May 2015 ~ TRAILMOMMA

May 29, 2015April 8, 2019

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES

I really debated whether or not to write this post. Normally my blog theme consists of trail running and the occasional story about being plant-based and of course being a mama. This will definitely fall into the plant-based category.

While many who know me know that I have been plant-based for over 20 years. I definitely can say that I followed the common trend of veganism though in regards to stopping meat initially, but I did not necessarily follow a healthy diet. I would say that I have been vegan for quite a while but have only been truly plant-based within the last few years. What is the difference? Well, Oreos are vegan. Potato chips are vegan. I was consuming some oily standard American fair while thinking I was being healthy.

However, the more I read and the more I investigated, I realized the difference and I made a change. What you may not know, is that I have very low hemoglobin and ferritin levels. Particularly in regards to my ferritin levels. What is Ferritin? Ferritin is an ubiquitous intracellular protein that stores iron and releases it in a controlled fashion (thanks internet). My levels are so low because I went for 21 years with undiagnosed Celiac disease. My body just did not absorb any iron and therefore ferritin.

To put it into perspective here are my levels over the last few years (it is all that I have in terms of history) and keep in mind that a Standard Range is 22-291 ng/mL

My history:

12/2005 : 3

6/2006 : 1

6/2013 : < 5

7/2013 (had a retest to confirm) : < 5

6/2014 : 13

I am surprised no one was freaking out in 2006 and clearly I avoided the doctor after that. But somehow, I managed to give birth to two beautiful kids and survive. Obviously, I have never had normal levels yet I continued to race and run ultras (stubborn much?).

The period between 2013 and 2014 where my levels bumped up to 13 is when my doctor insisted that I take an iron supplement. I took the supplement but I didn’t enjoy it.

In January of 2014 I started taking the eCornell Plant-Based Nutrition Course where I learned a great deal about supplements and why we do not need them and how in fact, they can do more harm than good. I graduated from that class in March and in mid-June, I stopped taking my iron pills.

It was around this same time, that I read Dr. Esselsytn’s Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease book and My Beef With Meat by Rip Esselstyn as well as all their cookbooks. I also started taking my Rouxbe online plant-based cooking course in August of 2014. While I knew a lot of this information, reading it and studying it just reinforced what I have known all along: plant-based food can cure and heal and that we do not need oil in our diets.

I started cutting out oil (we don’t need it is pure fat and has minimal nutritional value and severely damages your arteries). I cut out oil pretty easily as I rarely cooked with it. I have always cooked using vegetable broth instead of oil, but I also stopped eating other foods that contained oil.

I also started training for the Mt. Tam 50k as well as the California International Marathon. Best of all, I purchased my beloved Instant Pot and I began the habit of making sure I had home-made vegetable broth on hand and a ton of beans made from scratch that I freeze in can size portions.
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I started making my own hummus and dressings. I stopped buying a lot of store bought things preferring to make my own. Thanksgiving and Christmas were both plant-based oil free holidays in my house and the food was fantastic (thanks to Ann Crile Esselstyn and Jane Esselstyn and Engine 2 recipes).

Enter 2015 and I have continued on this path. I ran the Salmon Falls 50k in February followed by my 3rd American River 50 miler in April (with a huge PR). Then, if you follow my blog, you read that I just ran 32 miles on the Western States course. I have run way more over the last year than I did the previous year.

As we are approaching June, I decided it was time again to get my annual blood work done. I wasnâ€™t sure what to expect. I haven’t taken my iron pills in over a year and I’ve run more races harder and faster than I have before.

As it turns out, I was totally blown away. Not only did I lower my cholesterol to 136 (not that it was ever high it just dipped even lower), I also boosted my hemoglobin, doubled my iron AND my Ferritin is now registering at 25!! For once in my life, I have normal Ferritin levels!

Graphic from http://www.carlagoldenwellness.com/2015/02/05/nutrition-only-in-animal-based-foods/ — Graphic from www.carlagoldenwellness.com

I 100% wholly contribute these improvements to my dietary changes over the last year. While I have made many changes to my diet, what I am about to share is not meant to be anything more than what has worked for ME. Please do not take what I am sharing as medical or nutritional advice. It is just what worked for me.

