TAHOE RIM TRAIL 100 (CREW)

My good friend and running partner, Pigeon toed the line at the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 mile endurance run last weekend. While the details of that race are not mine to tell, I can share with you what Be-Well-Run and I experienced from a crew’s perspective.

It all started when Be-Well-Run (BWR) arrived at my house from Canada last Thursday evening. She came to visit knowing that a large portion of our time would be spent heading to Tahoe to crew Pigeon (I do not think BWR minded in the slightest).

When I arrived home from work on Friday, we quickly packed the car with our gear, some food and hit the road. We immediately started listening to Ultrarunner Podcast, one of my favorite (LOCAL) podcasts. These interviews always get me excited to run trails.

Our first stop? Squaw Valley! Squaw Valley is the Trailmomma family’s home away from home. Near and dear to hearts, I wanted to show BWR where we spend most of our days/evenings when we are in Tahoe. As an added bonus, the Squaw Valley Wanderlust Festival was going on at the same time!

Hippies, tie-dye, malas, yoginis and vegans were everywhere! BWR and I were in total Wanderlust heaven. We were also starved when we got there so we grabbed a free SoDelicious Almond Milk Mocha Ice Cream Bar followed by some amazing local kombucha. That’s how we roll.

Kombucha!
Kombucha!

Soon it was time to hook up with Pigeon and Missouri at the condo. We caught up on events, introduced BWR and Missouri to each other and soon started discussing what was going to happen the next day when Pigeon started her race.

We also laughed endlessly about some of the adventures Pigeon and I have had on the trail together. BWR and Missouri sat there and listened to Pigeon and I laugh about who did what, who fell where, who got scared by turkeys (okay, we all know who that was) … and I realized, while finishing the race was Pigeon’s goal, the journey to get there was probably my favorite part.

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Pigeon went to bed early. She had a lot on her mind and an early wake up call. BWR and I sat up and just soaked in the fact that we were in Tahoe about to be part of Pigeon’s journey. I was also a little bit sad that I was going to miss the Peanut’s last home swim meet. She had been called to be an alternate on the relay team which for her, is a very big deal.

Tattooing her sister before the meet.
Tattooing her sister before the meet.

Still, I knew that I needed to go to bed and get a good night of sleep because BWR and I were going to wake up and hit the trails to see Pigeon pass through the 11 mile and 17 mile marker in the race.

With a restless night of sleep, I woke up completely energized and ready to show BWR the Tunnel Creek Trail that leads up to the TRT course. She has seen photos of this trail for the last few years on my blog but has never set foot on it until now.

Just three and half miles long (completely up hill) is all it takes to hit the Tunnel Creek aid-station at TRT. This aid-station is the 11 mile and 17 mile marker for all 3 events (50K, 50 mile and 100 mile). However, the 50 and 100 milers will pass through this aid-station numerous times on their journey.

BWR and I finally made it to the top and just in time as we saw Coach Nikon coming in at mile 11 and heading out on the Red House Loop.

Coach Nikon!
Coach Nikon!

I could tell BWR was pretty stoked. More and more runners were coming in and since it was so early in the race, most of them were happy and in good spirits. I tried taking a selfie of BWR and myself and before I knew what was happening, this super cute runner dude asked if he could jump into our selfie!

What a cutie!
What a cutie!

We’d see this guy a few more times throughout the race but he was never as smiley as he was in the above photo.

While sitting and waiting for Pigeon to come through, we saw quite a few runners come in. We would cheer and shout encouraging words. I even saw Boo come through! She was running the 50K race with zero training under her belt (and she placed in her age group too!).

Boo! FYI everyone, she is over 50. Rock on!
Boo! FYI everyone, she is 54 years young and rocks it!

Finally we saw Pigeon come through. We were not allowed in the aid-station so we had to sit tight and wait until she got what she needed and came out.

Pigeon crossing the timing mats.
Pigeon crossing the timing mats.

We knew that we’d see her again in less than two hours so BWR and I just hung out and cheered runners on totally loving every moment of it.

Perched on our rock.
Perched on our rock.

