The Glacier Half Marathon was on June 25, 2022. This is my fifth year of running in it.
Due to being extremely busy in April, May and early June my training this year was pretty weak. 2 trips to California which included 2.5 weeks Scamping, another Scamp trip to St. Mary, and a few house guests visiting made it impossible to achieve a consistent steady weekly build up of longs runs, which proper training requires. Sometimes one must juggle life's various priorities and this year the race was not the highest priority.
As always my goal for any race these days is to cross the start and finish lines in the same day, and accept anything beyond that as a bonus. Still, I'd like to do well enough to enjoy the race and complete it injury free. My ideal training consists of one long run a week, and every week or so increase the length of the run by a mile or two and eventually get to the point of a weekly 15 mile run -- an overdistance for a half marathon to ensure plenty of stamina. That training is over a period of about 3 months, depending on what running shape I'm in. This year I managed one long run of 11.5 miles.
As important as that training build up is, it is just as important two to three weeks prior to the race to "Taper Down". Back off from the longer runs, and let the body build up some energy reserves. It's actually really hard to do!! Especially with under training, the thoughts are always centered around "If I can only get one more good long run in". Father Time is very unforgiving -- at a certain point you cannot squeeze in extra training to make up for lost time.
So with that as the preface, let me describe my (abysmal lack of) tapering down 😉
This year's Tapering Down story actually begins in September 2019, when Sam and Tegan visited us. They were working in Missoula at the time, but are from Melbourne, Australia and are cronies of Penny who helped arrange a visit. I was delighted to take them for a hike up to Dragon's Tail in some rather cool fall weather. We also did a hike to Avalanche Lake the next day.
And no visit to the Last Best Place is every complete without a distillery tasting.
As luck would have it, looking back thru my photo archives Sam and Tegan have the distinction of being our very last pre-covid house guests!!! ( /technically Buzzard's visit to ski in late Feb 2020 could also be considered a contender for last pre-covid house guest, or Anne and Jeremy's visit in March 2020 ). /It would certainly be a long, long time before we would ever see them again, and sure enough the weekend before they race they came for a visit.
Now jump ahead to June 16, 2022. 9 days before the race. Taper down does not mean stop running. It means back off from the longer runs. So with 9 days to go I run to Apgar and back. It's an 8 mile run.
I head out at 11am and there is a line of cars at the new bridge trying to get in to the park. The park now requires, in addition to a park pass, an entry ticket for the day you want to get in. Either everyone with entry tickets for that day waited until 11am, or a lot of them have no ticket and will have to turn around. It's a really rude surprise if you've driven hundreds of miles on vacation to discover you are not allowed in (until 4pm when no entry ticket is required).
The view from Apgar on June 16. On June 14 a cold storm had come thru and dumped a foot or more of snow at the higher elevations. It's summer in Montana!!
June 17, 8 days before the race, I head over to Two Medicine to hike to Scenic Point. The weather is 60 degrees; the air is clear; the views will be brilliant. The hike should only be about 7 miles out and back, up and down 2500 feet.
At 9513 feet Rising Wolf Mountain dominates over Two Medicine. The weather could not be better.
Mama and baby Bighorn on the trail .... I kid you not!
The valley that feeds Appistoki Falls.
Two Medicine Lake. Usually notoriously windy, it is calm today.
The trail to Scenic Point was impassable due to snow, but I did climb up the rise at the saddle to get a view and could have hiked over to it. That would have added a bit more mileage, and I really am supposed to be taking it easy and taper.
Yet another view of the Two Medicine Valley.
It's a short season in the alpine country. As soon as the snow melts the flowers bloom.
June 18 Sam and Tegan are here. The weather forecast is very good and they have a park entry ticket, so off we go to bike up Going-To-The-Sun road.
As we enter the park we ask at the gate how far bikes can ride. This year for the first time the park closes the road to hikers and bikers at a certain point, based on avalanche danger. The last few years have entailed some rescues where an avalanche has stranded bikers who had gone higher up. The ranger tells us he thinks the road is closed after the Loop.
The ride up is fantastic!!! Early on we pass a slide/avalanche area next to the road.
McDonald Creek with a lot of water, and the Garden Wall beyond.
This is the view from the 2nd portal in the West Side Tunnel. Could not ask for a better day to bike.
Heaven's Peak.
Because of the late snow only a few days prior and the warm sunny weather, we estimate we passed at least 50 waterfalls on the ride. This particular one was unique in that the water simply flowed out of the rock it's origin unseen.
Haystack Creek is a torrent. That's Sam and Tegan riding by it. There is a noticeable 20 degree temperature difference as you bike past the snow and bitter cold water.
Much to our delight, the road was open all the way to Road Camp. Because Sam and Tegan originate from the down under penal colony, they demonstrated their criminal nature by standing beyond the closure sign.
So continuing my Taper Down, the bike ride was a mere 22 miles with an elevation gain of 3000 feet.
