MT HOOD 50k (Race Report)

This race was a bucket list race for me. A few years ago, I saw some photos and I already love running and racing in Oregon, so I decided this was the year and in typical Pam fashion, I made it a family vacation too. 🙂

My family has been going to Oregon for years. We love it but it has been over 3 years since we’ve been back. This year, we planned on making the most out of our Oregon time.

We started in Medford visiting with dear friends who moved there a few years ago. This was an emotional stop as one my friends was in hospice and even though we did not get a chance to physically say goodbye to her, we spent over 2 hours with her partner and our other friend chatting and reminiscing. I like to think that our friend felt we were there and wanted us to remember her in the vibrant full of life state she lived her entire life. I am so happy we made this stop on our trip.

After Medford, we hit up Ashland for a night. Vans rode and we had dinner. We woke early and headed towards Mt. Hood by way of Salem. We’ve never been in Salem and we stopped at a 100% vegan restaurant that was absolutely insane and so delicious with some of the nicest staff ever. When in Salem, please visit Venti’s Cafe.

After lunch we continued on our way making it to our hotel in Government Camp. The hotel was just 20 ish minutes from the race start which was perfect.

The race has multiple distances with the 50 miler on Saturday and the 50k and 25k on Sunday. So race morning I woke up early, got ready and had Vans drive me to the start.

The race was not super large but it is in an area that has very limited or no cell service so I definitely recommend fully reading the pre race emails . 😉

Vans dropped me off, gave me a kiss good luck and was off headed back to the hotel to squeeze in one last mountain bike ride through the epic trails that surround Mt. Hood.

The race directors had coffee for us and other odds and ends. The bathroom line was not too long and the pre race speech was fun. Lots of runners were doing their first ever ultra distance which was super cool. One of the race directors mentioned “you’re awesome cones!” She joked that the course was so well marked, particularly with these cones that she nicknames the “you’re awesome cones” so that as you run by them, at some point in the race, you will remember that and smile. She was right. 🙂

I will say right now, this was THE most well marked course I have ever run. I have no idea how they placed these cones and ribbons in all the spots that they did, but I never once doubted the course and I often (and I mean every race) have an “oh crap” moment where I need, what I affectionately call an, “oh shit” cone. 🙂

This race does not have extreme elevation which was a nice change compared to some of the more recent races I’ve run lately. The trails were extremely runnable. There were some sections with roots and rocks, but over all, it was smooth sailing.

I was smiling the entire time. However, a day or two before the race, I started coming down with a cough so my breathing was a little off during the race but not enough that I was coughing or hacking during the race at all. Oddly, by Saturday the cough sort of disappeared.

It should be mentioned that you do not actually run ON Mt. Hood or around Mt. Hood (the actual mountain). We did as a family, do some hikes the day before in that area but for this race, you run trails that give you an amazing glimpse of this beautiful mountain.

This little tidbit, is something to keep in mind because while you are trying to get a glimpse of this majestic mountain, you also better watch your footing. hahaha

Once you hit mile 15 or so, the race profile is very much downhill for a long section and I flew. After that however, the temps got a little bit warm (never hot like Sacramento hot) but warm enough that I needed to dunk a bandana and make sure that I was hydrating well.

I kept wishing that a lake would appear! Ironically, one DID appear during final 2 miles of the race. Timothy Lake with Mt. Hood just appeared and while I wanted to stop and dunk myself fully, I knew that was so close to the finish and I had some race goals I wanted to accomplish.

Originally when I signed up for this race, I wanted to place within my age group. I was just feeling like I wanted a decently hard goal for myself and then I could enjoy the rest of my vacation. hahaha The breathing and coughing the day before adding in all the travel days leading up the race, I knew at the start line that goal might be hard to achieve.

I was watching my watch the entire time and I knew that if I didn’t stop and kept moving, that I could finish in sub 6 hours. I’ve never run a sub 6 50k before so that quickly became my goal.

I tried my hardest to keep running and pushing myself. As I crossed the finish line I heard Vans cheering but didn’t see the girls. As it turns out, they didn’t think I’d finish anytime soon so they were in the restroom! hahahhahaha

They more than made up for it with a big sweaty hug.

The post race festivities are fun. They have a BBQ and beer (and vegan options) for runners after the race. The race swag was pretty cool too!

We hung around for a bit after the race but I told the family about Timothy Lake knowing our car was packed (which included paddle boards) to drive to our next Oregon destination.