Eventually Pigeon came back through at mile 17.3 of the race and per the rules, she had to weigh herself to make sure her weight was stable.

Her weight was right on target.
Her weight was right on target.

BWR and I made sure she had all she needed and that she used the porta potty. We told her that we would see her at Diamond Peak (mile 30) next. Overall, she looked great. The only thing that I noticed (and no one else would have) was that she was walking back up towards Tunnel Creek after the Red House Loop whereas every single year past, she’s run that hill. Still, I just assumed she was pacing herself.

When Pigeon left, BWR and I took off down the trail back to the car. What was 3.5 miles up hill, was also 3.5 miles down hill. While I knew better than to bomb it, I couldn’t help myself or BWR’s excitement running down the hill towards the most beautiful views of the lake.

Having a blast
Having a blast

We got to our car and headed back to the condo for some food and quick cat nap. Soon it was time to pack the car and head to Diamond Peak (which was just up the road) with Missouri and all the gear in tow. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this little side story here.
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Missouri drove Pigeon’s car to the bottom of Diamond Peak. With the new crewing rules, parking was limited at the ski resort. We unloaded the gear onto a wagon and made our way up the huge hill towards the aid-station. A gentleman in a car stopped to tell us that there was tons of parking up the hill. Missouri didn’t want to have to unload the cart again and sort of dismissed it. Finally, after enough pestering, she agreed to let me move the car closer. So I hopped in, drove up quite a ways and then turned back down the hill and ran towards Missouri and BWR who were pushing this massive wagon of gear up the hill. We even PASSED the car and I pointed out the car’s new location. This small piece of information is significant, so remember it. 😉

We set up our mini aid-station at Diamond Peak and began socializing. I was sad to hear that Coach Nikon had dropped but he seemed okay with it. BWR got to see Gordy Ansleigh, the man behind the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. She may have stalked him just a bit.

Pigeon came into the aid-station right on target and the whole crew jumped into action.

Here she comes!
Here she comes!

I refilled her pack. Missouri got everything out that she needed. We all just jumped into doing whatever it was that she needed as fast as she needed it.

Changing socks
Changing socks

She had expressed some discomfort but she seemed so together mentally. This Pigeon was a whole new runner compared to the runner who came through this same aid-station in 2013.

Cooling her off. It was getting hot!
Cooling her off. It was getting hot!

Soon it was time for her take off up the massive Diamond Peak hill. One of my favorite photos is the one below. Pigeon had asked myself and Kuni to pace her in this race. Kuni had just run Hardrock a week prior and has tons of ultra experience under his belt. He was also Pigeon’s pacer during the American River 50 miler this year and brought her back to life. The following photo says a lot.

Pep talk or teacher talking to his student? Both.
Pep talk or teacher talking to his student? Both.

Once Pigeon was gone we loaded up the cart again and headed to the car … which was dead. Yup. The battery in their car had died. The blame was put on me since I was the last one to touch the car and MAY have bumped the hazard lights (which were not on when we all walked by it earlier). My heart sank a little. I knew how much the car meant to Pigeon … I also knew that if she knew what happened, she would have flipped. 🙂

Luckily, Kuni came to our rescue again and gave us a jump start but the car would prove to be a problem all day and so we moved all the gear to my car …. (take note, again, this is important later on). 🙂

We had a few hours to kill so we went back to the house. We ate, we napped whatever it was and soon found ourselves getting back into (my) car and heading towards Spooner Lake where Pigeon would come through at mile 50 and also pick up Kuni as her pacer.

I am not sure why, but I never once looked up at the sky to see what the clouds or weather was doing. In hind sight, yea, we should have looked at the sky.

We arrived at Spooner Lake, parked the car and set up camp. Pigeon was predicted to come in at a certain time and we were there quite early which was fine, we were chatting it up with other runners and crews. Spooner Lake is a happening spot in this race as it is the finish line for the 50K and 50 Miler runners and the half way point for the 100 milers who were about to head out on a second loop.

