Kami Semick talks!

by Peter Gambaccini

Kami Semick, 43 of Bend, Oregon recently won the IAU World Trophy 50K in Gibraltar to go with the IAU World Cup 100K she won in June in Torhout, Belgium; she led the USA to the team gold in Belgium (The IAU is the International Association of Ultra Runners). Semick also became the 2009 USATF 50-Mile Trail champion at the White River 50 Mile in Crystal Mountain, Washington and the USATF 50K Trail champ at the Caumsett Park 50K on Long Island. She's won the Miwok 100K Trail race in Marin County, California four times. In 2008, she was the silver medalist in the IAU World Cup 100K in Tarquinia, Italy and set an American masters 100k record of 7:33:58. Her 2008 victories also included the North Face Endurance Championship 50 Mile in San Francisco, the S.O.B. 50K on trails in Ashland, Oregon, the Peterson Ridge Rumble 60K on trails in Sisters, Oregon, and the Silver State 50K on trails in Reno, Nevada. Semick, who has a seven-year-old daughter named Baronie, has been victorious in "conventional" marathons, too, in Portland in 2008 (in 2:45:24), Silicon Valley (San Jose) in 2007, and Seattle in 2004. Originally from Idaho, she was a cross-country All-American at the University of Alabama.

Quite a few times, we've heard top marathoners say "I could have gone two more miles," which would bring them up to 28. A lot of marathoners think they could handle a 50k. Is there really an appreciable difference between a marathon and a 50k, which is just over 31 miles?
Kami Semick: I think there is, and I definitely feel it when I'm running a 50k. In order to be successful at the 50k, you can't think "marathon." A lot of these courses are loops, like five 10k loops, and you really have to set that marathon distance aside, because that additional five miles can be torturous. And there seems to be something about going beyond those 26.2 miles that makes that extra amount out of you. It's more a five-mile effort once you've passed the marathon distance; that's what it feels like.

You ran the IAU 50K in Gibraltar, one fascinating place that most of us haven't visited. I can picture those little Barbary Apes running after you (they're popularly referred to as apes, but they are actually macacques). What was the race like there? It's not really a place with wide thoroughfares, is it?
KS: What was interesting was I arrived in Gibraltar couple of days before the race and attempted to go on some training runs. All of the athletes were stationed at a retreat center that was probably 500 feet in elevation above the port area. I would work down to the port area and then try and break into a stride, which proved to be impossible. The roads are so narrow. There are so many automobiles and motorcycles and mopeds, and no sidewalks, a ton of construction. And I thought "how in the world are they going to hold a successful 50k here? I just don't understand how they're going to find the space." All of the streets that are relatively flat are major thoroughfares, but then you get up onto the Rock itself, obviously you've got less traffic up there. But then you're climbing 500 feet at one go.

My fears turned into reality when, the night before the race, they had the technical meeting and went over the rules and the course. What we learned is that they had to change the course at the last minute because there was construction on the original course. And so instead of doing a 10k loop, it turned out to be a 4k out and back, and in a section of 4k I counted seven 90-degree turns, plus one run around a cone. And at the other end, instead of a cone, they expanded a circle to be ten-feet wide (radius), so we ran around that. So we were running through a shipping port, and so there were corners that were blind corners and you'd think "oh God, I hope the men (runners) aren't coming back, because I'm just going to be mowed down by these guys." You'd stop, you'd peer around the corner, see everything's clear, and then you'd go around the corner.

And we ran through three different tunnels, and each lap had three hills. One was a significant climb of about 150 feet in half of a kilometer. And there was an extra 2k (to go with the six out and back 4ks that made up 48k) which was straight downhill for 1k and back up the hill for another k. It was a brutal course. And in addition to that, I guess they were having unusually warm weather. We started at 2:30 in the afternoon, and it was 78 degrees and almost 90 percent humidity. So Gibraltar was an interesting choice for this kind of a race, because anytime you put together a World Championships or a World Trophy (for ultras), you're thinking "fast, flat course." And they advertised the course as flat and fast. and then we got to the out and back with significant hills. So it was an interesting experience. I don't know if those who chose to have this race in Gibraltar had visited Gibraltar before.

I ask because this is what Gibraltar is known for - did you have the little Barbary Apes watching you as you ran?
KS: I have a funny story about the apes. The apes are primarily towards the top of the Rock itself, and it's kind of a nature preserve up there. My husband and my daughter, who's seven, went with me, and we're driving through the nature preserve and there's a spot to stop and view the apes. So we stopped and looked at the apes and thought "boy, that's super cool, we got all these pictures." It's interesting to see they're just there and they're present and they're just doing their thing right there.