So we packed ourselves up and drove over to Timothy Lake so I could wade in and clean up my legs and have a mini “ice” bath post race too.

Chilling at the lake before we hit the road again.

This was one of the coolest and most beautiful races I have run. I would definitely do this race again. Besides the fact that it is in Oregon, a state my family loves, the surrounding Mt. Hood area is just full of things to explore. Vans would love to go back and mountain bike all over the place. The kids had a blast too.

Go Beyond Racing puts on a stellar event and I cannot recommend them enough!

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

(and I did end up finishing sub 6 hour and 5th place in my age group 🙂 )

Nutrition – NeverSecond gels and C30 drink mix.

Shoes – Topo Athletic Mountain Racer 3s

Socks – Injinji

Watch – Garmin

I want to dedicate this race and this adventure to my friend Estelle Gray who passed away from cancer on July 26, 2024. Estelle aka the Princess was a force in my life. I met her in my 20s (she was in her 50s) and she convinced me to train for a half ironman. She trained with me, she taught me how to ride a bike safely on busy roads, change a flat tire and swim in open water. She was always finding adventure and excitement in life. She was a fighter for the underdogs. She adopted deaf and blind dogs and also became a Special Education teacher later in life and made such a difference to so many. She was also a world record champion. Thank you for all you taught me Estelle! I have no doubts you are still adventuring wherever you are.

May 26, 2023May 27, 2023

BRYCE CANYON 30k Race Report

A lot has happened since my last race report in December. I have toyed with just letting this blog go. No one reads blogs anymore really. I admit I use it as a way to look back at things I did for certain races but I have sort of just lost the momentum of maintaining this let alone finding the time. Which is ironic, given that after CIM 2022, I had loads of time.

The day after Christmas 2022, I went snowboarding with some friends at a new to me resort. The last run of the day I had a fluke accident as I exited one of the chair lifts. The tip of my board got stuck in some snow/ice but the rest of my body’s momentum did not stop. Long story short, I broke my fibula. Luckily it was a clean break but it was the first real broken bone I have ever sustained and it required a full blown cast.

Five weeks in a cast followed by some time in a boot followed by tons of time trying to gain back strength and mobility in both my ankle and my foot.

Fast forward to May of 2023 when I found myself on an 11 hour road trip with my friend Michele headed to my first trail race since CIM! The Bryce Canyon Ultras!

I was in no way ready for an ultra (any distance over 26.2 miles) as I had only run up to 8 miles prior to the race but I was excited to get back to any start line. Dusting off my gear, packing and looking at the race course alone made me happy. Running a 30k would be just perfect.

Michele and I left on Thursday morning and drove all the way to Panguitch, Utah. We crashed hard at the hotel that night and woke up bright and early Friday to see Bryce Canyon.

We got to the park early and did the most beautiful hike. This is definitely worth a trip and a stop as the rock formations are just incredible.

After our hike, we headed to Hatch, Utah for packet pick up. We ate lunch in the back of the car while we waited for it to open. As with all Vacation Races events, everything ran seamless.

After packet pick up, we explored around the area more before we founds ourselves back at the hotel making dinner and getting race ready.

Race morning was beautiful. The race this year held a few distances all starting 30 minutes apart. Our 30k was the last starting at 7:30 am.

Another seamless part of this race is that there are plenty of porta potties, plenty of parking spaces and plenty of wonderful volunteers!

They counted us down and we were off! The first 3 or so miles is on a fire road that is slightly uphill (at almost 7000 feet above sea level). It is the perfect opportunity for everyone to spread out.

Eventually you dip onto a single track climb. Michele and I separated somewhere in the first mile both ready to run our own races and catch up later with lots of stories to tell.

I was all smiles the entire time. The ankle/leg was holding up great even with the off camber trails, rocks and sandy sections.

I kept my long sleeve on for probably the first four or five miles. It wasn’t until we reached this significant uphill that was on some sketchy trail that I wish I had taken it off earlier.

The above photo does not do the trail justice. There was this one section, before the second aid-station where it was super loose gravel and a steep drop into nothing. You are pretty high up and I was stuck in a conga line of people. Luckily for me, most were okay with heights but the same could not be said for Michele.

She had a girl near her that was petrified of heights and was clinging to a rock unable to move. Michele offered help but the girl refused. Just a warning if you do have a fear of heights as this is not mentioned in their race guide.

After this, we started reaching some areas that had snow! It was so cool!