So having my Instant Pot meant that I had ready-made access to beans every single day. I’ve broadened our variety from just the usual chickpea, kidney, black beans, pinto and lentils to navy beans, pinquinto beans, red lentils, green lentils, split peas, yellow split peas, cannellini. When I see a new bean I get so excited. Per the advice of the Esselstyn family, I have mountains of leafy greens almost daily (including for breakfast sometimes). I STOPPED having smoothies. I haven’t had a green smoothie in over a year. For me, having daily smoothies just proved to be a recipe for disaster. First of all, you can’t tell how many calories you are tossing into that blender and some smoothies could easily reach the 400 calorie mark. For me, smoothies increased my appetite. I need to CHEW my food. Not drink it. In my opinion, smoothies on a daily basis teach your stomach to stop doing its job. If you give it liquefied food, it will no longer be good at doing what it is supposed to do, breaking down food. I constantly found that I had tummy troubles from smoothies. I stopped the smoothies, my tummy improved and I lost weight. Go figure.

I make sure that I have oats in some form for breakfast (whether raw, cooked or made with kale yum try it so good) every day. I bring my own food for lunch at work and usually it will consist of greens, beans and quite often potatoes (or a salad) and dinner is much of the same. We started eating a ton more potatoes in my house due to their ease of travel and the ability to batch cook them and have them throughout the week. I have lost weight, not gained. Don’t be afraid of whole food plant-based carbs!

Really, those are all the major changes I have made. I have definitely been more conscious of what I am eating and why. Basically, I add no oil to my diet, I majorly increased the beans, lentils, greens and other veggies that we eat and I have oatmeal every single morning. I’ve stopped the junk food snacking.

Currently, I am working on my racing fuel as really, if I am being honest, during a race is probably the only time I succumb and have something I would never normally touch on a day to day basis and it isn’t even that much. In training I bring my own plant-based food and I consume that but for some reason, in the heat of a race, my body is calling for that crap. I am still working on that one so stay tuned.

But overall, the purpose of this post was to share that if you are considering a plant-based diet but you are afraid you won’t reach all the nutritional values that you need (especially if you are racing in some form) that you can! It is possible with planning, work and a little education. Variety in your diet is key. You can’t just eat the same thing day in and day out. Try new things. See what is in season at your local farmers market or grocery store and then google recipes for it (omitting any added oils of course).

The experts like Dr. Esselstyn, T. Colin CampbellÂ and the crew at Engine 2.com are right, you can thrive and succeed on a whole foods plant-based diet. I did not give up. People told me for years that I would have to eat meat to bring up my iron and ferritin levels or take an iron pill for life but I knew deep in my heart that was not the case and that a true whole food plant-based diet could help me. It did.

Of course, I am very proactive as well. I get my blood work done annually to make sure my levels are all in check. While I probably get very little sleep compared to most people (hello, I wake up at 4:30 am to run), I make sure to listen to my body and its cues. When I am tired and dragging, I bring the workout down a notch or I skip it and I stop and take a look at what is going on with myself and I make the necessary dietary changes (more kale, less spinach, more potatoes etc.).

Am I perfect? No, of course not. No one is. I just try my hardest to feed my body fuel, not necessarily food. Luckily for me, it is pretty darn tasty fuel at that and I enjoy following recipes and experimenting in the kitchen. It can be fun! Try it!

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

May 27, 2015April 15, 2019

STAR STRUCK (WS TRAINING RUN 2015)

This past Saturday was my favorite day of the year. Day one of the Western States Training weekend. More than any race, I love this day. 32 miles on a beautiful amazing course with a couple hundred of the coolest people on Earth.

This year, the price rose significantly but if some of the money goes towards trail maintenance, I am okay with that. This trail has it all: huge climbs, massive descents, water crossings, breath taking views and apparently weather patterns that will totally surprise you.

As is tradition, Pigeon and I signed up and planned our day together. I think we have mastered some parts of this run but I still think the day can unfold entirely different than you may have visioned. This trail can do that to you.

I, for one, didn’t know quite what to expect. Let’s be honest, since AR50 I have not been running very much. I had one 14 miler in Auburn about two or three weeks ago and that’s been about it in terms of “long” distance running. To say I went into this completely untrained is an understatement. Yes I have some miles under my belt, but AR50 was early in April and it is now late May. Luckily my body remembers what to do AND even more important, Pigeon was just off her 100K at Quicksilver two weeks prior and was running on some tired legs (though she still rocked it).

