The Big Schloss 50K

Oh, my friends, it's been so long since I've posted! I've missed you all.

I'm now the Race Director of The Big Schloss 50K. Turns out when you love a race very much, you quit running it in order to share that gift with others.

This will be my sixth year as race director. Amy and Steve Platt created this gem of a course in 2003. They put it on through 2009, and then the realities of raising three young children crept in and it went on hiatus. Fellow VHTRC members Sean Andrish, Brian Schmidt and I revived it in 2014 as an official VHTRC event.

An early version of The Big Schloss 50K featured hula hoops. Pictured are me and Karen Krieg.

I like to characterize this race as the love child of a ménage à trois between the Wild Oak Trail, the Massanutten Mountains and Shenandoah National Park.  It's got everything; lush, grassy sections, gorgeous moss, occasional misty weather, plenty of rocks and technical trail, incredible views, big climbs, long downhills to bomb and even a little bit of fire road.

I'll add more to this as I think of things I've forgotten. For now, it will serve as a brief history and a place to find trail maps, directions, turn sheets, pocket reference, etc. 

Have you run The Big Schloss 50K or hiked the trails of Great North Mountain? Please share your experiences on this place in the comments!

Great North Mountain Trails with Big Schloss 50K Aid Stations

Directions from the DC area I–66 west to where it ends at I–81.
Take I–81 South (left exit from I–66) for 4 miles to exit 296, Rt. 55 West.
Take Rt. 55 west 18 miles to Wardensville, WV.
In Wardensville, you'll come to an intersection with Rt. 259, proceed to the left to remain on Rt. 55. Just before the road curves to the right, go 
Left at the “Garrett Insurance” sign on the left onto Trout Run Road, CR23/10. Follow Trout Run Road for 5.4 miles to the intersection with Thorny Bottom Road. 
Turn right onto Thorny Bottom Road. Follow Thorny Bottom Road for 6.2 miles to the entrance for Trout Pond. 
Turn left into park. Follow the Trout Pond access road for about a mile to the entrance station. The road forks. Take the left fork (which may involve passing the entrance station and turning left) if you want to go to the Start. The right fork goes to the campground.

Almost Heaven

Snowshoefest 2016 was an unparalleled success.

Our good friends Aaron and Martha have hosted this weekend snow extravaganza for the past few years and they never fail to deliver on excessive amounts of snow -- and fun! Thanks for hosting us, Marthon!

No snowshoefest weekend would be complete without a video of our hijinks!


SnowShoeFest2016 from Aaron Schwartzbard on Vimeo.

Hubz and I make it a point to leave work early in order to arrive in time for Tip Top Coffee's excellent grass-fed burgers, only available on Friday nights. With our bellies full of good food, we binge watched Buffy (what?) until late. 

Saturday morning we had a leisurely breakfast and then the whole gang headed out on snowshoes. The weather was mild (it can get really cold in this pocket of West Virginia) and we trekked up a long hill and into the Dolly Sods. It's a beautiful place, and we enjoyed the snow and the company of our friends.



On Sunday, we decided it was time to make good on our promise to do some Nordic skiing. We headed over to White Grass Cross Country Ski Area and several of us splurged (a whole $15!) on a group lesson, which proved to be invaluable. Thanks, Tony!



As we practiced our skiing, we got to watch a snowshoe 5K race and saw many of our trail running friends. Spirits were high and the weather was balmy, with bright sunshine and lots of melting going on. Many people sported short sleeves and there were even a few who went shirtless. 




We ate delicious food from the White Grass Cafe and ventured out into the woods to practice our newfound Nordic skiing skills. As the sun began to disappear behind Weiss Knob, we headed home, vowing to return soon.



  

Summer Fun at Big Bend

This year, I was determined to wring every last delicious drop of sunshine, warm weather and outdoorsy fun out of summer. 

A key element of my plan was several camping trips to places we could run and hike trails, go for a swim and relax by a fire.

This past weekend we pitched our tent at Big Bend Campground in West Virginia. Navigating some narrow, winding roads to get here, but well worth the trip.

Tubing at Big Bend. You start on one side of the campground, then hike back over the hill for another loop.

View from a tube.

Rope swing! The river was a bit low overall, but there's a nice deep spot to land if you hit it right.

Campfire chats with good friends and a symphony of summer insects playing. Bliss.

I hope your summer was full of fun and adventure, too.

Wordless Wednesday: Dragon's Tooth

Anniversary Selfie

Looking over the valley on the climb up Dragon's Tooth

View from the top

Dragon's Tooth from the back side

Florida Sunshine

Enough talk about winter! I was lucky enough to escape to Florida for a long weekend, so I have something other than pictures of snow to share.