I stopped to write Michele a note hoping she’d see it when she passed (she didn’t) but the guys I was running with stopped to watch me and then hollered “GO MICHELE!” 🙂

When we got to the top of one of the mountains, I noticed I had cell service so I texted the family and Coach of my daughters’ basketball teams and wished them luck in their huge tournament happening back at home.

When my watched buzzed at mile 9, I did an internal cheer for myself. Longest mileage run since I had broken my leg!

As I was running down one of the rockiest terrains I have run in a long while, I started a conversation with a girl who was running strong. We chatted briefly about my leg and then she revealed that a few weeks ago, she and 19 others had been trapped in an avalanche in the Himalayas! They all survived but she said they were out there for a while, some without shoes until the Indian government finally met them. Wow! I love this community and what you learn about someone during a race. She even found me after the race to see how I held up.

I do not have much else to say about the race. It was well run, beautiful, extremely challenging and I am so incredibly happy that I decided to do it. The photos from the course pretty much speak for themselves.

You ran through all sorts of terrain over the course of these 19.5 miles.

There was even some snow running – not just by it but on it which was another spot that some people freaked out and went down on their butts!

The final miles were on this amazingly beautiful single track where I was oddly alone for many miles. It was just perfect.

When you get to the final aid-station you have to run the 3 miles back to the finish line on the same gravel sandy road you started. The difference is that this time, you are mostly running downhill.

I was alone on this section almost the entire time and the way the mountains work, you really can’t see or hear the finish line much at all. There were a few times where I doubted myself but eventually I heard the announcer.

I rounded the corner and made my way through the finish line!

If I am being honest, the smile did not leave my face the entire time. I am not a social person by nature but I was probably the most social person out there because I was just SO excited to be back out there running again and feeling GOOD!

That was the best part, I really did feel good. I felt like I had surpassed a mental hurdle I had made in my head afraid to go farther.

To make things even sweeter, I finished second in my age group! I was not trying for a AG placement at all but it helps make for a great end to my first race back of the year.

I didn’t have to wait long for Michele to finish either. She rocked that course. It is a pretty fun finish line to chill at as well. Lots of post race food options and it seemed everyone was just hanging out ready to cheer runners past the finish line.

Overall, I would highly recommend Vacation Race’s Bryce Canyon Ultras. There were 315 runners doing the 30k distance, for many, it was their first time at that distance. This was not an easy course, add in elevation and they had a few DNFs but for the most part, it was gorgeous.

The elevation did not affect me as much as I thought it would given that where I live and run it is only 768 feet above sea level and this race started at almost 7000 and we ran up to almost 10,000. I am happy that I chose to do the 30k and didn’t get too cocky and attempt to do the 50k or 60k or 50 mile.

After Michele finished, we recovered a bit, ate and then hopped in the car and drove 5 hours back towards home and got a hotel in an effort to shorten our drive time on Sunday.

For being my first race of 2023 and my first road trip, I am beyond happy and grateful.

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

RACE DETAILS

Shoes : Topo Athletic Ultraventures

Watch : Garmin

Fuel : Unived Drink Mix and Spring Energy Canaberry gels

Socks : Injinji

Breakfast : Picky Bars Oatmeal

Full Disclaimer: I am not associated with Vacation Races at all and was not paid or compensated for writing this report.

August 14, 2019August 14, 2019

Wings of Change – Goodbye

This is not a race report or a recipe. It is not like any of my normal blogs but it is one that I felt compelled to write. I guess, in a way, I wanted to say goodbye to a place that has meant so much to me over the last nine years. A place that brought us peace, beauty and encouraged our family to get out and be outside, together.

When we moved to our town in late 2010, we did not know a lot of people or anything about the local trails. The following year, on the anniversary of our move-in date, we were robbed. This town we had just arrived in, was not as welcoming as I had hoped.

However, slowly over time, we’ve met some great friends and some of those friends shared with us the local trails. Some trails, we discovered on our own as a family. This would be one of them. We nicknamed it simply, “The Look-Out.”

This is the oldest photo that I could find but I know we lugged our stroller out there well before Squeaker could walk. 2013

The Look-Out was where we went after dinner to watch the sunset or during the holidays to walk off a big heavy meal.

The Look-Out was nothing more than a beautiful glimpse of Folsom Lake. It wasn’t perfect, it had power lines across the best part of the view but it also held a beautiful oak tree and jagged rocks perfect for climbing. It was also right outside our door.