So we're getting back in the car and my husband's saying "boy, that's the closest we'll ever be to apes." And we start driving off, and there's an ape in a tree about 20 feet away. He ambushes our car. He jumps onto our windshield and then swings into the car. He's at least 40 pounds, and he sits on my husband's lap. My husband stops the car and is looking like a deer in the headlights. And so I'm thinking he's just going to throw the ape out the window, just get rid of the thing. I'm like "honey, what are you going to do?" And he's like "I'm not doing anything." So I said "well, I'm out of the here then." I got out and my daughter got out of the car. And then the ape proceeded to open our glove box. He took everything out; he was just looking for food. We had water bottles in the car. He opened one up and drank out of it. It wasn't Coca-Cola, so he threw it back down. He turned over my daughter's car seat and looked under it for food.

They really know the drill, don't they?
KS: They do. I was so surprised. He had planned. He knew that people stopped to watch the apes, and they rolled down their windows as they drove away, so it was the perfect ambush stop. But no, we didn't see any on the (50k) course, which was a pleasure.

Part of the IAU 100K you won in June was on cobblestones, wasn't it? That must have been rough on your feet by the end of it.
KS: What was the interesting about the race was that it started at 8:00 at night and it ran between two small towns. It's the longest night of the year, it's the night of Flanders, and it's just this huge party. They have bands and stages set up and people discoing all night long. You're running between the two towns. You run through one town and see all the craziness, and then you're out in the country for probably 8k and then through another town and see all the partying, and then complete your loop. But the hardest part of that race was that the course was dark. By midnight, it was pitch black. We didn't have any head lamps because we were told the course would be lit. They had these giant lights out in the middle of fields being run by generators, and the generators would burn out. You would have no light. For me, the hardest part was running by myself in the dark. That was just very mentally challenging because I had nobody around me and nobody really pushing me. And then I'd be out at 2:00 a.m. running through the pastureland. In the towns, even through it was winding with a lot of turns, and cobblestones, at least you'd get the energy from these parties. That were going on. And that was pretty cool.

Would it be accurate to refer to the IAU 50k and 100k you won as World Championships?
KS: The 100k is definitely the World Championship for ultra running. That's where every country makes an effort to send their best people. The 50k, they call it a World Trophy. I think there were only seven countries represented, maybe eight. I don't know. It's hard to say.

How much different is your training from a traditional marathoner racing 26. 2 miles?
KS: There are probably two main differences. One is the length of the long runs. My average long run is probably around four hours. And ultra runners - well, at least myself, I get a lot of my long training runs done through racing. They're called races, but for me, they're often training events. I don't think marathoners will jump into a marathon to train for a marathon, whereas I will jump into a marathon to train for a 50k, or I'll jump into a 50k to train for a 50-miler.

One thing we did read about you was how much yoga and cross-training you do and that that was done, among other things, to reduce normal recovery time to permit you to race as often as you do. Is that still the case?
KS: In the last couple of years, to be honest, I have lessened the amount that I cross-train and I run more, and I think that that has actually led to some performance increases. I do do a lot of cross-training from a strength perspective, like Pilates, but I don't do as much cardiovascular cross-training. I try and stick in the running realm and stay very specific to that.

Earlier on, you were a "traditional" runner of sorts who went to college and ran on the cross country team, right?
KS: I walked on to the Alabama team because I heard they only had five people and they needed six to run their races, or something like that. I was a sprinter in high school, and I just walked onto this cross country team and that's what introduced me to distance running.

How could did you get to be at Alabama?
KS: In our first cross country race - because I really hadn't run distances before - I finished dead last. And then I scored for the team in the national meet (NCAA Cross Country) and we finished sixth or seventh and I was top 20. And in the SEC (Southeastern Conference Championships), I was fourth in the 5000 in my senior year. I graduated in '89.

After graduating, didn't you get into some adventurous endeavors before a segue back into running? Weren't you doing mountaineering?
KS: Out of college, I did triathlons for awhile. I did pretty well in those. But I was more focused in the work world. I was working for a consulting company which is known for being brutal on its work force. Then I got into mountaineering after that and just loved it. But at the point that I started having a family, you can't be gone for three weeks when you have a two-year-old. Actually I WAS gone for three weeks when I had a two-year-old, and it was very difficult on my husband. I think a huge part of why I enjoy competing in ultras is that the family can come along. I think it's really important to stick together, especially with Baronie being as young as she is.