There wasn't a lot of good scenery where we stayed in Kissimmee, but I managed to find a few photo-worthy spots on my morning runs.

There's water everywhere in Florida. Construction, too, but I spared you those images.

Armadillo! He must've been out for his (her?) morning run too.

Little Blue Heron

Obligatory alligator sign. Found this deep in a park, with no path to or around this big lake. So odd.

We also visited Epcot theme park's World Showcase. There was live music, street performers, little shops and of course all kinds of food and drink. Walking, eating and drinking our way through England, Canada, France, Morocco, Germany, Italy, China, Japan, Norway and Mexico was the perfect way to spend a day.

We enjoyed a glass of wine in Italy at Epcot's World Showcase.

Finally we got a day in the 80s and we made the trip to Melbourne Beach. The drive seemed long with eight of us squeezed into a minivan but feeling the sand between our toes and the sun on our (mostly) bare skin made it all worth it.

Taking in the ocean view at Melbourne Beach

Digging with gusto

Cheers!

Wherever you are, I hope you are getting outside and making the most of Winter. Soon, Spring will be here!

SnowShoeFest Weekend

I'm not really a Winter person. 

After a succession of cold, dark days, a certain amount of 'girding of the loins' has to be done in order to get out there. The longing for warm sunshine and fewer layers of clothing creeps into my soul.

But give me a snowy winter wonderland to play in and I quickly change my tune.

Magical winter scene at White Grass in West Virginia

Snow sports are always more fun with friends

Stonecoal Ridge trail

Atop Bald Knob

After a day of snowshoeing, we were game for a little snow running in Dolly Sods. We started off and soon a delightful snowfall began. So pretty! At times we wished for our snowshoes when the drifts got deep but overall it was mostly runnable.

Running in Dolly Sods - photo by Aaron Schwartzbard

Enjoying the snow - photo by Aaron Schwartzbard

Thanks, Aaron and Martha, for the hospitality and adventures.

Dolly Sods - photo by Aaron Schwartzbard

And thank you for a wonderful weekend, Mother Nature. I just might be a Winter person after all.

Running in the Massanuttens

It's been quite awhile since I've run in the Massanuttens, but I wanted to return to my favorite run there.

I've made it no secret that despite my love of technical trails, I'm not enamored of the Massanutten Trail. "Rocky" is the best descriptor of this trail but that doesn't begin to cover what you'll experience.

It starts off innocently enough. Some old leaf-covered fire road followed by some smooth, slightly inclined trail. Big Run, I guess you're not so bad.

Once you're committed, it starts to show its true character. Yes, that is the trail -- I made sure to get the orange blaze in the picture because I knew you'd be dubious.

It's not this rocky all the time. There's an excellent long downhill not long after you turn left onto the Scothorn Trail.

I was too busy flying down that stretch to snap any pictures.

After a brief dirt road section, the climb up Jawbone begins. And it never, ever ends. Or so it seems.

When I finally reach the top of Jawbone I take a left onto Kerns Mountain. Despite my griping about rocks, I have a strange affection for Kerns, which is probably the rockiest section of all.

In the winter, there's always an impressive display of icicles on the west side of Kerns.

Pause a moment to take in Q's View. Scenic overlooks are rare along the Massanutten Trail.

Hubz was really excited to show me this bear claw mark. There were some faint coyote tracks once we popped out on the road, too.

It was a good day to be out there on trail. Massanuttens, you're starting to grow on me.

January on The Wild Oak Trail

My coach approved some miles at The Wild Oak Trail, though not the whole loop. That was fine by me. Our plan: Hubz would drive to Camp Todd and run to meet us, then I could bail there for 10 miles and he could finish the loop. Perfect.

Saturday morning we rose at 4 a.m. and drove 2+ hours to the trailhead where we met Katie, Bob, new friend Carrie. After a lightning fast selfie we were off!

It's been unusually cold over the past week, but I'm happy to report that I've gotten all of my runs in. Dressing in layers has kept me relatively comfortable and made the snowy trails enjoyable. However, I seriously erred in not wearing my big bulky mittens. Oh, how my hands suffered in my silly thin gloves. My handwarmers just couldn't make enough heat.

It was 7 degrees when we started at the bottom of the mountain.

The rest of me stayed warm enough, but just barely. Anytime we paused to take in a view at an overlook or adjust something, I cooled down alarmingly quickly.

The lower parts of the trail were snow-free, and there was about a half-inch to an inch at the higher elevations. Just enough to cushion the rocks a little.

Sunrise view at the first overlook.

The climbing here is serious. I focused on using good form and making sure my glute was doing the work. It was honestly hard to tell because my derriere was totally numb. But it's sore today so I'll take that as a good sign.

