XC and a couple of parkruns

After the 1,000m, I ran the 5k Parkrun right here in Kuzminki. I actually put down a decent time and was first lady in. I needed to do this as a nice speedworkout to take an easy weekend after Arctic Valley and the Glacier Half the week before.

12 June- Russia Day, I decided to do the 5k XC on the PLanernaya ski course. This one was nice and hilly! It was just what I needed and soft surface. I loved this course, it was like running on carpet-happy feet and happy feet that don't get beat up from pavement. I started out nice and easy and passed many along the way. I ended up 3rd overall and top in the geezer category. An old friend was the race director and she did a great job!

Parkrun Kuzminki 16 June-had over 300 runners for the 2 yr anniversary! I finished just off last week's time and it was much WARMER out. Top woman-

This would turn out to be a final tune up for the next race....

Moscow State 1000m 7 June

Well, so much for recovery time......I almost missed this one. I flew out the day after Arctic Valley. I actually hung out in Alaska 2 weeks after school got out just so I could run Arctic Valley. A friend texted me the day before that the 1000m had been moved to tomorrow night because on the 10th the track and rest of Moscow State was being shut for the FIFA World Cup. We usually have this race late in June. So for the hell of it I jumped in. To my surprise, I posted the best 1000 in over 3 years! It was good enough for a win and a fine excuse to get out and see my running buddies!

Arctic Valley

This is one of my favorite races and I love the course. It's tough but beautiful and non boring. I had been throwing in bitchin' hill sessions all winter and really stepped it up after I got back in January. I wanted to try for another win here. So in addition to said hill sessions, I snowshoed on the ice road, I ran the winter on snow, mud, ice, rocks, tundra, whatever. Intervals happened near the airstrip often in sideways rain or snow. I wanted this race and I was also training for Moscow Trail 24 June which is a similar in difficulty course. I won that last year as well. After the half, I went down to Homer to visit friends for a few days, take care of doctor appointments, and drink the best beer in the universe-Grace Ridge Brewery rocks.

I drove back to Anchorage Thursday so I'd have decent legs for Saturday. I headed out to the start and it was already warm by the 9am start-hot...pushing 15C and sunny. Oh dear, it's HOT...really HOT. Keep in mind, I awoke to sideways sticking snow in the village 2 weeks earlier. I felt good on the uphill. The lady that finished 3rd at the half last week hung with me the first 4k or so then began to drop back a bit. At the turnaround, I had about a 2 minute lead. I knew I needed to haul ass down in case she was a fast downhiller. My climb was a couple min faster than last year. I hauled and hauled 3.40-55 km all the way home. I could not see the second lady but wasn't sure how much a lead I had. With 2k to go, I couldn't see a soul behind me and knew I had thi but had to keep hammering it in. 2 guys were ahead of me and that was it. I finished 6 min up on the next lady, but she was only a couple min slower than my time from last year so definitely a climber. I shaved 4 min from my time from last year. Smart training and those hill sessions did their job! Another A+ to the race directors. These guys are awesome. They do a great job and I should mention do NOT charge ridiculous entry fees that seem to be the trend at more Anchorage races lately. 15$ entry 15$for a shirt. The Glacier Half is also very reasonable in this regard.

https://www.facebook.com/bucknerfitnesscenter/videos/1810455272356656/
https://www.facebook.com/bucknerfitnesscenter/videos/1810412919027558/

Season Opener- Trent Waldron Half Anchorage 26 May

Well, the last time I raced was the snow run in Kuzminki 30 December. My training had been going pretty good and by April, I was hitting times in my interval sessions  on the open tundra/dirt/gravel road to the airstrip faster than my track times over the last couple years! I had a hunch I might be in decent shape, but you never really know until you get out and race. This was the barometer race to see where I was at. I flew out of Tuluksak on Thusday so I could get rest before the Saturday start. It was hanging 7-8 C in the morning -perfect! No pressure, just whatever it is, it is. This is the run where they age grade you and give you a goal time based on your previous performances. My goal time was a 1:34. jeez, they had me set for a minute faster than last year's goal time....means I ran too fast last year LOL! So, I figured what the hell, if I can hit fast times on dirt, I should be able to do this. I went out with 4 other lead ladies and we were pacing right in that range. After the first hill, they began to drop back. I really didn't want to take the lead less than 8km into the race remembering how my tired legs quit at 18km last yr and I ended up 3rd. However, if I didn't move my butt I was not going to hit said goal pace. I was slacking off. I just kept picking it up to the turn around. The outbound has a few uphills but no big deal if you are on a diet of hill workouts. The lady that got me last year dropped back but I only had about 38 seconds on her and the chase pack at the turn around.

