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| But I'm so happy it was! |
All race-week long, we'd been on tenterhooks waiting to see if enough snow would materialize to make this a snowshoe event rather than just a trail run. I ran twice on Saturday, and couldn't find anything I'd really want to run on in snowshoes.
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| Lumpy, footprinted ice and a bit of snow on the Walter Bean Trail in the morning |
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| It started to snow late in the day, but there's still no proper coverage down by the Grand River by sunset (when this photo was taken on run #2) |
Just after finishing the second run, I got an email from Race Director Lisa - miraculously enough, they'd been able to find 5km+ of snow-covered trails at Shade's Mills! The snowshoe race was ON!
Then, because Lisa is apparently the Snow Queen or something, finding enough covered trail became a non-issue.
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| Arriving at Shade's Mills |
A blizzard had arrived in the night, blanketing everything with fresh, fluffy flakes. It continued to fall after I awoke at 7:30am, braided my hair, and had my usual pre-race bowl of oatmeal. It furthermore kept up as I took full advantage of this being a local race by going the heck back to bed for a 30min nap.
I probably shouldn't have done that, but it was glorious.
Back out of bed at 8:45am, we were a little later than I'd hoped leaving the house (after slapping some tape on my ankles and cranky glute, and pulling on some clothes), and it rapidly became apparent that it would take us a wee bit longer than usual to get down to the race venue.
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| Not a day for speeding. |
It was nearly 10am by the time we got there, and I was starting to panic about getting in a warm-up run - I don't bother at ultras because they're done at an easy enough pace that you can just warm up as you go, but this was going to be a redline effort and trying to do that cold is not an awesome idea. Fortunately, there was a very welcome sign in the Nature Centre when I wandered in to pick up my race kit.
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| HALLELUJAH! |
I'd thought the start might have been pushed back due to weather - in order to allow everyone extra time to arrive safely - but it turned out it was actually because some people had gone and pulled out course markings the previous evening and some sections needed to be re-marked. People suck, but I was grateful for the extra time.
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| These fun soup bowls with matching broth spoons were our registration gift! |
After my usual pre-run flailing of limbs, I strapped on my snowshoes and headed out of the Nature Centre to thrash my way through a few minutes of running, starting on the downhill to the beach (and the usual start line, though this year's was in a different location per the sign).
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| Note the huge flakes of snow still pelting down |
Three loops of downhill - along the beach - back up to the path - up to the Nature Centre took me 5 minutes, and demonstrated clearly that the easiest way to get through this would be to start near the back of the pack and let all the fast people pack the snow down ahead of me. I wasn't at all sure how much my legs had in them anyway, so wouldn't want to get in the way of legitimate racers.
I downed an Endurance Tap gel and a few last sips of water 15mins before gun time, trying to quiet the voice in my head that was screaming at me to bring my phone along to take photos of the stunning winter wonderland. I didn't want to carry anything with me, or give myself any excuses to stop or walk; just go out and see what I was capable of.
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| I settled for taking this photo of the path that runs past the Nature Centre, then putting the phone away in my jacket. |
With a few minutes to go I commenced meandering across the parking lots to the starting area by the pavilion, adding in a few easy running strides as I went to keep the legs loose. Gawd, a real warm-up and now this - what had I become?
Lisa and her husband Greg hid under the edge of the pavilion to avoid the worst of the snowfall while making the final pre-race announcements.
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| (Photo by Diane Livingston) |
Greg admitted that due to the re-routes and having to re-mark the course that morning, he actually had no idea how long it was - his best guess was "more than 5k, but less than 30k", which got quite a laugh from all of us. Knowing it would be a single loop, that there's only about 11km of trails at Shade's Mills, and that finishing by the Nature Centre meant they were unlikely to use the Beach Trail on the far west side of the park, I estimated the maximum would probably be about 6km or so.
We lined up at the start facing the woods in near-whiteout conditions, and after a very simple "3-2-1-go!" we were off.
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| I'm somewhere in behind all the go-getters (Photo by Diane Livingston) |
Heading into the start of the trails, I was dazzled by the beauty of the snow-laden forest.
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| That's me in the mint green shirt & black tights toward the right (Photo by Diane Livingston) |
I had quite a lot of the field ahead of me when my legs suddenly decided to show up a couple of minutes in. I started passing where I could, but that cost me some energy as I'd have to run beside the single, less-than-two-foot-wide packed down track in the loose snow to get around people.
