beach in the sand.  Perfect training for Desert Ultras.  Not so great for Mountain training...

Here I am ... training for the world's toughest mountain race....and I am living at sea level!  Can I move back home?!  I want to be in Calgary to train now!  Go figure the irony here!!!!

This blog is going to be the record I keep in trying to master this new challenge.  It is fun to be a beginner!  Lots to learn and experience for the first time!  How to train and prepare for a Mountain ultra while living in sunny Florida at sea level with nary a hill in sight!  Stay Tuned...it should be a fun ride!  Sandy