I cannot recall how long we had been there but before we even realized, the sky had turned dark dark gray and we heard a roll or two of thunder. All of a sudden the sky opened up and the rain came down in buckets! Then it started hailing on us! Huge giant pieces of hail were pelting us left and right. Lightening was blasting all around us and seemed way too close for comfort. We got word that they had to evacuate one of the aid-stations out on the course.

All of a sudden I remember that we had MY car! I turned to Missouri and told her that I had a tarp in my car. I ran to the car in the storm. It was raining so hard that I even got a little turned around because I couldn’t see and the parking lot was quickly flooding!

I found the tarp and raced back to the crew. We used the tarp to cover ourselves as well as the gear of Pigeon and a few other runners that we knew. Now who saved the day huh? I went from the girl who killed the car to the girl who had a tarp in her car! Wait … why do I have a tarp in my car? (cough cough murderer?) 🙂

Hiding under the tarp
Hiding under the tarp

The weather was dumping on us. Runners were still coming through the aid-station completely soaked and shivering. All we kept thinking about was Pigeon and the fact that she was probably on Snow Valley, a peak so high up that she would have been in the thick of the storm.

BWR kinda loving the excitement ... for a bit.
BWR kinda loving the excitement … for a bit.

We must have stood there for what felt like days but in reality was only hours waiting and praying for Pigeon. We wanted her to come in so that #1 we’d know she was safe and #2 we could dry her up and get ourselves out of there and back to the condo where it was warm and dry.

She finally came in, almost 2 hours off her scheduled time. We knew the weather would slow her down (how could it not) but when she came in, I could see in her face that things were not well. Still, as a crew should, we jumped into gear and raced to get her warm broth to sip, some dry clothes to change into and a place to sit down.

Unfortunately Pigeon had to make a decision. She was about an hour and 45 minutes ahead of the cut off at this aid-station but her running ability was limited. She could chase the cut offs all night long or call it. She decided to call it. I could see the disappointment in her eyes. She apologized to us crew profusely and we just shushed her. We would have been by her side no matter what she decided. Nothing would have stopped us from being her crew. We were honored to part of her team. We would do it all again in a heart beat.

Pigeon's Crew (minus two)
Pigeon’s Crew (minus two)

So while the outcome is not what Pigeon envisioned for herself, she has many things in life to be grateful for and she knows this. She has an exciting future ahead both on the trails and off. I have no doubts that she will get a 100 miler under her belt and while it may not be TRT, it will happen. With every race she does, Pigeon gains so much knowledge. She matures before your eyes as a runner each and every time she toes the line.

I look forward to seeing her conquer her goals and she will conquer them. I have no doubts about it and when she does, she will have one kick a$$ crew behind her.

Pigeon
Pigeon

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

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NEW ADVENTURES

This summer has been the summer of new things. The Peanut joined swim team which for us, is an entirely new beast in our world. 5 day a week practices, 15 hours of parent volunteer time, meets every single Saturday morning, goggles, swim caps and lots of sunscreen … all of that has consumed our summer this year. Neither Vans nor myself ever competed on a swim team so we’ve had to learn the lingo and the process. We’ve had some really great friends who have been holding our hands this entire journey and for that, we are super grateful.

The Peanut swam again this past weekend down near our old stomping grounds in Sacramento. With championships quickly approaching, the team has been driving home the message to finish strong in each race.

And finish strong she did! She took first place in her freestyle and her back stroke swims shaving off seconds in both and ending with two new PRs! She was super excited by it all. She is the least competitive kid that I know and could really care less about “times” but she loves feeling like she is helping her swim team win.

Grandma & Poppa came out to cheer her on!
Grandma & Poppa came out to cheer her on!

Other new things happening this summer is the fact that I will be pacing at my first 100 mile race next weekend. Pigeon will be running the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 and I will be pacing her the last 20 miles to the finish. I cannot even begin to put into words how excited I am for her and for this race. 100 miles aside, this race has so much more behind it for Pigeon and I am honored to be there for her. I’ve shared many many miles this summer with her getting ourselves to this point. The show begins next weekend.

