2012 World Snowshoe Championships, Foret Montmorency, Quebec

I first learned of this year's World Championships back in November after receiving an e-mail from USSSA Sporting Director Mark Elmore. Seeing that the race was a mere 6 hours (only 1/4 of the drive from Minnesota to Boston) from North Conway, I made room on my calender for the trip to Quebec. Jess and I have been talking about visiting Quebec City for years, so this gave us a good reason to finally go.


A street in the old city where they were setting up the red Bull Crashed Ice course. And I thought snowshoe racing was a niche sport.

Jess and I arrived Friday afternoon after a quick 7 hour drive, including a quick stop to the beautiful Vioux Quebec, the old city. There was a lack of snow north of the White Mountains all the way to Quebec City, similar to our drive from Minneapolis to northern Wisconsin last year. It was pretty dark when we finally arrived, but you could see that there was plenty of snow on the ground and would make for some good snowshoeing.


Jess on some of the nordic trails

Saturday morning we woke up to 2 degrees F air temperature, but beautiful, clear skies. After some breakfast in the cafeteria Jess and I headed out and skied some of the trails while the 25k and 42k ski races were going on. We were able to poach some fresh powder (if you can really do that on XC skis) on some of the non-race trails that hadn't been groomed in a week. We only went for about an hour as I didn't want to wear myself out before the race and Jess had been sick all week, but we had fun and it peaked our interest to come back next winter.


A little last minute, pre-race training

After another trek to the city and back, I headed out with Judson Cake in the afternoon and we ran the first 3.7 miles of the course. It was good to run this section as the first 1+ mile was fairly flat and a mix of ski trail and one-snowmobile wide singletrack. Much of the course had been groomed by a snowmobile, which was supposed to be singletrack. The area received a lot of rain Thursday night, which caused the course to crust over, hence the need for grooming. It made for fast conditions, which are not my strong suit, but I knew there was A LOT of climbing, so it would make it a fair course for everyone.

Sunday morning we awoke to cloudy skies and some fresh snow. It was hard to tell how much we got overnight due to the flat light. I was hoping for a foot, but it was only a dusting. We had breakfast at 7:30 and the race wasn't until 10:30, so I had some frosted mini wheats, orange juice and two cups of coffee. I was a little jittery before the race and the coffee wasn't helping! I headed out for a warm-up with Tim Van Orden and Amber and Danny Ferreira. We ran the last 1.7 miles of the course to see the one small hill and the finish approach. Most of the loop was snowmobile groomed and fast. The one hill was nowhere near as big as the two other climbs, but it was a mile from the finish and I knew it would be tough after 5+ miles of snowshoe racing.

After going back to my room and changing into my race gear, I was still nervous doing some strides, but once we got on the line my heart rate went down and I calmed down as they went over the final race instructions. That NEVER happens to me. I'm usually pretty high strung until the gun goes off, but I was calm and ready to go. I'm glad I was ready to go as the leaders shot off like bats out of hell! I wasn't really surprised, but sub-6 minute pace hurts on snowshoes. I got off the line good and was in about 10th place as the field started to get strung out. TiVO's GPS had him around 5:35 for the first mile, and I was a little ahead of him. I knew I was going a little too fast, but surprisingly, I felt comfortable, so I went with it. My goal was to keep the leaders in sight when we hit the first big climb, and let my fitness and climbing abilities do their jobs.


In the hurt locker

When the trail tilted up I started to close the gap on a few guys, including 2-time US champ Greg Hexum. Greg let me by part way up the climb and latched on as we slowly caught a few more guys. This climb was a burner that kept getting steeper the higher you went. The downhill on the other side was fast. I could see a few guys a ways ahead and my goal was just to not lose too much time to them and not lose any spots, hoping to gain back some time on the second big climb. About half way down Greg went by me and told me to stay with him, which I somehow managed to do. The down was a little too fast and non-technical for me. My abs were sore already! No cramping, but I was taking a beating.