Plenty of climbing and some sweet, sweet descents.

I couldn't help myself. I bombed that final downhill like a madwoman. It was so fantastically exhilarating!

Mountains in the distance.

My iPhone froze after the photo above. No, the battery didn't die. It actually froze and refused to turn  on again until I sat on it in the warm car for twenty minutes.

I felt really good when I reached Camp Todd and considered doing a little more, but decided to be prudent and call it a day. It only took 30 minutes of blasting the heat and some hot soup to warm up.

Though I'm not really a fan of cold weather, I find that getting out in spite of it makes me happy. I feel accomplished and tough and so glad that I didn't let the frigid temps stop me from enjoying the outdoors.

There's something special about The Wild Oak Trail. I'll be back for more cold miles in February.

Shaking it Up in the New Year

So long, 2014. You were pretty good to me.

Most memorable: I ran my second 100 miler in July. I'm really proud of that accomplishment, because I really had to work to come back after my foot injury. And while I wouldn't recommend it, it's nice to know I could eke out 100 miles on so little training when I  wanted it badly enough.

I'm truly honored and excited that I have been chosen to be a Moderator on The Whole 30 Forum. If you do a Whole30 anytime in the future (and I highly recommend it), make sure you stop in for encouragement, support and answers to your questions. It's a friendly place and always lively.

While I don't usually make formal New Year resolutions, I love this piece on Melissa Joulwan's alternative to setting goals or making a resolution.

This year, I'm going to run some new and different races. West Coast, here I come!

I'm also getting a coach to help me reach my racing potential. I want to see what I'm capable of in ultrarunning with serious, dedicated training. I'm better when I have structure. And I'm ready to try something new. I'm already feeling more motivated.

Have you made any big changes or resolutions? What are you excited about for 2015?

Happy New Year! 

You Win Some, You Lose Some

Sadly, the Western States lottery gods did not smile upon me.

Truth be told, I couldn't feel too let down. It was my first time applying and I know so many people who have been trying to get in for years. I didn't really want it as much as they did. And I was so totally thrilled that my friend Robin got in, it honestly overshadowed my own fleeting disappointment.

I contemplated signing up for the Miwok 100k lottery. My friend Tracy had run it in 2014 and raved about the beautiful course. I was sold. With Western States out of the picture, I made my decision and registered. Hubz thought this was such a great idea that he applied too.

I knew getting into Miwok was also a long shot. I debated mailing in a registration for Laurel Highlands 70 miler just in case. But I held off.

On Friday, I got the good news - both Hubz and I got into Miwok 100k!

A view from the Miwok course

The course description reads: Very hilly (approximately 11,800 feet of cumulative elevation gain) with spectacular views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge, Mt. Tamalpais, Tomales Bay and the Point Reyes National Seashore.

Now, we've got to get serious about our training. Four months is not that far away, and we've got some climbing in our future. 

Miwok 100k course profile

Mountains of Virginia, I'll be seeing a lot of you this winter!

So You're Saying There's A Chance!

For the first time ever, I applied to The Western States® 100 Endurance Race. 

I had a qualifier with my Vermont 100 finish, so I figured why not throw my name in the hat? 

This is by far the most expensive race I've ever entered. Should I be lucky enough to be chosen, my credit card will immediately be charged $393.42.



Since it's my first year in the lottery, my odds are 1 in 6601.

That's a 4.7% chance I'll get in.

Hubz is wildly excited about the possibility of me running Western States and says he has a good feeling about it.

Meanwhile, I'll be busy trying not to freak out.

If you've also applied, check out this post on 10 ways to distract yourself from lotteries!

Check back on Monday to find out if I got in, or watch it yourself.

The 2015 Lottery will be held December 6, 2014, 8:30 am PST.

Live results will be posted at ultralive.net

Live Video Feed at ultrasportslive.tv

Good luck to all my friends!

Mostly Wordless Wednesday: Adventures in Hiking and Snowshoeing

Fall is the perfect time to slow down and relish things more fully.

I make it a habit to hike and snowshoe as much as I can. It's a winding down of the running season.  It's a nice change of pace (literally).

Pass Mountain trail in Shenandoah National Park near Sperryville, Virginia

The Appalachian Trail near Linden, Virginia

Nicholson Hollow Trail in Shenandoah National Park

Stream crossing on Nicholson Hollow Trail in Shenandoah National Park

A fortuitous early snowstorm led to a spur-of-the-moment weekend trip to Whitegrass

Any adventure is more fun when shared with good friends

View of the pipeline and Weiss Knob

We weren't the only ones out enjoying the snow

Relaxing at Mountain State Brewery, a bar with an open fireplace and outstanding beer.