As I mentioned in this post here, Breakout Fitness Folsom closed it doors quite unexpectedly leaving me to find a new place if I want to continue strength training at 5 am. As luck would have it, there is a gym less than 5 minutes from my house called Full Throttle Fitness. When I researched them I liked that they did a lot of the same things that Breakout Fitness did (TRX, HIIT, weights) but in an entirely different way. Can I just say that I am fully in love with my new gym and my new workouts!!!

While the style is completely different, I leave feeling like I have left it all out there and I have the sweat stains to prove it. Full Throttle mixes strength, HIIT and cardio in such a way that you are moving for the full hour that you step foot in that gym. Combined with the fact that the cost is way less than before, the distance is closer and I get a regular gym membership to boot … this was a win win situation. As much as I feared change, this is one piece of change that so far, has been working out really well for me.

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I have one more item to talk about but I am going to save it for another post. I am embarking on another journey in a few weeks. Something that came quite randomly out of the blue a few months ago and I decided to go for it. No, I am not leaving my job and no, I am not adding another job to my list. 🙂 It will however, involve a lot of time management on my part, as well as on the part of my family.

I’ve also added a 50K to my race list. The race is not until November but it is definitely a race outside my comfort zone not to mention outside the local area! I will be running and training with a whole new group of girls too which is always interesting based on everyone’s pace, level and experience.

And while the summer is not over (yet), I am sure there will be more exciting changes in our future.

In the words of Sally Edwards, “When was the last time you tried something for the first time?”

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

 

 

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LOOK AT THE WILD ANIMALS!

Today Pigeon and I got together for our last run before she takes on the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 mile race (aka TRT) in two weeks.

We agreed (me, begrudgingly) to meet at 6:45 somewhere in the middle and carpool ourselves to ADO (Auburn Damn Overlook). It was the day after the Fourth of July! Granted, we (meaning me), did most of our celebrating early in the day and on the evening of the 3rd of July, but I wanted a few more minutes of sleep. Luckily, Pigeon let me sleep a few extra minutes and pushed our run back (she originally wanted to be IN Auburn and running right at 6:45 am).

When we got to Auburn, we hopped out of the car and pretty much just took off. I wore my Ultimate Direction Jenny Vesta because the past few weekends I have been testing out how I want to use it when I am pacing Pigeon in two weeks. I think I have decided on a plan of attack. I’ll use the hydration bladder and one bottle (jug) to allow myself some extra storage room.

Deer!
Deer!

Almost immediately into our run we hear something off to the side and not 5 feet from us are a couple of beautiful deer having some breakfast. I just knew it was going to be one of those days on the trail. The kind of day where it is just gorgeous out and I find myself smiling from ear to ear no matter what.

The first couple of miles Pigeon and I talked, a lot. We talked about the recent happenings in our lives and also about TRT and what lies ahead for her.

The trail was dry and very dusty. When we approached the first “stream” crossing waterfall or watering hole, (however you want to describe it), Pigeon immediately got down and doused her bandana to wear around her neck. Even at 7 am, the temps were getting pretty warm. This SHOULD have been an indication or warning to us that the day would be a hot one, but we both sort of just shook it off and kept running.

We ran down towards No Hands Bridge, across and up towards K2. I knew where we were going without even having to say it. I didn’t mind. There is a porta potty at the end of No Hands so I decided that was the perfect time for a quick break.

The climb up K2 felt pretty effortless for both of us. We’d climb, talk and stop on occasion but for the most part we hiked pretty solidly all the way up.

The View from K2
The view from K2

I was pretty excited that I was feeling really well. I had some tummy troubles in the beginning but I always have tummy troubles. Once that subsides, I am generally a happy camper.

Pigeon always tests me out on the trails. She’ll ask me ‘which way’ at every turn or corner. She knows that I am generally looking down (trying not to fall) instead of watching where we are running. I think I can safely say, that I can park at ADO and run to No Hands, across and up K2 and possibly even the full loop without getting lost.

Which is kind of funny because if I park at the Cool fire station and you ask me to run to No Hands, I’d probably get us lost. 🙂

As we were coming to the point in our run where we could go back down towards No Hands or go straight and head to the Cool fire station we decided to hit the fire station. In my head I was thinking porta potty.