After 3.7 miles of running we passed through the stadium area and started the second big climb. This one was almost as long as the first one and a little steeper. I passed Greg on one of the lower slopes, but I couldn't see anyone ahead. I kept hammering the up hoping to find someone dogging it after the fast start. I still didn't see anyone as we crested the summit, but I hammered the down, which was much more technical and was able to keep Greg behind me until we dumped out into the stadium area again.


Me leading Greg Hexum right before the last loop

Right before we hit the stadium, we popped out of the singletrack and I spotted a guy right ahead of us. Greg and I could both smell blood in the water and Greg went by me and quickly closed the gap as we headed into the last 1.8 mile loop. I couldn't go with Greg, but I tried like hell and slowly closed the gap on the guy ahead of us, who I thought might be Italian, based on the blue and white shirt he was wearing. I just kept thinking "catch the Italian, catch the Italian" those last few miles. I hoped that I could make a final push on the remaining hill, but I was completely gassed. I was still running hard and fast, but I didn't have another gear. I knew I was in good shape, but a lack of snowshoe racing this winter left a little to be desired in the dig-down-deep department. I still put my head down despite the fact that I lost sight of both Greg and the other guy on the last downhill. With about a quarter of a mile to go we dumped out onto a wide ski trail and I could see Greg and the "Italian" guy about 100m up on me. Gotta love a second chance. I could see Greg motoring away, but I thought the other guy was staring to come back, so I kept pushing. I had the gap down to about 50 meters before we went up one last little hill right before the finish. I sprinted with everything I had, but couldn't quite catch him. I was spent after I crossed the line and spent some time with my hands on my knees as the volunteers handed me a finishers medal and some water. I spent much of the weekend trying to speak as much French as I could, but I had been thinking about the Italian guy so much the last few miles that when the volunteer handed me water I said "Grazie", which is Italian for thank you! I guess I used up all the available oxygen in my legs and not my brain!

Overall, I was pretty happy with my 7th place finish. It was good to put all the hard work and volume that I have done since Christmas to good use. I really felt like I raced smart and pushed myself to the limit. I would have liked to have finished higher, especially as Greg was 5th, only 17 seconds up on me. The winner, David Le Porho, is now a 2-time world snowshoe champ, 2nd place Eric Hartmark was the 2011 US champ (2:19 ahead of me in QU, 2:55 ahead of me in WI last year), 3rd place Stephane Ricard is an elite triathlete from France, 4th place Antonio Santi of Italy is a former winner of La Ciaspolada, the largest snowshoe race in the world (6000+ finishers!), Greg Hexum is a 2-time US champ (1:32 ahead of me in WI last year) and 6th place was not actually an Italian, it was Canadian Joël Bourgeois, a 2-time Olympic steeplechaser. To be that close to those guys is an achievement in my book, especially for someone with a 4:35 mile PR. I love snowshoe racing!

Besides the racing, Jess and I had a really good time in Quebec. The people were really friendly despite my limited knowledge of French, and the staff and volunteers at the Foret Montmorency left no stone unturned in putting on a high quality event. And a big thank you to Daniel Des Rosiers, who put the whole event together. Most of all, a big thank you to Bob Dion and Dion Snowshoes for his support of my racing over the years. I've been snowshoe running since 2004 and have only worn Dions since I started. The 121's have been great in all conditions in racing and training, and Bob stands behind his products. Jess and I are looking forward to going back to visit Quebec City and do some skiing or mountain biking at Foret Montmorency.


Dorm at Foret Montmorency, our home for the weekend

Results: http://www.snowshoemag.com/wp-content/uploads/R%C3%A9sultatschamp.mondialetqu%C3%A9becraquette2012.pdf

My Photos: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3499772095757.161702.1315312930&type=3&l=34c6991a7a

Training Week 2/13-2/19

M- 0 Wiped after work, dehydrated and still recovering from the stomach bug.

