Welcome to our first 50k journey!

We have been running for years now. For the past 5-6 years it has been mostly half marathons because it keeps us fit and we love the atmosphere of races. After awhile, we realized that we were getting a bit comfortable and needed a challenge. We thought, “why not a 50k.” They are mostly on trails and as avid hikers who enjoy 20 mile day hikes, we thought it would be a challenge and really fun.

Kevin would have to juggle training for this run, hiking with me and keeping up on his mountain biking. I had been dealing with multiple knee, hip and back injuries. Trying to find the balance to keep up my mileage and body health was really tough but it made me more in tune with what I needed to do and to take it slower.

Training for a half marathon has such a different mentality than a 50k. All the half marathons we did were on road and so it is all about speed and keeping that speed for 13.1 miles. With the 50k it was about time on your feet and being consistent. I didn’t need to do speed work or always look at my watch to see if I was keeping pace and heck, it was okay if I walked sometimes. Especially when we got into some serious elevation gain.

What I wasn’t really expecting with the training is all the amazing places that we would train at. So our journey in training for a 50k, was also part of our road trip journey. Some of these training runs would be great hikes for new hikers or people looking to add a bit of a challenge, add distance to their hiking or to train for that big one.

So here are all of our long distance runs and the amazing places we got to.

Amazing Runs for your 50k Training

We did a 16 week training plan that started May 1 and ended August 20 at our race in Squamish, British Columbia, Canada~! These are the amazing runs and hikes we got in!!

Week 1 – Wenatchee, Washington

Since training started in the spring, this area of Washington is amazing. Known for having some great mountain biking, this means the trail running is good as well. Single track trails and a lot of elevation. Well, a lot at this early stage! Plus, spring bloom!

6 miles, 1,000′ in elevation gain

Week 2 – Yachats, Oregon

I didn’t think that I would get much elevation in my run this week. Especially since when you think of the coast, you think flat with never ending beaches. But then I was introduced to Cummins Creek Trail and Ridge Trail and got some decent gain in!

7 miles – 1,400′ in elevation gain

Week 3 – Grants Pass, OR

We love coming to this area because you get Grants Pass, Medford, Ashland and Jacksonville all clumped together. There are trails everywhere, especially in Ashland. We chose an area that would allow us to do some loops to have be able to set up our van as an aid station.

10 miles – 1,700′ in elevation gain

Week 4 – Boise, Idaho

The Boise Foothills are an amazing place to explore during the spring. Wildflowers and single track trails to keep anyone motivated to pack on the miles and elevation. Popular for mountain biking, hiking and trail running! Our favorite is Orchard 7 to Watchman. We are bumping up the elevation!

12 miles – 2,138′ in elevation gain

Week 5 – Ochoco National Forest, Oregon

When you are in Central Oregon early and most of the big hikes are still covered in snow, this is a great option. You can see the 7 peaks from the lookout.

15.5 miles – 3,800′ in elevation gain

Week 6 – Yacolt, WA

A beautiful area, we came here so that Kevin could mountain bike. I didn’t expect the beautiful trails and found one that I could easily do a lollipop loop. It didn’t keep up with my training plan but I was happy to still get out there.

8 miles – 900′ in elevation gain

Week 7 – Dud – I just didn’t feel like doing much. Some good advice is to listen to your body. I needed a week of casual trail running.

Week 8 – Western States 100 Weekend

We went to experience what is the Western States 100 as spectators. Trail runners that we have followed for years were going to be racing and we thought it would be an amazing experience and it definitely was! We were able to get in some runs while we were there to keep up with our training. It was motivating to be there!

Cool, CA

After watching the finish of Western States it was time to get a run in before the heat arrived.

14.37 miles – 2,062′ in elevation gain

Week 9 – Sun Valley, Idaho

I couldn’t wait to get here for one of my runs. The trails here are all beautiful and most have great elevation gain. I made this run a trifecta. I started at Taylor Canyon for the most beautiful views with lupines, then went to Lake Creek trail for views of the river and then finished at Adams Gulch for stream crossings.