Every Christmas morning after coffee and presents, Vans and I would make the girls get dressed into warm clothes and go with us to the Look-Out. We would take photos, talk about what Santa brought us and who was coming over later for Christmas dinner.

Our last Christmas morning here together – 2018

Last night, Vans and I went for a walk to the Look-Out. It had been a while as we’ve been on vacation. The summer itself has been full of visitors, sports, coaching and work. To be honest, I had not been to the Look-Out in quite a few weeks but we knew that homes were being built. A road had appeared last year and foundations were set. We knew it was only a matter of time before our special place would no longer be accessible.

Vans looking at the fence lines that have been drawn and the holes for future fence posts.

When we arrived, we saw that lines had been set up around our Oak Tree and holes dug for future (very large) fence posts. Our special place will very soon be someone’s back yard. I wonder if they will love it as much as we have over the years?

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The Look-Out is where Vans came to after his bike accident last year. An easy walk among the trees, dirt and grass.

The Look-Out is where I would walk to when I needed to think. When my friend Phil died late last year, I came here, sat down and cried. I cried until a bird crowed at me and I realized that Phil, my friend, would not want me shedding tears for him but instead enjoying life.

The Look-Out is where I came after my hamstring tear and procedure when I was missing running on the trails more than my heart could take. It reminded me that I was doing what needed to be done, in order to heal.

For a long time, I didn’t share or tell anyone about the Look-Out. It was our family place. Then one day, a friend came to me upset about something and I took them there as well. I figured if it could help me, maybe it could help them. I don’t know if it did but I know they enjoyed the view.

I know that nothing lasts forever but I wish housing developments would not be so aggressive. I know it isn’t the fault of the people whose home is being built on our special place, I mean, who wouldn’t want a view like that? I just wish, we could have our place for just a little bit longer.

I wish a path could be created that would allow us to be able to share this view whenever we wanted with the people who own it but I know that’s a silly dream.

Most of all, I should be grateful for the walks we have had and the time we’ve spent at the Look-Out. Perhaps a new spot will be discovered? I do know, whenever I see an old Oak Tree, I will think about our Look-Out and the memories we’ve had here.

The Look-Out helped us heal, laugh and love. It got our blood flowing, our energy moving and our minds wandering. It has given us more than what we could ever give back in return.

I guess that is partly why I wanted to write this so that the memory of what this place looked like and meant, lives on even after the fence is up and our tree and view cornered off.

You can see some of the new homes being built below.

Thank you Look-Out and Oak Tree. I hope your new family loves you just as much as we have over the years.

Oak Tree, I hope they keep you and allow you to grow. I hope they take family photos by you and let their kids climb your branches and rocks. I hope the fence they install is one that will make you look even more beautiful.

Thank you for taking the time to read about our special place, our Look-Out and our friend, The Oak Tree. I can only hope that everyone has a place so close and so special touch their lives. Mother Nature and being outside means so much to me and to my family. It does feel as if a part of our family, is leaving for good.

Go outside. Look around. Really look around and soak in what is around you because the world is changing so quickly.

And so, I leave you with this poem.

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

THE OAK TREE

by Johnny Ray Ryder Jr.

A mighty wind blew night and day
It stole the oak tree’s leaves away
Then snapped its boughs and pulled its bark
Until the oak was tired and stark

But still the oak tree held its ground
While other trees fell all around
The weary wind gave up and spoke.
How can you still be standing Oak?

The oak tree said, I know that you
Can break each branch of mine in two
Carry every leaf away
Shake my limbs, and make me sway

But I have roots stretched in the earth
Growing stronger since my birth
You’ll never touch them, for you see
They are the deepest part of me

Until today, I wasn’t sure
Of just how much I could endure
But now I’ve found, with thanks to you
I’m stronger than I ever knew

January 24, 2019January 24, 2019

BEAUTIFUL BEET MUFFINS

If you follow me on Instagram, then you may have seen my teaser for these muffins.

I wanted to test the recipe out again, a few different ways to give you options and because I had one child love them and another not so much (story of my life). Vans and I however, inhaled them.

This time around, I only changed a few ingredients but the end result was that both kids loved them (fresh out of the oven) and now I have twice as many muffins in my fridge. Winning!

So here is my recipe for Beautiful Beet Muffins with some variations and notes added below. I’ve made them using the ingredients listed so if you vary something, let me know. These are pretty flexible and I may continue to play around with the recipe.

Also, if you are interested in trying Beet Boost (great for this recipe and for a ton of others like hummus, pre-workout smoothies and beet pancakes etc), then use the code TRAILMOMMA to receive 15% off your purchase at check out. However, I also made these muffins using real beets, see below.