Tu- 15.7 miles in 2:19:27. Little Chatham Rd. over Black Cap and a loop around North Conway with Roger, mostly on snowmobile trails. First 3 miles were a warm-up then 3.5 mile hard climb up Black Cap in 31:22 (8:57 pace), Good climb, then ran easy down and with Roger. Felt good to run again!

W- AM: 6.0 miles in 1:06:20 with Tim and Brian on the Corridor 19 Trail, felt good
PM: 6.0 miles up and down Tuckerman Ravine Trail in 1:09:14, 41:46 to Left Gully. What a day! Short day at work so I was able to get up the the ravine while it was still light out. What an awesome place! Lunge routine after.

Th- AM: 5.9 miles in 1:06:55 with Tim, Brian & Sarah on the Rec Trail Loop
PM: 6.8 miles up and down Mt. Washington via the Lion Head Winter Route. 1:56:12 round trip. I have never run this trail before, but the weather was amazing and I knew it would be a good day to head above treeline. With little wind I knew that I could dress light, so I went with running tights, a short sleeve, long sleeve, gloves and hat. I didn't wear the hat or gloves on the way up as it was so warm. I did wear gloves on the one cliff section below treeline, but that was it. It took me 1:07:34 to hit the summit. I ran into Mike Pelchat from the NH State Parks and he thought it could be a winter record. It's the shortest way up, so I wouldn't be surprised if it is. It was a hell of a workout! I also got to catch up with Brian Clark from the Mt. Washington Observatory while he was doing some weather readings.


Looking towards the Crawford and Davis Paths


View of the summit


Me at the top by Mike Pelchat, Mt. Washington State Park


PM PM: 4.1 miles in 41:27 with Roger around the KHS parking lots. Felt surprisingly good. 10 strides after.

F- 3.3 miles in 39:03 on the Short Audubon Loop with Tim and Sarah. I was wiped. I might have overdone it the last couple of days :-)

Sa- 25.0 miles in 3:53:26 with Double J. Great run on the Bartlett snowmobile trails. Ran up and over Bear Notch Rd., Rob Brook Rd., Birch Hill Trail, Sawyer River Trail, Sawyer River Rd., then the Conway Scenic RR tracks back to Bartlett village.

Su- No run, but did get in a nice 10 mile classic ski with Jess on Sawyer River Rd. Felt good to get on the skis again.

Totals: 73.8 miles, 15.64 hours. Not as bad week after bouncing back from the stomach bug. I got in two solid hill climbs and got back into a routine. I should have done a 4 mile threshold run on snowshoes on Sunday, but the skiing was enough for one day. Time for a vacation!

A Good Start To 2012

1/2-1/8: 51.7 miles, 7.05 hours, 5x(5:00 on, 3:00 off); 1:00 on,1:00 off hills then 5k tempo

1/9-1/15: 76.2 miles, 11.38 hours, hilly 50:43/7.9 mile (6:26 pace) 3:00 on, 3:00 moderate fartlek on the roads; 5k tempo then 8 x 1:00 hills, all on snowshoes; 17 mile long run with about 12.5 miles of up-tempo running with Double J

1/16-1/22: 65.9 miles, 12.13 hours, hard climb up Kearsarge (37:58, 3.1 miles, 2700 ft. elevation gain), directed the Whitaker Woods Snowshoe Scramble

1/23-1/29: 65.2 miles, 11.51 hours, 45:21 for 6.2 miles (7:17 pace) on snowshoes doing 3:00, on 3:00 moderate; 4 mile threshold run on snowshoes (33:15, 8:19 pace); 21.2 mile snowshoe run up and down Mt. Shaw with Double J and Judson Cake

1/30-2/5: 56.1 miles, 10.20 hours, 4 x (5:00 on, 2:30 off), then 1:00 on, 1:00 off uphill, all on snowshoe for 4 miles (34:06, 8:31 pace); great 20.2 mile long run with Double J on the Hemenway State Forest snowmobile trails

2/6-2/12: 41.5 miles, 6.59 hours, needed a down week and I got one as I took Saturday and Sunday off with a stomach bug that has been going around. I didn't get violently ill, but I definitely didn't feel like running. Got in one good workout on the hilly Hemenway trails. 10.3 miles of 3:00 on, 3:00 moderate fartlek in 1:09:35 (6:45 pace).