As the week wore on, I was slowly getting excited and very nervous. Pigeon knows that I love this day and she was trying to be super excited for me but I think she could tell via my texts that my mind has been elsewhere lately.

Pigeon and Myself 2010 — 2010 Selfie – hahaha

2014 - getting better at the selfie! — 2014 – getting better at the selfie!

Just like last year, Pigeon and I met in Forresthill and checked in for the run. We then got a ride to Robinson Flat where we quickly realized the fog was making things really difficult to see and the rain was starting to come down pretty hard. Oh yea, and it was 40 degrees.

I had not planned on rain. The forecast that I saw didn’t say a thing about rain so I was wearing a tank top and shorts and brought no form of long sleeves what so ever. Thankfully, Pigeon had an extra pair of arm sleeves with her so she wore those and she gave me her long sleeve shirt. I would have been fine running in the 40 degree rain without anything but I was DEFINITELY more comfortable with a shirt.

We used the restrooms at the start and then quickly started running. Running = warmth so we ran. It was hard at first as this section is pretty rocky and your body is still trying to figure out what it is you want it to do.

I did not take many photos in the beginning of the run as I only had my phone and I wasn’t about to pull my phone out in the rain.

Pigeon and I had a lot to catch up on. She told me all about her 100k. I am so proud of her. She worked really hard for that race and I feel like now, she can go into Tahoe with a weight off her back (more or less) and perhaps enjoy the day a little bit more.

We were not the only ones who ditched the bus option and caught rides to Robinson Flat. What is cool about that is you get to see some awesome runners fly by you. Somewhere in these early miles Stephanie Howe ran by us. She won The Western States 100 Mile race last year. They look so effortless when they run but at the same time, they are super nice and say “hi” as they pass.

So it pretty much rained for four hours straight. It would lighten up at times and then come down hard again. My tummy needed some adjustment so unfortunately I had to stop once or twice but the fog makes for great camouflage! 🙂

When we hit the first aid-station, the rain was just sprinkling. Some awesome volunteers where manning the station and had huge smiles on their faces. These people are great. Pigeon came right in and asked for duct tape?! I had no clue what she needed it for but apparently her head had shrunk okay, maybe her visor got stretched out, so she used duct tape to try and make it fit a little better on her head. 🙂

I checked out what was on the table. My tummy was still uneasy. We chatted with the volunteers for a bit while Pigeon was adjusting her visor and then we were off and running.

The wet conditions and fog made the trail seem different to me so it was kind of like seeing things for the first time. Most of the time, this run is on the warmer side which can be a recipe for disaster later in the day. Not today, today it was cool and damp.

We played tag with a group of other women who were running either before us or after us all day long. For the most part, we were always ahead of them.

Soon we were starting to descend down to Swinging Bridge. This is a long brutal descent that really makes you start begging for an uphill but never fear as Devil’s Thumb is what you have to climb in order to get out and that is a doozy but I secretly love Devil’s Thumb. 🙂

We crossed swinging bridge and downed some calories for our climb. Last year the bridge had been burned in a fire and so we had to cross through the river in order to get across which meant we were soaking wet on a very hot and brutal climb. In fact, this was the first time ever that I have climbed Devil’s Thumb and not had it be scorching hot the whole way.

There were a few people climbing the thumb at the same time. Pigeon was in front. I tend to not like people on my heels so I usually step aside and let them pass even if it means I may catch them later, I just prefer not to have someone right behind me.

Eventually, Pigeon pulled off to the side too to adjust her arm sleeves I think and I just went in front of her. There were a couple of crazy athletes who RAN up the thumb. Man, that just blows me away. One foot in front of the other I just climbed strong and steady. I turned around to say something to Pigeon and realized she was no where behind me.

I kept climbing knowing that there was a switchback turn coming up and that I could maybe see her better. Sure enough, the switch back came and I stopped to see if I could see her. I did. I called down “Are you alright?” “I’m good!” she said. So I followed with “Do you have enough water?” 🙂 Pigeon has been known to run out of water on this climb from time to time. “Yes,” she called and apparently the guy behind me laughed at us. Just looking out for my runner.

