Old Cascades...new lessons

View from the Cascades

Having moved across the country to the Pacific North West, I’m discovering a whole new world of adventures.  There is a lot of ‘new’ for me to explore.  I took a leap at a new race, Old Cascadia, and I knew it would be a toughie.  It was absolutely tough!  Spoiler alert, I didn’t finish.  But....

I lived, learned, felt the joy of being on the trail, and got in some solid training for my 100 miler later this year.

That’s a lot to say for a race that I didn’t finish.  Here is where I confess I wasn’t sure I would.  I picked this race knowing that it would be a challenge and maybe more than I could do right now.  More on that later.  The race sounded fantastic.  It promised spectacular views and lots of challenging single track.  The race most certainly delivered!

It was the first year for this race and I was happy to be a part of the innagural run.  I was looking forward to seeing what the day brought.  The race started with a low key countdown and off we went.  A few words could summarize the course: steep, beautiful, and remote.  The course had lots of climbing and descents, which in previous years I’d been better prepared to handle, and wonderful views of the Cascades.  The trails were loamy and a bit technical.  Being on these trails was runner or hiker heaven.  The race director mentioned as a few of us were getting a ride back to the start area that he created courses that he would want to run.  I’m glad he created this one.

So, why did I pick a race that I wasn’t sure I’d finish?  Well, there are a few reasons.
Reminding myself what it is like to be breathing hard.  Pushing the body and the mind is a exhillerating and sometimes painful experience.  I missed it.  Also, I knew I needed to get my butt in gear to be ready for my 100 miler and this race would keep me honest about my bigger goal. Remembering that success isn’t guaranteed is important.  I didn’t want to take finishing for granted.  Simply showing up isn’t enough.  If I want to get better, I need to do something harder.

A couple specific race things I learned:
1 - Pacific Northwest cold is different - a reminder to bring more jacket than i need and dial it in later.  I don’t have enough experience to have a good gauge on how cold it gets here.
2 - I need to practice hiking efficiency up hills.  I felt like my ability to climb up isn’t very good.  Fortunately I have plenty of places around here to do that and not just on a treadmill.

I’ll be back to finish this 50 at some point in the future.  In the meantime, I’ve got to get stronger and wiser to my new environment. While I may not have finished the race, I still accomplished something worthwhile.  I started, learned, lived....and as always met some very fun and nice people out there at the race.  

Staying cool in a hot humid climate

So a friend Erika asked me a question about how do I stay cool in a hot humid climate when doing ultra running.  I really wanted to answer her and share with other people that have the same question or have additional suggestions to my post.

Factors that I consider:

• How much full sun or breeze will there be?
• Will I have access to ice?
• Chafing?
• Able to change clothes?

Diving into each one of these factors with some detail

•  How much full sun or breeze will there be?

Fair skinned and freckled so I sunburn easily.  It doesn't even have to be full sun out for me to get a sunburn.  I used to wear sunblock but found that all sunblocks to some degree made me feel like I was overheating.  They typically feel like my skin is coated and while it prevents you from burning it doesn't really help with the keeping cool part.  So, it may seem counter intuitive to wear a long sleeve shirt and tights but I'd suggest it.  Being more specific though about the kind of material in humid climates becomes key.  If you were in a dry climate a loose shirt works because you can count on evaporation to help cool you.  In humid areas, thin fabric that fits snug but not too tight is better.  It gets the sweat off your skin and if you get a breeze then you will get some cooling effect.  It acts like a barrier to the sun without dramatically changing how hot you can get not wearing a shirt.
My favorite is a White or light color Patagonia Long Sleeve Capilene shirt like the pic+link below

http://www.patagonia.com/product/womens-long-sleeved-capilene-team-crew/11924.html?dwvar_11924_color=MAR&cgid=womens-baselayers#start=1

I also wear tights to keep the sun off my legs too.  A search of amazon will show plenty of options for white running tights that are fairly inexpensive.  What you need is a thin fabric which will keep the sun off your skin and prevent burning or having to worry about (re)applying sunblock.
Beyond the long sleeve shirt and tights I always wear a light colored hat with a bill or brim to shield my face some and I use a small light weight neck gaitor or buff to cover my neck. 

• Will I have access to ice?

Again, evaporative cooling isn't going to occur in a humid climate.  So, finding a way to get ice on your neck, forearms, back, chest or head is a good idea.  I can handle ice about anywhere but on my head.  Feels to me like I've had a ice slushy I drank to fast and have a horrible case of brain freeze.  Try out where you can put ice and get cool and not have discomfort from being directly on the skin or head.

Good friend of mine, Berton, fills the bladder in his back pack with ice so the ice cools his back and then has water for later.  Neck scarves filled with ice work too.  Using arm sleeves and stuffing those with ice (if you can handle ice directly against your skin).    Pay attention to how you put on a garment filled with ice to make sure it stays where you need it to and doesn't annoy you too much while running with it full of ice.

If you are unable to get access to ice to put on you or in a pack but you can get something cool to cold put it in a hand bottle.  Cool water on your hands can have a nice cooling effect that will help some.

• Chafing

You will be wet if it is hot and humid and you sweat at all.  This means the fabric you put against your skin should not chafe you under normal conditions.  If there is any rub your clothing has, it will only get worse when wet.

Thin flat seam or seamless fabrics that draw away sweat and can dry quickly are the best choice.
 I wear men's Zensah performance underwear.  They are snug without being 'compression' wear and the fabric stays put.  Link provided - I buy the white ones to keep the color light.  With the white tights over the shorts, they provide coverage without being see through.

http://www.zensah.com/men/men-bottoms/seamless-compression-shorts.html

The bra choice for me was just as critical.  I'm a fan of Calvin Klein performance bra you can also find on amazon.  It is usually a reasonable cost at $30 or less.  It is flat seam medium weight fabric reversible bra that provides good support for me.  It does not have underwire or other type of support that larger breasted women may need. 
https://www.amazon.com/Calvin-Klein-Performance-Reversible-Racerback/dp/B01B797ABY/ref=sr_1_26?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1472873500&sr=1-26&nodeID=1040660&keywords=calvin+klein+sports+bra

For those tricky spots that chafe you may want to consider going ahead and using desitin before you even get started.  It isn't just for baby rash anymore.  It works wonders helping minimize chafing from happening or reducing the discomfort if you already have it.

• Able to change clothes?

Because you will end up being sopping soaking grosslywet after running in the heat of the day with the sun beating on you, a change of clothes feels great.
Heading into night it keeps you from chilling quickly because you are covered in sweat.  It will also minimize chafing due to having wet clothes against your skin for extended periods of time.
If you are an ultra-runner reading this you probably know already but just in case you are new to it...nothing feels as nice as wiping down your face with a cool clean towel and changing into clean dry clothes.  It feels like a moment of decadence before you head out to the next aid station in your race.

These are some of the thoughts that i have to prevent sun burn, get the sweat away from and off my body as quickly as possible, get cool and remain as comfortable as I can.
Added thoughts and ideas how to keep cool in hot humid climes are most welcome.

Happy Running!