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| Definitely a no-passing zone (I cannot guarantee all course photos will be in order) |
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| There was also the minor issue that gusts of wind would create periodic avalanches off the trees overhead |
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| Somewhere around the 1k mark (I think?), managing to look like I know what I'm doing (Photo by Tony Martin) |
I was able to run consistently over the gently undulating trails until about 1.8km, when I finally had to hike up a little steeper grade. I dropped to a walk up another hill around 2k, then managed to push for 500m before another hill threatened to make my heart explode.
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| Heart rate data from the morning. I'm really not kidding about "redline effort" |
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| Wide open winter wonderland |
From 2.5km to 4.3km we looped around through the forest with constantly varying elevation, driving me repeatedly down to a hike as I began to seriously wonder if I'd gone out too hard and would end up just having to walk it in.
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| The tight turns also had me wondering if that wasn't my own butt I saw up ahead at one point.. |
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| Pine forested hills |
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| Mixed hardwoods and rolling hills |
I thought I must be gassing pretty badly, as people started to pass me as I struggled to control my breathing - the Death Whistle™ was in full effect, which I attempted to calm with deep, slow breaths and intentional exhales.
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| More conifer-lined climbing |
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| HOORAY FOR DOWNHILL! Just watch you don't catch a cleat on a root.. |
I noticed some other people starting to struggle as well, though - while I managed to put in a decent half-kilometer stretch of running from 4.3-4.8k I saw a fellow who'd come trucking past me earlier drop to a walk on a flat stretch. I tried to gasp out an "are you ok?" but I'm not sure he heard me; he seemed to be moving ok, though, so I just kept on running.
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| It's always easier if you don't let your feet - or snowshoes - touch the ground. |
A right turn at 4.8k brought a longer climb that I had to walk, but I was still able to push myself to run the flatter section in the middle. If there's one thing I can say I did fairly well with in this race, it was keeping the hiking breaks to a minimum; I was quite successful at just walking a few steps over the top/steepest part of a hill, then hurling myself back into a run as soon as it flattened out again.
Around the 5k mark we turned left onto the outside loop trail back toward the bridge, with a general downhill trend for the first quarter-kilometer and then a long, flat section. Since it was flat, I forced myself to keep running, though my foot turnover slowed as I still struggled to process enough oxygen to fuel my overtaxed legs.
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| *gasping* |
Around the 5k mark we turned left onto the outside loop trail back toward the bridge, with a general downhill trend for the first quarter-kilometer and then a long, flat section. Since it was flat, I forced myself to keep running, though my foot turnover slowed as I still struggled to process enough oxygen to fuel my overtaxed legs.
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| Hup! Hup! Hup! |
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| Back through the cedars |
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| Across the bridge once more |
Back on the west side of Mill Creek, I expected to turn right and head up the long, gravelly climb known to Conquer the Canuck runners as "Rocky Road", but was instead directed left (south) to go back the way we'd come. This meant running past some of the most stunning views of the creek itself again, so I was ok with that. I managed to put together a full kilometer of running, too!
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| SO PRETTY |
Less ok was having to tackle the hill I'd got to run down earlier, just a couple of hundred metres into the race. People ahead of me were running it, so I tried to silence the screaming of my legs and lungs and just focus on form...but had to walk again as it steepened near the top. For my efforts, though, I was able to inch by one more of the people who'd passed me earlier.
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| That made 2 down, and 2 probably out of reach. |
Coming down the other side with the pavilion in view, we hooked a sharp right to head back uphill. Conquer the Canuck runners may recognize this as the final long, grassy downhill to the finish - it takes on a rather different character when doing it the other way 'round under a blanket of snow.
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| It looks fairly innocuous, but it's the longest climb on the course, and takes you to its highest point. |
I managed to run the flatter sections at the bottom, drawing alongside another fellow who'd passed me earlier. We both had to hike a bit as it turned upward, then he began to pull away again as I stirred myself back into a run. He got away entirely as I had to hike the final 20m to the apex, then hit the left-hand turn to the downhill to the road crossing where Tanker was acting as marshal.
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| The road crossing is just visible at the wooden posts dead centre of this shot. |
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| Tank snapped a photo as I gasped out "I LOVE YOU. DYING." |
I knew from last year that I was very close to the finish now, so kept my foot on the gas as best I could. After crossing the road, you make a quick left turn and dive back into thick pine forest.
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| Much narrower than most of the trails in the park. |
A little chicane, then a straightaway for maybe 100 metres, and then an oblique right straight into the finish area where the warmth of a roaring campfire is rivaled by the welcome of the amazing volunteers. We were given our finisher prize, and asked what distance our GPS watches recorded - I had 6.81km, which I guess must have been close to the average as the course was officially reckoned to be 6.8k.
