Ryan says Hale is a terrible place to run 😂 but I have a special place in my heart for the trails there, and going to any TARC event is always fun since we inevitably end up knowing so many people at their events. Besides, who doesn't want the chance to run 30 (or more) miles in early February?! 😉 And so it was that we were back at Hale for the 2nd annual TARCtic Frozen Yeti this past Saturday.
To make it even better, a whole crew of Trail Monsters joined in on the fun this year too, and the mandatory winter gear list was reduced due to mild weather. Hurray! Of course, then overnight, a bit of rain/snow/sleet fell, resulting in a thin layer of ice atop everything for the first few hours of the run, but it wouldn't be a winter ultra without some sort of interesting weather phenomenon! 😉
TMR ready to run!
Princess Ann 😍
We set off at 8:00 am up the paved road to start the first of the three loops that made up the 15 mile lap. Ryan and I ran together for the first few miles in a conga line of runners as we all tiptoed along the iced-over singletrack. Eventually he decided to sneak around some of the people ahead of us and I couldn't quite make the same move, so we were left to our own devices. The slower pace wasn't an issue, as I wasn't out to race, just to get in a solid day in the woods, and besides, the red loop features a number of ledges and short climbs that ensured a rhythm was hard to find! I settled in with a few guys that I chatted with for the final few miles of the loop and then it was back to the lodge.
Hale is one of those interesting places with a whole lot of trails, but also a whole lot of intersections, and twists and turns. This makes for a rather intestine-y looking race course in the case of something like the Yeti, and also means that there are a lot of spots where the course almost intersects on itself and/or where off in the distance you can see other parts of the course. I called back one guy at one point, and someone else called me back when I took a step off course myself. There were a lot of signs and pink ribbons in trees but not as many confidence markers or alert markers like TMR uses for turns. Just a different style of marking.
Back at the lodge at the end of the red loop
The second loop, white loop, is everyone's least favorite. Seriously, everyone was talking about it at the end of the race 😂 Temperatures started to rise slightly but with an overcast sky and no wind, it was also really humid and just plain damp for the remainder of the day. I went back into the lodge at 10 miles, as planned, to change my gloves, run into the bathroom quickly, fill up my bladder, gather a few extra gels and pick up the soft flask I had filled with Gu Roctane Lemon Berry drink. The drink was an effort to see how I do with some liquid fuel options as back-up for longer events when I start to fade and need more calories. The taste was pretty good and not too sweet, so a successful addition to the ultra fuel mix, at least for now 😏 I also picked up two Oreos before heading out the door. I mean, Carolyn had told me she had gotten them just for me, so I had to oblige 😂😂
Then it was off for the blue loop. I think this was where Craig caught up to me and we ran together for a bit. There was also a lovely ledge section that was glare ice and where there was a bit of confusion regarding course. About 8 of us were standing around wondering exactly how we were supposed to get down to the clearing below. Ha! Well, turns out we weren't really supposed to go over the ledge, which we didn't realize until the second time around that loop. Yay running! In any event, I like the start of this loop but last year, and this year again, found the final few miles of it to be a bit much. Like it was just randomly looping around to get in the miles. I think part of the problem is that I've now likely raced over 300 miles at Hale and know a lot of these trails in different iterations. It was fun to run down the steps along the beach that acted as the finish to my first 100 - always good to have a bit of nostalgia thrown in! 😊 Chris from MassUltra was out taking pictures in the final stretch of this loop and I laughed when he asked me how this compared to Western States and said, well, maybe a bit more technical, but still fun 😂
So back to the lodge at the end of an official lap and went in to check-in and use the bathroom, and then of course pick up a few more Oreos on the way out 😆😋 Had a bit of a low at some point in this stretch, as by now I'd been out 3+ hours and runners had spread out a lot across the course and while I had followed a few people out onto the red loop, which was now totally clear of ice but still wet, I eventually lost them and was on my own. But nothing terrible, and I really did feel pretty good, both energy and body-wise, the whole day.