Onward I went. Joe McCladdie was at the top taking photos. He always makes me laugh. He is always in a spot that is notoriously difficult but since he is there you HAVE to smile and there is no better way to climb a beast than with a smile. Thanks Joe!

I finally reached the top of Devil’s Thumb and I waited for Pigeon. I downed some of the Oatmeal Banana Cookies that I made while waiting. That climb really gave me an appetite and also evened out the stomach issues I had been having.

Finally Pigeon reached the top and we took off running except that while I had been standing there I had become really cold from the damp weather. I had put my long sleeve back on but my legs were stiff as boards when we started running. I must have looked hilarious.

We reached the aid-station that was at the water pump and this is where I had my first potato chip. Not sure why I grabbed one. My hand sort of gravitated to the bowl but oh my word if that wasn’t the most amazing thing ever at that moment. I had only a few and then I tried to have some of the fuel that I brought with me. Funny how I don’t eat potato chips regularly but out in the woods in the middle of no where, they looked divine.

Onward we ran. At this point, the rain had stopped for good and the sun was trying to poke out from behind some clouds. It was also getting humid. I must have taken that shirt off and on about a hundred times in addition to pulling up the sleeves and then pulling them down again.The reasons of erectile dysfunction may be of cialis 10mg no utilization. So your partner and you have come to a conclusion whether Vitamins can really replace oral ED medication like icks.org lowest price levitra and Tadalis. cheap canadian viagra The medication basically inhibits the PDE5 enzyme from operating, thus allowing more blood to flow through to the penis. It was so unknown that it was called Kenpo Karate so it could be identified with the art of Karate. commander viagra

After that aid-station you descend down into El Dorado Canyon which is a pretty steep down as well. It was here that my right knee started to yell at me a bit. Okay, maybe yell is too mild, scream bloody murder might be better. My knees just cannot handle downhills, steep downs and this one is notorious for making my knee hurt.

There were times when I had to hobble a bit near the bottom but I finally made it. I need to work on my hip flexors and IT band a bit more – oh and not jump into a 32 mile run on a whim. 🙂

Next up is the climb to Michigan Bluff. This is a good 2.5 mile climb and again, I have only ever done this climb in brutally hot weather. Today it was cool and there was as light breeze. Wow does that make a difference.

Pigeon had to use nature’s restroom so I told her I would start off walking up the hill a bit. Not wanting to get too far in front of her I stopped and took some photos.

Trail Selfie - I look all alone but there were lots of people out there — Trail Selfie – I look all alone but there were lots of people out there

Once Pigeon caught up to me I saw she had found a bunch of friends that we know. So we all hiked the climb together just chatting and catching up on some things. Eventually though, we all spread out again.

I had some people on my heels and I was feeling too crowded so I let them pass. It was here that I saw a woman behind me further down on the switchback. I looked and thought to myself, “I know her!” But I wasn’t 100% sure.

Finally at one point, she was close enough for me to get a good look and sure enough, my suspicions were confirmed. It was Pam Smith, 2013 Western States winner and one of my favorite bloggers. I adore Pam not only because she is a kick butt runner, but also because she is a full time working mom of two kids and has an active spouse to boot. I can totally relate to that. While her kids are quite a few years older than mine, she gets it and understand the hardship of being a mom and wanting/needing that time to run crazy races.

I turned and asked her if her name was Pam and she said yes and that started what was to be one of my favorite highlights on this years Western States Training Run day. We chatted the whole way up to Michigan Bluff. She was pretty honest with me. She asked me if I was running states and I said no and that I was pacing a friend at TRT100 and that I have two young kids so I can’t really envision WS100 in my near future … Pam said, “Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it only gets harder as they get older. I thought it would be easier but it isn’t.” HA! While I kind of knew that, it was funny to hear it from another hard working running mom.

Pam gets it. She wakes at an ungodly hour to get speed workouts and runs in as do I. She has to split her weekends with her husband so he can get runs in while simultaneously tackling kids sporting activities.

She was so nice, so down to earth. I really enjoyed our little chat while we were climbing up to Michigan Bluff.