When we reached the parking lot though we both took some fuel and just stood there. We emptied our trash in the bin and pretty much just turned around and headed back out on the trail. We knew there was fresh water at the fire house but neither one of us thought to stop and fill up our packs. We thought we’d be fine with what we had (aaaah, hind sight IS 20/20).

When we reached No Hands Bridge again, Pigeon turned to me in the dead sun and said, “So I completely underestimated how hot it would be today. I have very little water left. This is going to be a long hike back.” I also felt like I didn’t have much water in my pack, but I also hardly use my hydration bladder, normally relying on my water bottles up front.

It was warming up pretty intensely on our way back and the trail was getting pretty crowded with hikers, runners and horseback riders.

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Our pace was slowing considerably as we hiked more than we ran. At times, it felt like we were running from shaded section to shaded section. Finally, Pigeon tells me that her pack is completely empty. So I take off mine and I pull out my hydration bladder and realize that it was still pretty fully and I happily poured half of my water into her pack. Another runner was passing us as we were doing this and asked if we were good on water.

HOT
HOT

Off we went. This time, I knew that when we approached that waterfall, that I too was going to dunk my bandana in and rinse myself off a bit. I was sweating a lot. As we ran down the hill approaching the waterfall, we noticed that it was pretty crowded. It was full of hikers who clearly looked like they had taken on an adventure without realizing how hot it was outside. Many of them were sitting IN the waterfall.

Pigeon and I ran up, not really noticing too much and just squatted down in the water and took off our bandanas. We rinsed our faces, necks and arms. I looked up and I realized that everyone in the waterfall was glaring at us like we were some wild animals in a zoo who had approached them and were going about our natural course of wild life business.

I wanted to pull out my camera SO bad and take a photo but I didn’t. As we climbed out of the water and back onto the trail, quite a few more hikers were splattered around the trail. I turned to Pigeon and said, “Did you feel like you were an animal in the zoo back there with everyone sort of just staring at us as we cooled off?” She looked at me and busted up laughing, “Yes!” she said.

For the life of us, we couldn’t stop laughing about what had just transpired which for me, made the remaining sweltering miles, fly by a little faster.

When we finally reached the horse staging area, we decided to head straight for the canal. We were pretty overheated at this point and our nice little 15 mile run that should have taken us 3 hours or less, had taken us over 3.5 hours.

The Canal
The Canal

I have talked about the canal before but I am not sure I have ever posted a photo of it. To many non runners, this probably seems pretty gross …

Pigeon
Pigeon

For trail runners however, the canal is the perfect place to cool off during the hot summer months and in the cold winter months, it provides an amazing full body ice bath for recovery.

You can also clean off your shoes
You can also clean off your shoes

I am incredibly excited for TRT in two weeks. For starters, Be-Well-Run is flying all the way from Whistler Canada to help myself, Missouri and a few others crew for Pigeon. I love when she comes to visit. Second, just being in Tahoe for TRT is probably one of the most exciting times for a runner. I have crewed for Pigeon a few times (you can read about them by clicking here (2010) and here (2012) and here (2013) ).  In 2011 I skipped but I had an excuse (Squeaker was only about a month old), but Pigeon ran the TRT 50K in 2011 as well, read about that here.

I truly believe Pigeon is ready. Not only is her training spot on, but her mind is in the game. Not that her mind wasn’t in the game before, but I think having experienced this race at the 100 mile distance once before, has put her in a whole new realm of readiness.

The support she has behind her as well, no matter the outcome, is beyond amazing. There is no denying the Pigeon that I met in 2010 is not the Pigeon I run and train with now just four years later. Some of that change comes from life experiences and some of it comes from her amazing and supportive wife Missouri. Most of it though, I think comes from Pigeon’s desire, drive, confidence and diligence in making sure she is 100% ready to conquer her goal. She is a goal driven runner. Someone I’d admire and feel lucky enough to call my running partner and friend.

TRT Redemption, my friend. Let’s go get it!

Happy Trails,

~Trailmomma

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