BEAUTIFUL BEET MUFFINS

Ingredients

2 cups oat flour (I used gluten free – I take 2 cups of oats and grind them in a blender to make oat flour)
1/2 cup oats (whole, not ground)
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup nondairy milk (I used almond)
1 Tablespoon Beet Boost Powder OR 2 small cooked, peeled beets* – see photo below
1 ripe banana OR 1/2 cup apple sauce (I made the recipe both ways)*
Vegan Chocolate Chips (your preference – 1/2 cup seems good)*

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1. Preheat oven to 375 and line a muffin tin with these parchment paper muffin cups.

2. Add 2 cups of oat flour to a large bowl (I make oat flour by taking 2 cups of oats and blending them into a flour).

3. Add the 2 tsp of baking powder and whisk.

4. Add the 1/2 cup of whole oats, whisk again.

5. To a blender add 1 cup of the nondairy milk, the 1 tablespoon of Beet Boost Powder, the banana or 1/2 cup applesauce (whichever you choose). If you are NOT using the Beet Boost Powder, add the two small steamed (and cooled) beets to the blender. I used precooked beets that are sold at Trader Joe’s and Costco. See the photo below for sizing – the tablespoon shown is for size.

6. Turn the blender on and blend everything until completely combined.

7. Pour the blender mixture into the bowl filled with flour, baking powder and oats.

8. Mix until thoroughly combined.

9. Stir in chocolate chips and mix again.

10. Pour into lined muffin tin and bake for 15 minutes. Use a toothpick when done to see if they are done. I haven’t had to bake them more than 15 minutes ever.

On left: Beet Boost Muffins * On the right: Steamed Beet Muffins

As you can see, the Beet Boost Muffins create a darker colored, very pretty muffin. That’s also because Beet Boost has cherry in it as well. Flavor wise, they both were equally good. I did a blind taste test with my kids and they said the Beet Boost Muffins had a good flavor and texture and that Steamed Beet Muffins had a little less flavor (still good) and the texture was a tad more chewy. 🙂 They liked both so win win for me.

*Some notes and thoughts.

I first tried the recipe using a ripe banana. Seemed odd to do but it is all that I had. It tasted great. You did not taste the banana and my picky 10 year old who hates bananas, didn’t even KNOW there were bananas in it. My 7 year old, who likes bananas, oddly didn’t like that batch of muffins.

This round, I tried to applesauce. They made the muffins a tad softer and chewier than the bananas. Both kids liked them and I tend to always have applesauce in the pantry for baking whereas we go through bananas sometimes like water so this is a nice option to have.

Finally the chocolate chips. This usually is the “draw” to get my kids to even try my weird creations. “It has chocolate chips? Sure we’ll try it!” But if chocolate chips are not your thing, or you have allergies I would recommend either adding dried cherries or maybe even some chopped walnuts instead. I have not tried either so if you do, let me know.

Overall, a fun recipe to make that would be great for Valentine’s Day or any day. I am thrilled my kiddos like them and they can help me make them the recipe is that simple!

Enjoy and Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

January 13, 2019January 13, 2019

BACK FROM THE DEAD!

Fingers crossed everyone, this site has been saved! Thanks to those of you who reached out to me and notified me that my site had been hacked. 🙁 I had suspected as such as I had noticed some weird activity recently but I did not realize how bad or how deep it went.

Last week was a pretty stressful week for me. My main page had been hacked, and was redirecting my address to a Viagra site of all places!

After a lot of help support, stressed out crazy texts (sorry Ami and Corey!) and a lot of digging and reading on my part, I am hopeful that things are back to normal.

Thank you for your patience. This blog is a labor of love that I have had since 2009 (starting from a blogspot address that still exists). I do not make money off this site, I do it to share adventures, recipes and a lot of the time, to have something for my kiddos to look back on. I want them to see that mom was a crazy bada$$ ultra runner living on plants and living life to the fullest with all my crazy adventures. That’s the point of this site. I make mistakes, I share them and I move on. So thank you to all of you have stayed with me thus far. I truly appreciate your support for my tiny little old blog that means the world to me.

In the meantime, I ask that you please continue to be patient with me as I navigate through some different appearances for the blog. Still trying to find the best one that won’t cause the same problems as before. 🙂 Change is good right?

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Well, 2019 is the year for change for Trailmomma!

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

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THE OAK TREE

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