I had to take this Monday off after getting pretty dehydrated from the stomach bug, but I've bounced back nicely the last few days. All of the weeks above have included either drills, strides, lunge routine or hill bounding after most of the easy runs. I can really see a difference in my leg strength from doing those. Looking to pile on more miles and workouts this week and next week, then looking to rip a good one at DH Jones. I haven't raced since November, which may be a new record for me. I feel really fit right now, but I don't know if that means 52 flat or 54 flat at DH Jones. I know I'm going to be in pretty damn good shape for the World Snowshoe Championships in Quebec in March. The snowshoeing and snowmobile trail running here in the Mt. Washington Valley have been pretty good despite a lack of snow in the rest of New England.



Tuckerman Ravine on 2/15/12

Training Week 12/26-1/1

M- 7.0 miles up and down Black Cap via Red Tail Trail, +/-1:20:00. 43:45 to the summit. 8 uphill strides after. Made this video:


Tu- AM: 7.2 miles in 1:38:27 from Wal-Mart to Peaked and back with Tim and Peter, summit in 49:41
PM: 4.0 miles in 38:45 on a snow-covered Town Hall Rd. with Mike Lansing

W- AM: 3.2 miles in Whitaker Woods in 27:58. Slushy.
PM: 3.6 miles in 36:34 with Roger around North Conway. Roads were a little icy. May be the world's shortest double.

Th- AM: 5.1 miles on Wal-Mart singletrack with Tim, Peter and Nick Jenis in 57:23. Trails covered in crunchy snow, but still runnable.
PM: Kanc Hillclimb 4.55 miles, 33:19 up (7:19 pace). Not a great workout, but the road was slick and it was super windy. effort was there. Jogged down to start. 9 total in 1:10:08
PM PM: Pulled a Dave Dunham and got in my first-ever triple (excluding track meets) with 4 miles with Roger in 39:10. Borderline bonking the last 2 miles.

F- Only one run today. 6.7 miles in 1:39:51 over Rattlesnake and Middle Mountains with Tim. I wish I brought my camera. We caught an awesome sunrise just as we summited Middle. We came down the regular trail on Middle for a while until it got really icy, then jumped the stream bank and found the old bridal path and ran that down. The old bridal path is better than the hiking trail! Squat routine after.

Sa- 4.25 mile tempo on the Norwood, MA high school track in 24:04 (5:40 pace). I was hoping for something a little quicker, but never really loosened up until the last mile and a half. 2.0 wu, no cd. Dills and strides before workout.

Su- Boston Marathon New Year's Run 26.2 miles in 3:16:44 (7:30 pace). The run started in Hopkinton at 6AM and followed the course to the finish line on Boylston St. It was a lot of fun running with new people and getting to run such an historic course on a quiet morning. The roads were a little icy in spots, but no one wiped out, so it wasn't bad. I ran with Reno Stirrat for the first 10 miles or so and it was cool talking with him about his great races and training over the years. I was able to run with Blaine Moore for a couple of miles and catch up on his year since I last saw him at Bradbury. It was a lot of fun running the later miles with Jason Bui, Jim Garcia, Jesse Hugo and the initiator of the lunacy Gary Allen. Gary picked up the pace in the last couple of miles and made cruising into the finish a little more interesting. I wouldn't recommend running a marathon on 4 hours of sleep, but it was a fun experience nonetheless.

Totals: 82.25 miles, 13.10 hours, +/-4500 ft gain. Pretty awesome week. I had a pretty flexible schedule at work, and had Monday and Thursday off. It was still good to get up early and get some runs in with Tim though. It made getting up at 5AM on Sunday a lot easier. I would have liked to have done one more workout(45 min fartlek), but it was nice to get in some runs with a lot of different people. Training doesn't seem like work when you're having that much fun with so many different people.