I didn't realize until after the run was up on Strava and Ryan was looking at the flybys that I actually somehow took a wrong turn and cut off about a mile of the red loop this second time. Yikes! 😱 Like I said, the course intersects on itself a lot so I obviously turned wrong and then saw signs ahead and thought I was going the right way without realizing I'd missed a stretch. Felt really horrible about it, although when I messaged Carolyn to let her know, she wrote back to say so many people had written to her to say the same, so I felt at least a little better about it, even it was still ridiculous that I did that. Sigh. But at the time, I had no idea and just running kept along.
Back into the lodge at 20, for another change of gloves, refill of water, refill of the soft bottle, this time with Summit Tea flavor, and a few more Oreos. Ran into Craig at the beginning of the white loop and wondered how we were together again. Of course, now that I know I missed a bit on red loop, it makes more sense! He was running stronger than I was, so I let him go ahead and then once again, was mostly on my own. At some point near the powerlines, I ran into three mountain bikers and stopped to chat with them for a while. I was in good spirits and feeling fine, just chugging along, maybe a bit more walking at this point but not bad! Near the end of the loop, I ran down a hill and crossed a bridge I didn't remember and then another, only to come out near the start of the loop. Huh. OK, off course for sure, time to backtrack! Probably added about a 1/2 mile here but did get back to the spot where I'd gone wrong, and sure enough, I had totally missed an obvious sign. Oops!
Made a deal with myself that I'd swing into the lodge for two more Oreos, but only that 😆😆 and then it was off for the final 5 miles on the blue loop! As I headed out, Jeff LeBlanc ran past me and we started chatting. He wasn't racing but was volunteering later and wanting to get in some miles. I figured he move past me quickly after we talked for a few minutes, but despite the fact that he was just loping along, practically skipping in spots compared to my 25-miles in ultra pace, he stayed with me and pretty much ended up being my unofficial pacer for the final blue loop. 😂 I won't complain though, as he kept me amused with his stories and it was fun to have someone to talk with along the way! We ran into Josh clearing a path down next to the sketchy icy ledge section, which I immediately recognized from last year once we were on it, but on that first time around, I had no idea! Was glad not to have to negotiate the ledges again though!
Jeff and I kept running and chatting away, and helped one guy get back on track out in the field section of this loop and one other lady down at the TARC 100 finish line stairs. The final stretch is hard to run even if you are feeling good, so it was definitely not a sprint to the finish, but overall, happy to finish up a good day in the woods! Many thanks to Carolyn, Josh and Surjeet and all the volunteers for providing us the outlet to get in 6+ hours of type 2 fun! 😀 It wasn't quite the 45 for my 45th like I had originally intended, but in the end I think it worked out perfectly! (30.3 miles)
Photo by Dave Metsky, somewhere in the final 10 miles. I can tell by the gloves since I changed them every 10 miles!
Ryan had originally hoped to get in a third loop but was feeling the effects of the technical nature of the course after spending the past two months doing mostly road running so he was back at the lodge when I arrived. I wasn't too upset to see him there, as it meant less waiting around for me 😅 We hung out for a while chatting with Tammy and Anne and other friends, and to cheer on Keri and Tami when they finished their 30. Yay running! Then it was off to meet up with Irene, Dana and Sam for a dinner of fried goodness at Niki's and home to eat birthday cupcakes! 😋🎂
Sunday morning, we went out for a big breakfast with Irene and Dana and then headed back north. After a few loads of laundry and a bit of organizing, along with the aforementioned guilt/horror at realizing I had gone wrong in that second red loop, we got out into the Cathance for a short recovery walk. Nice, if overcast, afternoon to be out on the trails! (1.7 miles walked)
Snowball fun
Really cool frozen ice pancakes!
Can hardly believe that on Monday I turned 45. I mean seriously, wasn't I just 21?! Or 24 or 30 or 35? Wow. But in any event, while I may have a few more wrinkles, I don't feel old 😉 and I actually felt pretty good despite Saturday's 30 miles, so I'll take it! Pretty much a normal day except for all the lovely messages and phone calls from family and friends, which is the best part about birthdays anyway! 💗 To finish up the day, we got in a nice late afternoon family walk down along the Androscoggin before a dinner out of sushi 🍣 and gelato 🍨 Can't beat that! So cheers to 45 and all that is to come! (0.9 miles walked)
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