by Jess Evans
November 14, 2018

While the 2018 year is not quite over yet, and we still have a few races to participate in, my thoughts are already going to 2019. What races will be recurring? Can I fit in an expedition race? What is my AR 2019 budget? How do I train for those races? I know several people who will have their 2019 season figured out by January 1, and others may not consider races until they are almost upon them. I like to plan ahead and know what I am doing for the year to properly plan my winter training strategy.

By November, I am typically in my best shape for the year. I have been racing and training since at least March and finally have reached my peak only to see the winter approaching and my reluctance to venture out into the cold building. Each autumn I try to set up a winter training schedule to keep my fitness up. Indoor training, outdoor training, weights, sprints, yoga, endurance workouts… It is all included. My intentions are good, but as soon as we have our first really cold day, my desire to hunker down seeps in. I know once I get out there and start my workout, I will feel warm and energized quickly. But I really have to talk myself into those cold day workouts.

I know some of you love winter training and racing. More power to you on those cold days getting out and enjoying your workout. If you can muster your strength, join us at the AR Clinic at General Butler January 5. It will be cold, but a lot of fun with some awesome people.

by Jess Evans
November 9, 2018

Can you believe it is November already? Halloween and the first weekend flew past me. The leaves are changing, the weather is cooling, and many of us are still excited for those late Autumn races. As I have written several times, The FIG (the first weekend of November) has always been my favorite adventure race. And from what I hear, it was a very cool, very creative, and very beautiful race this past weekend. If you missed it… well, you had better put it on your calendar for next year.

Actually, the first weekend of November had 5 adventure races! They were spread among the wonderful mid-western/southeastern states of Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Virginia. Those living in that part of the world had some great choices to stay busy the first weekend of November. Later in the month there are two more races, one in Washington (let’s hear it for the Northwest!) and one in North Carolina. Going south to race as the temperatures drop is a very good idea.

This is a lovely time of year to race, but remember the temperatures can vary quite a bit from morning, during the middle of the day, to early evening, and at night. Have the correct plethora of clothing to accommodate your needs through the ever-changing weather conditions during your race day (and night). Have a great November racing month!

by Jess Evans
October 29, 2018

I have done some bike packing in Colorado through the years, but my bike packing trip in 2018 was definitely the best so far. Two of my good friends and racing buddies joined me on a little Colorado adventure in August. Shawn, Jim, and I biked around northern Colorado and then hit the area around Salida, CO. We had no specific time line and no specific place to go. We followed our noses and the locals’ suggestions. We had prepared ourselves for any adventure that might come our way whether it be single track on narrow mountainsides, bike packing on forest service roads, climbing a 14er, and then throwing in a bonus of hitting a few hot springs along the way.

We slept among aspen trees and cows. We woke in the early morning to sheep making such a racket, I thought we had 100s of zombies heading our way. We pushed (and carried) our bikes over rocks and down-trees on a rarely used “overlook” trail. We waited for Jim at an intersection after he blew past our turn on a great downhill. Neither Shawn nor I were going down the hill to get him. We climbed slowly up a 13-mile road to Marshall Pass nearly 11,000 feet above sea level. It took us just over 2 hours to ride it. We sat on mountain sides admiring the beauty of the Rocky Mountains surrounding us. We steered paddle boards on a mountain lake at 8,000 feet, and only Jim fell in. We feared we would be blown off a 14er on the Continental Divide Trail when the 80-mph wind blew hard from the west.

While it was only 7 days, it felt like we had been doing this for ages and were ready to go for an age more. We discovered that biking through the Colorado mountains was far more than we expected with the excellent camaraderie and the everlasting beauty.

by Jess Evans
October 22, 2018

This post is not for medical advice… but for me to tell you my foot problems during adventure races. If you are queasy about feet, you may not want to read it. If you want to read about my past foot problems, this is the blog post for you. For some foot care advice, feel free to re-read Shawn’s Blisterologist post.

Prior to adventure racing, I was a runner. I would do 5Ks or 10Ks, and train by running on trails, roads, or wherever. Once I got into adventure racing, I noticed my feet more. Apparently running for a half hour to an hour does not traumatize my feet enough. The first problem I noticed with races as long as 12 hours, was my toes jamming into the front of my shoes especially on those steep downhills. I would get blisters under my toenails or the toenails would fall off. No big deal, it all healed.

The first time I had major foot pain was my first 30 hour race, which was the USARA National Championship at Cumberland Falls, KY in 2011. I noticed during the night that the bottom of my feet started hurting. By hour 26, my feet were killing me. I was hobbling along trying not to cry. My feet felt like all the skin on the bottom of the foot was gone. When we finally finished the race, and I was able to look at my feet, they were fine but just a bit wrinkly from the constant moisture. No clue why they hurt so bad.

Something similar happened during the 6 day Cowboy Tough race on our first big trek, which took us about 28 hours. At one point, I took off my shoes and walked in socks donated by my teammates. My feet felt so much better at that point. I could have walked bare foot for days if there were not so many sharp rocks.

During my early days of racing I did not change into bike shoes, but kept my same shoes on for the entire race. Now that I switch into biking shoes when we bike, my feet really enjoy the change of pace for a while. That gives them a rest from the running shoes. The other thing I did not do in the beginning was change into new dry socks. I think that is a big life saver for me too. Depending on when the paddling is, I try to get some dry socks on as soon as possible or by dawn in a 30 hour race. In longer races, I change socks about every 24 hours. I still have not entirely solved the riddle of my foot pain, but I am getting better at managing my feet during a long race. Trial and error is my strategy.

by Jess Evans
October 9, 2018

The first weekend of November is approaching fast and you all know what that means! It is time for THE FIG. Everyone loves The FIG. The back drop is the Red River Gorge in Eastern Kentucky. The race is a 12-hour adventure race. And the time of year is when fall colors are slowly fading into winter. The hillsides are all red and gold with breathe taking beauty.

If you have been reading these blog posts since March, you have read the story of my first Fig. (Let The Adventures Begin). Since I started racing in 2009, I raced The FIG nearly every year until 2017. In September of 2017, I moved to Colorado and missed it for the first time in years (and Jim missed that one too).

I started racing The FIG as a solo female because I did not know anyone in adventure racing. I was not confident, and I was sure I was not good at navigating, but I loved being out in the woods, and I loved the people racing around me.

Once I started racing on teams, the true spirit of adventure racing was revealed to me. It takes a team to really make the sport what it is. I found that it was necessary for us to work closely and openly with each other to get the entire team to each checkpoint, through 12 hours of racing, and to the finish line. Once at the finish line, team placement slowly began to take shape. Teams never know where they place until the finish. Sometimes I felt we did horrible and ended up on the podium. Other times I thought we nailed it, but realized we still didn’t reach our mark.

I think The FIG has a lot of fond memories for many adventure racers from the mid-west. It is the longest running adventure race in Kentucky. It has had a loyal following for years. If you live in the mid-west or are just visiting, and you are an adventure racing, you can’t miss The FIG. Register by Oct 28.