Training Week 12/19-12/25

M- 7.0 miles up and down Black Cap in 1:12:42, 40:19 to summit, felt a little quicker, but nice run

Tu- 0 pretty dehydrated from the last two days at work. I know I should have done something minimal, but I was pretty drained and figured I would be putting myself into a hole.

W- 2.5 mi wu in 20:41, then 6 x 5 min, 3:00 recovery in Whitaker Woods. Covered 6.8 miles in 45:00 (6:37 pace). Solid workout. 1 mile (8:43) cd. 10.3 total

Th- AM: 6 miles in 57:58 on the streets of Conway Village and the trails behind Kennett Middle School in the dark with Tim Livingston. Roads were pretty slick from all the freezing rain yesterday.

PM: 3.4 miles in 35:14 with Roger around NoCo. Felt like I was bonking! Lunge routine after.

F- AM: 6.0 miles in 59:02 on Corridor 19 snowmobile trail with Tim. 6" of fresh snow!

PM: 4.0 miles in 41:33 w/ Roger around the KHS parking lots. More miles for the bank. Drills and strides after.

Sa- AM:6.4 miles in 1:00:11 for the annual Thanksgiving/Christmas run with Mike Lansing on the Corridor 19 trails. Fun running through the unpacked snow.

PM: 3.0 mi wu in 22:30, then 4 mile tempo in 23:02 (5:45 pace), 2:17 rec, then 8x1:00 hills. Solid workout, nothing to brag about, but just putting the work in. 1.2 mi cd, 11.4 total

Su- 0 was planning on a short morning run, but if Haile Gebrselassie can take Christmas off, then so can I.

Totals: 54.5 miles, 7.97 hours. Nothing spectacular, especially with the two days off, but got in a couple of good workouts and got into a good morning routine. It was good running a couple of mornings with Tim, which we are going to try to make a regular occurrence. It was nice to get some snow too. Not enough for snowshoeing, but the ground is frozen, so hopefully this stuff stays for the winter.

Training Weeks 12/5-12/18

12/5-12/11

M- 6.0 miles on Hurricane Mt. Rd., 54:55, 1600 ft. gain, nothing special, just wanted to get some climbing in.

Tu- 3.8 mi warm-up w/ Roger, then the plan was to do 5x5:00 on, 3:00 off. I did one in the dark and the rain and called it quits. 5.8 miles total.

W- 0 Chickened out. Was planning on trying the workout again, but still cold rain.

Th- 0 In a pissy mood after a long week at work. Poor me.

F- 0

Sa- 0 Spent the day doing field work, which is a first in my 6+ year career, so I shouldn't complain too much.

Su- 7.3 miles on the Nanamacomuck with Double J in 1:08:38. Felt good to run in the sun!



Totals: 19.1 miles, 2.91 hours, 1600 ft gain. I was pretty much in a foul mood all week and my training shows it. I was struggling with trying to balance work and personal life demands and my running suffered. Ultimately I have to pay the bills, but it doesn't make taking zeroes any easier. The good news is that my crappy week really lit a fire under my ass and set me up for a good comeback this week.

12/12-12/18

M-AM: Black Cap via Red Tail Trail, 1:14:00, 40:29 to the summit. Started this run in the dark, but it was pretty light by about 10 minutes in. 1700 ft gain.

PM: 3.4 miles on the Kennett track. Holy shit! A double! Just cruised around the track in the dark with the iPod and did 8 strides in the last 1.5 miles.

Tu- 2.2 mi warm-up from home to the Kennett fields on the Rec Trail, then 41:09 (6 miles) of 3:00 on, 3:00 moderate. The pace of the fartlek was nothing spectacular (6:52 pace), but I was happy to get a workout in at 6:30 in the morning.

