Getting my vert on: Sulphur Mountain

I want to get high, real high.

A big part of my training this year is focused on making those elevation gains. I want to climb as many mountains as possible and get as high as my chubby legs will allow. Last year the elevation on the first leg of Elk Valley Ultra 50K in Fernie nearly did me. I was simply not prepared for the gain. (Thankfully I was able to recover quickly and finish the race.) My race report disappeared from my website so sadly you won’t be able to read about it.

Just note this – it sucked.

I want running Elk Valley to suck less this year so I am determined to train better, which means specifically training for elevation. On Saturday, I headed to Sulphur Mountain in Banff. I can’t remember the last time I have been there. Many runners in the area always run repeats here. Now that I live an hour closer to Banff, I decided it was time to give it a go.

When I arrived around 9:30 a.m. the parking lot was empty. The route to the top is about 5 kilometres. The sign says 5.5 km but my Garmin read 5K so I will stick with that. I strapped on my Kahtoolas after glancing at the icy trail. My plan was to hike up and run down – twice.

I hiked at an easy pace on the snowy trail while I listened to a couple episodes of The Moth. I felt pretty good until about the last kilometre when it started to feel like work. Still I kept on and it got better with every step.

I didn’t see anyone until I was a kilometre away from the top. I always feel a little boost when I pass someone on the trails. It was a pretty quiet morning. When I reached the top, I took off my Kahtoolas and joined the tourists on top of the gondola building. It was packed. I spent about 15 minutes taking pictures and warming up by the fire.

I ate my apple before starting down.

By now there were more people on the trail. That meant I had to dodge people and hope they would move over. Thankfully most people were accommodating. I took it equally slow going down. I am still really gun shy about re-injuring my ankle.

Navigating the corners were the most challenging part. I was super hesitant of taking them at full run. I think it’s going to take awhile before I feel comfortable again.

Once I reached the bottom of the trail, I went over to my car for a quick bite. Thankfully I remembered to bring my hummus and crackers. The parking lot was a zoo. People were stalking out parking spaces. I could barely open my car door because someone had parked so close to me. Sigh.

I headed up the second time feeling fine. My legs were cool and I was focused. There were much more people on the trail and I was happy to a pass few more hikers. One runner came up behind me and sped past me. I immediately felt deflated and lazy.

But I stuck with my plan to hike up, run down. It was fun to see some of the hikers that I passed on the way down. I encouraged a few guys that were having a tough time so it was encouraging to see them at the top.

I felt pretty pleased with myself when I came down the second time. It was quite slushy compared to the first time as the temperature warmed up. But I was happy that I finished without falling, getting lost or hurting myself. (These are always my biggest fears.)

All in all, I felt pretty good when I took off my Kahtoolas. I wasn’t dead tired and I knew I had a lot left in me.

*****

Distance: 20.4K, Elevation: 1,375 metres. Have you been to Sulphur Mountain? Find out more here.