18 miles – 2,100′ in elevation gain

Week 10 – Jackson Hole, WY

This was an amazing trail for week 10 of training. We spent the entire week in Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park hiking and trail running. Make sure to read about each hike: Phelps Lake, Delta Lake, Paintbrush Canyon to Cascade Canyon Loop.

For training we did the Paintbrush Canyon to Cascade Canyon Loop Trail. One of the most beautiful trails we have been on to date. This tested us. Snow, steep incline and high elevation made this the perfect training trail.

20.5 miles – 4,300′ in elevation gain

Week 11 – Florence, OR

This week we tried to escape the heat and so we went to the coast. Kevin found what was supposed to be a beautiful and diverse 6 mile loop. We would be running on the beach, through dunes and an old growth forest. I planned 3 loops and Kevin planned 4. He succeeded, I ended up calling it at 2 loops. It turns out that it was mostly sand and there were dunes in the middle of the forest!

13.1 miles – 1,500′ in elevation gain

Week 12 – Mount St. Helens – Ape Canyon to Spirit Lake

This was an incredible run/hike. With our longest run during training and first over 20 in awhile. I absolutely loved the views of Mount St. Helens, running by and the wild flowers! There were a lot of backpackers as there were some amazing camping spots. If you are looking to up your mileage, definitely use this as a first. The trail itself is amazing. You can read about this beautiful trail here: Ape Canyon

22 miles – 3,800′ in elevation gain

Week 13 – Timothy Lake. Mt Hood, OR

We were hoping to get up our mileage this weekend. Our plan was to look for a spot near Mt. Hood. The weather would be cooler and we wanted to be at decent altitude. We didn’t get much elevation gain, but we got in a few extra miles. Kevin did 31 and I was hoping to get into 27, but stopped at 23.5.

23.5 miles – 1,000′ in elevation gain

Week 14 – Minnesota

We had a trip to Minnesota planned, just as tapering was starting. Which was good because it was humid. SO humid. So it was a casual run along a lake.

4 miles – 0′ in elevation gain

Week 15 – Bend, OR

Moraine Lake is a favorite hike in the Cascades just outside of Bend, Oregon. Training called for an hour easy and we thought of this immediately. From hiking through the forest during a decent incline to views of the surrounding area when you get to the turnoff for the lake.

5.5 miles – 1,600′ in elevation gain

Week 16 – RACE WEEKEND! Squamish, British Columbia, Canada

With so much preparation and time on our feet in beautiful places we couldn’t believe that race weekend had arrived. There were so many emotions. Were we ready? How would it go? Would we hit our goals?

33.73 miles – 7,300′ in elevation gain

Race Recap

We finished! It was the hardest thing either of us have done. We felt prepared, but still had some doubts. The weather was supposed to be slightly hot in the low 80s and smoke had rolled in the day before, but it ended up being perfect. With the highs in the 70s, a slight breeze here and there and no issues with the smoke, it was almost perfect. The race started as expected. Cool weather, mixed with excitement and beautiful trails. As the race would progress, we would battle with other issues. Kevin had some problems with nutrition and stomach issues and I would sustain a few injuries (I did end with a right knee injury and an arthritis flare).

Even after all that, when the doubt crept in, we kept moving forward. Neither of us hit our time goals but we finished and we have been proud of that after everything we did leading up to the race and what we went through mentally and physically during the race.

I, Kym, had never finished a race during the golden hour. This is the last hour before the cutoff. For this race it was eleven hours and 30 minutes. It has become a popular time for people to come out and cheer and I was so appreciative that people were there. Kevin finished just under an hour and a half before me. Having him at the finish was exactly what I needed.

All in all, it was a great day being surrounded by runners, volunteers and supporters. The community is something different and I am glad we are getting into it. We are officially ultra marathoners!

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