W- Black Cap via the Red Tail, 1:15:49, 41:24 to the summit. Wow, that was slow. I may have had one too many Shipyard Preludes last night. 1700 ft gain.

Th- 3.9 mi warm-up with Roger, then 8x1:00 Mechanic St. hills with jog down recovery, then 5k tempo in 18:32. Wow, the hill repeats definitely blasted my legs. The tempo was hard as hell. I was only planning on running with Roger, then doing some drills and strides after a long day of field work, but the weather was nice and I felt good doing the drills so I went for it. 400 ft gain.

F- Black Cap via Red Tail, 1:12:38, 39:40 to the summit. Do you see a theme here? I really like this trail, and it's motivating me to get out of bed and get on the trail by 6:30AM, so it will probably be a staple until the snow finally falls. Lunge routine after. 1700 ft gain.

Sa- 3.0 mi warm-up, then 9 mile tempo on the Corridor 19 snowmobile trail sans snow in 58:16 (6:28 pace). Nothing mind boggling, but this 12 mile out and back has 900 ft. of elevation gain. I think I've gone as fast as 6:20's on this, so I am pleasantly surprised how it went considering I felt like poop on the warm-up and the temperature dropped and the wind picked up with every mile. Not to mention that my ass and hamstrings were pretty sore from the lunge routine yesterday.

Su- 9.3 miles in 1:51:29 with Paul Kirsch and Leslie Beckwith on the Trout Pond and Purity Springs trails. My butt was still pretty sore from the lunges. A surprising 1700 ft of elevation gain. Drills and strides after.

Totals: 63.4 miles, 9.63 hours, 8100 ft gain. That was a pretty damn good week. The workouts weren't spectacular, and the mileage is modest by a lot of people's standards, but if I do that every week until June, I will be a monster. The best part about it was that it wasn't that taxing mentally. During the last few years running has seemed like a second job. I have enjoyed a lot of what I do for runs, but it has always been an internal struggle of how much effort do I want to put into this? I know I still have the physical tools and the ambition to still have lofty goals, but the whole hard and consistent work part has eluded me recently. My crappy last week made me realize that if I want to even think about any of my goals, I need to get my act together and make running a real priority. It does not mean that I am going to quit my job or leave my wife in pursuit of PR's, but to make my run the first thing I do every day. It was a great feeling each day this week when I had summited a mountain by the time most people had breakfast. I felt so much better about my training, really enjoyed my run, and it allowed me to enjoy my work and not have to worry about cramming in a workout in the cold and the dark after being physically and mentally drained from a day of field work. It was only one week, but I really think this was the start of something good.



Rainbow from clearcut on Red Tail Trail Friday morning

Training Week 11/28-12/4

Holy shit, it's a blog post!

M- 0 sick day

Tu- 3.6 mi w/ Roger, 5 strides after

W- 3.6 mi up & down Hurricane Mtn. Rd., 17:00 up, 9:27 pace, drills after

Th- 4.0 wu w/ Roger, then 36 mins (5.6 miles) of 3:00 on, 3:00 off. Averaged 6:27 pace. Nothing spectacular, just busting the rust.

F- 2.0 miles, Lunge Matrix Routine minus the front lunge with a twist. Only had time for this before heading to a work conference in Concord all day.

Sa- Big fat 0. Walked 4 miles with Jess in the woods in the afternoon.

Su- 8 mile tempo on Cherry Mtn. Rd. in Crawford Notch in 53:00 (6:38 pace), doesn't sound that impressive, but it had 800' of elevation gain and 800' of descent. 1.7 mi wu / 1.7 mi cd

Totals: 30.2 miles, 4.03 hours. Nothing spectacular, but it's a start. In the coming weeks and months there will be more of an emphasis on workouts, drills, and strides, and less on long runs and overall mileage. My goal is to get into a good routine of doing the "extras" and slowly adding miles to my easy runs, and possibly some doubles as the winter goes on. I'm really looking forward to some snow.