When you get to the top of Michigan Bluff you have to walk down a fire road to get to the aid-station. Pam kept walking and while I wanted to keep chatting with her, I didn’t want to ditch Pigeon either so I stopped to wait for her.

When she got to the top, she had made a friend too. Her friend is doing her first Western States this year. I told Pigeon about my little hike with Pam Smith and Pigeon had no clue who Pam was but her friend did and was like, “Oh my gosh! I saw that! That’s so cool!” 🙂

We made it the aid-station and again, those darn potato chips really looked amazing. I saw Pam talking to some people and grabbing some fuel and then she was off. I never saw her again.

Pigeon and I ate and walked out of the aid-station happy. We were joking about all sorts of things. There were a lot of funny incidents on this run that I can’t remember. This is what happens when I don’t blog for a while and then have multiple posts to catch up on, I forget things. 🙂

I do know that before we started the run, Pigeon sprayed my legs with bug spray as we had remembered that last year the mosquitoes were relentless. Well, as it turns out, we forgot to spray our arms. My arms and back (remember I was wearing a tank top) are covered in about 20 mosquito bites! Grrrrr the ones on the back are the worst. Next year I am wearing one of those repellent bracelets.

There is one more descent after Michigan Bluff before you climb the paved road to Forresthill. That down hill trail again aggravated my knee something terrible but the minute we hit an uphill, all the pain goes away.

Pigeon and I hiked the hill back to Forresthill Road and then ran the road to the school. We had the wrist bands cut off made our way to my car to change before BOOM thunder was heard off in the distance and some rain started sprinkling again. Whew, we made it out of there just in time. I would not want to be out running in a thunder storm.

Once again, this run proved to be the highlight of my year. Yes I could have gone into it a little more prepared but I’ve been traveling quite a bit lately and have not had any time to get long runs in. That will change as I have a marathon coming up as well as pacing duties at Tahoe Rim Trail in July. It is good to know what my body can handle though.

Next year’s WS Training Run may be a whole different kind of run. Quite a few people that we know have qualified for the 2016 Western States so I foresee a big run next year hopefully filled with a lot of locals (lottery permitting).

For more of our WS Training Run stories go to the following links:

Our 2014 WS Run – The Trail of Dreams (WS Training Run)

Our 2010 WS Run – A Dream Come True (WS Training Run)

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

May 26, 2015May 25, 2015

SWIM SEASON HAS STARTED SO WE LEFT TOWN

The week after the girls and I returned from our trip to NJ, the Peanut’s swim team decided to have their Mock Meet. Basically Mock Meet is a dress rehearsal swim meet including timing clocks, stroke and turn judges … everything. It gives everyone a chance to work out the kinks basically and prepare for the long swim season ahead.

The Peanut wasn’t feeling super great but she managed to swim in four different events. She swam in the 25 yard freestyle, the 25 yard backstroke, the 50 yard freestyle and the 25 yard butterfly (she opted out of the 25 yard breast stroke). She did okay. The 50 yard freestyle was a major step up for her and is pretty challenging and competitive. She ended up getting disqualified in the butterfly because her legs came apart (they are super strict).

Her first real meet is this up coming weekend. We are all a bit excited and nervous. Our weekends are no longer ours as swimming will consume a lot of our time.

I was super proud of her for trying her best. She wasn’t feeling well as she as been battling some stuff lately. She definitely loves the water though.

After the mock meet, we unloaded one car and packed up another car and headed to Tahoe for a nice little getaway. We had some days left at our timeshare and the plan was for the four of us to head up in two separate cars and then the Peanut and I would leave after one night as we had work and school to attend to.

We basically walked around and visited the lake which is really really low and kind of sad. The fresh air was crisp and amazing. Tahoe really is my reset button sometimes.

We spent the whole morning wandering around the dried up lake and playing at the playground. The Peanut found some crab legs and was super excited to bring them back to show her class.
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Squeaker is into finding (and throwing) really cool rocks. We spent quite a bit of time just wandering this rocky dried up part of the lake.

Walking - see the docks? — Walking – see the docks? Sad.

The play ground was also fun. The Peanut is such a monkey lately between the monkey bars and climbing rocks and stuff.

Sadly, the Peanut and I had to leave Sunday afternoon to unpack and get ready for the work week ahead. Vans and Squeaker were going to stay another two nights. They had a great time bonding together. It was super sweet and we both enjoyed the bonding time with each kid.