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| Looking back up the finish chute |
Official time: 50:47 for 6.8km @ 7:28/km
23/65 O/A - 8/35 Women - 4/17 W40-49
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| This year featured awesome handmade wooden medallions for finishers! |
I grabbed my jacket (with my phone in it to take these pics) and hung out around the fire for a bit to chat with volunteers and cheer other runners in, but as the snow had turned to rain it wasn't terribly pleasant being outside. So, I wandered back into the Nature Centre to indulge in one of the absolute best parts of this race - the incredible pancake brunch put on by the Cambridge Harriers!
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| With gluten free/vegan available, loads of fresh fruit, stewed blueberries and maple syrup. Oh, and a cup of life-giving coffee with dairy-free creamer. |
I had no idea how I'd finished in relation to anyone except the few people I'd seen ahead and behind me, and figured I was in no danger of a podium with as slow as I felt I'd been on course. While sitting and chatting with people after the race, the awards ceremony began and I was gobsmacked to discover I'd been given 3rd place in my age group!
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| Getting my awesome plaque from Race Director Lisa Couple behind me: "Can you believe someone with an arse that big made the podium?" "Heck, I can't believe she finished!" (Photo by Diane Livingston) |
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| The awards are so adorable - the logo is by Holly from Carrier Budge Card Company, who both sponsors and runs in the race! |
Of course, it was only because the top woman overall - the ever-speedy Vicki Z. - is in my age group, and there was no duplication of awards. So, I don't really deserve it, but I'm still very grateful! Vicki had also won last year, which made her the Goose for this year's race; the top man is the Gander, and both Goose and Gander are given a free entry into the following year's race.
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| New for 2020 were capes to identify the Gander, Goose, Gosling (youngest competitor) and "Mother Goose" (the competitor with the most life experience, who in this case was a 68 year old fellow who beat me by more than 5mins!) |
The Winter Goose Chase is always a wonderful experience - from the welcome of the volunteers at race pickup through venue, course marking, and post-race food & festivities, I can't think of a single thing upon which they could improve. The Cambridge Harriers do a really excellent job, and the beauty and variety of terrain at Shade's Mills offers something for everyone from folks who just want to come out for a lovely walk in their snowshoes to competitive racers who want to push their limits. Registration opens in August of each year, and there are 30 pairs of Dion snowshoes on offer for $10 on top of your entry fee if you'd like to try snowshoe racing without a big investment. Be aware though - the event sells out quickly (before the end of September this past year), and the snowshoes are snapped up even faster!
By the time the awards wrapped up, I'd caught a bit of a chill - I'd neglected to change out of the wet clothes I'd worn for the race, and all of the heat I'd generated by running had long dissipated. Everyone else packed up and headed home, but I'd hatched a plan; I wanted to get a second run in that afternoon anyway, and with the thick layer of snow it probably wasn't going to be any easier running the un-shoveled sidewalks around my neighbourhood than to go out and run the packed-down course, sans snowshoes. I threw on my spikes for traction, which I'd brought as the pre-race email recommended them for walking down to the start line before the snow fell and covered most of the ice, and brought my phone along for the ride.
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| You should definitely come give it a try! |
By the time the awards wrapped up, I'd caught a bit of a chill - I'd neglected to change out of the wet clothes I'd worn for the race, and all of the heat I'd generated by running had long dissipated. Everyone else packed up and headed home, but I'd hatched a plan; I wanted to get a second run in that afternoon anyway, and with the thick layer of snow it probably wasn't going to be any easier running the un-shoveled sidewalks around my neighbourhood than to go out and run the packed-down course, sans snowshoes. I threw on my spikes for traction, which I'd brought as the pre-race email recommended them for walking down to the start line before the snow fell and covered most of the ice, and brought my phone along for the ride.
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| Which also meant I could photos of the spectacular snow! |
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| Like running in Narnia |
While the course marking flags and arrows had all been picked up by the time I headed out, I was able to make my way 'round pretty well from the still-visible spray paint at the turns. I did cut a section off as I didn't really want to run the whole 6.8km again, but since I'd started right from the parking lots (running from there down to and past the pavilion), it came out pretty close in distance anyway.
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| I was able to pick up a few marker flags that had been missed, and get them back to the race staff before they left. |
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| Such a stunning day to be out in the woods! |
So, that's #1 of 3 snowshoe races for this year (and month) in the bag. Just over 1 week now until the brand-new-for-2020 Flurry event put on by the wonderful folks at Happy Trails Racing - they opened up some additional slots after selling out very quickly, so why not snag one and give it a try? Hope to see you there!
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| We'll be there with bells on...or at least snowshoes! |
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