I stepped it up a bit on the return. Actually, I stepped it up more than I realized, but felt good. I ended up negative splitting a good couple minutes! I ended up 1:31 good enough for the overall win and the age grade they do for everyone. So, I got an award for overall and top age grade overall. I have run this half since the 90s off and on but this was my first win. I always finished top 3 but that was it. I was over 2 min up on last year's time which shocked me since i'd literally been on the bench for 5 months. I train in an extreme environment. I work in 2-3 bitchin hill climb workouts on the treadmill working to Artctic Valley 10k simulation climbs by May so I could handle that in my comfort zone. I set the grade 10-12% just a little more than Arctic Valley so, I'd be mountain ready. I did 2 speed sessions a week and a long run Sundays followed by the banya/steam house. Yes, teachers, have a steam house too like the villagers. Leonid, a Sped teacher, and I are really the only ones that use it and can appreciate the value of a good steam for recovery.

Winter Racing in Moscow

I hadn't seen pavement since July. Seriously, when I got to Anchorage for a few days before heading across the pond, it was the first time I'd seen pavement since July.
West High Hill repeats in Anchorage followed by adult beverages

I got 3 races in over winter break. The first one was the Srichinmoy Mile in the winter racing series I used to include in my offseason diet to keep fit over the winter. Now, I'd been doing intervals on dirt, mud, ice, snow......but I know from experience that the handicap can be huge and times are slowed due to conditions. I'd gotten some progression runs in on the treadmill to try and gauge where my actual speed -or lack thereof may be. I hadn't raced a mile since the indoor one I did in December of 2015 also over winter break. So, pretty much cold turkey with no track workouts, I found myself at the indoor mile. I honestly never thought I'd race this again because usually the December race falls the day winter break begins and I fly out. This year, it was right smack in the middle. The year after I left, Lena had started making a comeback. I knew there was no way I was going to get her this time. She's a bit stronger now than we were in our heyday 4-5 yrs back when we chased and pushed each other to some damn good times. She's where she was 8-10 years ago before she began to slow down. So, I ended up finishing second after nearly a 4 yr hiatus from this series. My last season was 2014-15 before moving back to Alaska. Surprisingly, I was not that far back and was faster than my last indoor mile 2 yrs ago which was the last time I had raced that distance. It was fun seeing old friends and running buddies  again. I get asked if I miss Moscow. Is the sky blue? I tell them I miss everything except the craptastic work situation and instability that accompanied said craptastic situation. I left for economic reasons- it was about survival and long term stability. The irony is that now I actually have time to go out and do the things I almost never got to do while working in Moscow because of the anti social work schedule I had (as do many who teach English late into the evenings).

The next morning, I got up and doubled back at a Half Marathon in Terletsky Park. This was easy peasy to get to- just order an Uber and it was 20 min away. Transport was complicated and over an hour- I chose to sleep in and shortcut :) This one was a trail half and I awoke to a dump in progress...yeeeeesssssss SNOW and lots of it. This would work to my advantage as it was a very familiar surface! It was fresh, loose, slow going type snow too. This also saved me the trouble of bringing both flats and icebugs and deciding what to race in when I got there. It was a no brainer icebug day. There was a half, 10k and marathon. I opted for the half. I ran even splits on the 5 loops through the woods and did not get lost because things were very well marked. The distance was spot on accurate and the organizers were awesome! I won the half and got a nice workout in. My pace was slightly up from the 15k XC I did in July just before I came back to Anchorage. The xc race was on dry dirt with a few gnarly sandy  and rooty spots but this half on fresh snow was by far a more difficult surface. I was surprised because my legs were not fresh this being a day 2 race. It's also possible the 15k was slower in July because I ran it a week of Belochka Marathon too but who knows.

SNOW RUN-
30 Dec
I could have headed to Gorky Park for a Half, but chose the backyard race with my clib in Kuzminki. I have done these off andon through the years when they did not conflict with the winter mile series. This year, it worked out. IRC Snow RUN! The last time things didnt' conflict was in 2012. This one is by team and it has to be mixed meaning guy girl. Leonid and I went in as the Tortoise and the Snail. I dressed appropriately as the snail. The surface- BARE GLARE ICE. It was probably the nastiest of the snow runs I've done or watched. We had a freeze thaw following all the snow we had earlier in the week that gave us an ice rink. Even in icebugs it was slow going and turned into my slowest snow run ever. Hello snail! I stayed a bit after for our tea and munchies at the end but it was really windy and I run from my flat to the start when I do this so don't drag along a winter coat, so had to get moving. Again- It was fun hanging with friends and running buddies :)

I'll wait til Mayto get in some tune ups before heading off to Russia  again. There just isn't much I can be arsed to fly in for just-coz-. Running should be accessible to everyone. There was a spring break possibility, but really, charging 40$ to enter a 5k and 20$ for a shirt is way over the top. I can buy a pair of shoes for that (at the sales of course). I was tempted to enter Little Su 50 this year but also- said screw it because there is a real chance I could be on weather hold and never make it and the 100$ entry would be in the hunny bucket.I also cannot justify the potential expenses of getting stuck in Bethel on possible weather hold to shelp myself to Anchorage once in a while for races. it's 500$ a pop just to fly in not including the possible getting stuck in Bethel at 200$minimum a day. Sorry, but the ends don't justify the means until I can get out for some commercial stuff spring summer. So, i'll be planning key races accordingly.