From our research, it seems like there are mental challenges to the sport of ultrarunning that appeal to you.
KS: I'm attracted to the sport because it does take you to the edge and you learn a lot about yourself when you're 40 miles into a race, you've got 22 more miles to go and you just feel terrible. One of the reasons why people stay in the sport, and why they get better, is because they're more able to handle the valleys that happen. I remember when I was in the World Cup (100K) last year in Italy, I felt just fabulous through 50 miles and then it was like I dropped off a cliff. I didn't know how I was going to take another step. I'd been there before in ultra races and I know that it is possible to survive it if you just kind of figure out what's going on, probably increase your calories, increase your electrolytes, increase everything, and just keep moving forward. Eventually, you'll come out of that really bad spell, or you'll cross the finish line.

You've been doing ultras for six or seven years. You mentioning doing more running and less cross-training now, but do you think that really accounts for your breakthroughs of the last couple of years? Or are you still maturing physically as an ultra runner still?
KS: I think so. And the other thing is that since college, I hadn't done any speedwork. As ultra runners, we kind of get into this mentality that it's all about quantity and not quality. I actually cut back on the quantity and I went from zero quality to two workouts a week of quality, and that's where I started to see big improvements in my speed and my leg turnover - things that I had in the past that I hadn't tapped into running ultras,

What would be an example of a quality workout?
KS: There are two different kinds of things I do, One is longer strength endurance things, more like tempo runs. My tempos are 40 to 60 minutes long, usually at marathon pace. The second thing I do is I get on the track and do anything from 10,000 to 12,000 meters of sub-marathon pace work. I mix it up quite a bit. Sometimes it's three-mile repeats, and the shortest distance I do are 800s.

One race you've done often and seem to enjoy is the Miwok 100K.
KS: That takes place outside of the San Francisco area in the Marin Headlands. It's Golden Gate National Park land. It's just phenomenal views and nice climbing. .

You're in the same hometown - Bend, Oregon - as Max King, who is now a national trail marathon champion. We used to know him for other kinds of running. He's made the U.S. Team at World Cross Country. Do you have anything to do with his conversion to trail running?
KS: Well, I think a lot of the running community here is definitely more trail-based, and there have been a lot of us working on Max to convert him over to trails. And he's so talented, he could do anything. Anything Max puts his mind to, he's going to be good at. I think that he's one of these guys who's just really attracted to the grueling aspect of the really long distance trail stuff, and I think he really wants to test himself on it. And we're all like "yeah, you'll do really, really well." I'm excited to see him more and more on the trail scene.

For those of us who are more familiar with Portland and Eugene and even Vancouver, Washington just over the Oregon border, can you explain if the topography of Bend makes it a perfect place for people who want to be trail runners?
KS: You know, I actually get that question quite a bit. And I always say I don't think it's the topography, I think it's the people. The people are just more interested in trails. To be honest, it's not really the greatest place to train for trail running because it's relatively flat. Eight months out of the year, the higher country is covered in snow, and that's the area where thew trail running is just spectacular, where you can have 3000-foot climbs and some crazy descents and more technical terrain. But during those eight months when you can't run in the high country, you're left with a relatively flat terrain unless you head out for about a 45-minute drive away and train out there, which is usually where I do most of my small-winter spring training.

And that high country you speak of is just on the edge of the town of Bend?
KS: It's 20 minutes from town. The base is about 6000 feet and then you can go up to 9000, peaking out at Mount Bachelor and then the three "Sisters," South Sister, Middle Sister, and North Sister. And of those three, South Sister is the most runnable. It's beautiful country. There's a break-up in the terrain. You can climb, you can descend. It's just fun to run up there.

Looking ahead, what are some of the goals for you in this sport?
KS: For 2010, I'm going to be focusing on Comrade's, the race down in South Africa. I'm doing that with a charitable aspect, through Starfish. We're trying to raise $50,000 for a community that's been impacted by AIDS. Generations of adults have been wiped out and left these children to care for themselves. So Comrade's is a big emphasis for me. And my true passion really is the trails, and they are starting a world championships for trail racing. I think the distance is going to somewhere between 40 and 60 miles. I'd like to do that - and then maybe Western States (the 100-miler in California) if that fits into my schedule. Even though I'm 43, I still feel like I've got a couple more years of solid improvement.