I hadn’t been to Tahoe since September so this was way over due for me. It really just fills my heart and resets my brain. Luckily, it won’t be so long before I am up there again.

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

May 24, 2015May 29, 2015

DYLAN’S DINOSAUR STOMP (AND OUR 2015 NJ TRIP)

I know my blogging has been sporadic at best. Life has been busy but the good news is that I have a few posts stewing around in my head that just need to come out. So forgive me if they are a bit wordy. 🙂

Mother’s Day weekend I decided to take the girls with me back east to visit my family in NJ. I choose this weekend in particular because there is a very special boy who is the man of honor at my childhood town’s 5k race. Dylan’s Dinosaur Stomp 5kÂ held its 4th annual stomp this year. I attended two years ago and I just knew I had to make it back again.

Dylan’s Dinosaur Stomp benefits the Dylan Flinchum Rock On Foundation. Â Dylan is the son and nephew of two very special people who grew up living next door to me and in my heart, are like brothers to me. Dylan isÂ suffering from a rare, degenerative disease known as metachromatic leukodystrophy, often referred to as MLD and every year, for the past four years, my town (which is very hilly) pulls together and participates in a 5k walk/run. The event is planned and run by some very special people who love Dylan and his family and I am blown away at how amazing this event turns out. It takes my breath away.

As I said, I participated in the run two years ago when I brought the Peanut home with me before she started Kindergarten. This year, I got daring and I brought both girls.

The girls were crazy excited to get on a plane and fly to NJ. They were even more excited to see their Poppy and Gramie.

As we boarded the first plane, the pilots called the girls into the cockpit. At first they were too nervous to go but I nudged them a little because, hello!? How cool is that! 🙂

The flights were typical. We landed in Arizona and had to race to our next gate to catch our second leg. The girls were super stars. They each had a backpack. We also had entertainment…

We landed in NJ at 5 am Friday morning and Poppy picked us up at the airport. Needless to say, that first day we were a bit like zombies between the time change and jet lag.

Saturday was the race. One of the best features about The Dylan Dinosaur Stomp is that the race doesn’t start until 10:00 am! It is a family focused event and I think that is a great idea. I know from personal experience how hard it is to get the whole family out the door early in the morning. I love the start time because it means I can adjust to the lack of sleep and grab some Dunkin Donuts before hand.

The second best feature of the race is that my childhood home is literally just a few blocks from the starting area AND the race passes by my house not once, but twice! That’s so awesome. Actually, the course is designed so that the race passes by both of Dylan’s grandparent’s houses. Kinda cool. My dad likes it because he can sit on the front steps with his cow bell and cheer on all the runners.

The third best feature is that the race starts and ends at a park. With a playground. Another smart move. My kids spent a lot of time at this park.

I walked to the race start with Gramie and just watched in awe as I saw lots of familiar faces. The morning was chilly but not too bad. The day prior had been very hot and humid.

They start the race on time and they start it, on a hill. Not just a tiny hill, but a pretty decent size hill. This year I positioned myself in the middle of the pack. I’d been running, just not a lot of hills and my hometown has hills.

The Course Profile – not much flat sections here

I wasn’t too sure how things were go but I was mainly just excited to be there and be a part of it. At 10 am they blew the horn and we were off running. The walkers started later. Up the hill I ran, my lungs slowly adjusting and then down the other side past my house. My dad was standing on the steps and I waved to him as I passed. He rang his giant cow bell and told me that both girls were still asleep! This happened the last time I ran this race. The Peanut was so exhausted she missed seeing me both times. Poppy was determined to not let that happen again. 🙂

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As we passed my house and started yet another climb, I saw Matt, directing runner traffic. Matt is Dylan’s uncle, my childhood best friend, my neighbor and one of my Bridegrooms at my wedding. I dodged a bunch of people and I ran over to give him a big hug. He pushed me away and told me to keep running! Matt is my oldest and dearest friend. Seeing him brought such a smile to my face.

I just kept running. Up and down. Up and down. We get to run past the high school and then up another hill. It was on one particular hill that I vividly remember from the last time I ran this course, that I decided I was not going to walk. No matter what. I just put my head down and started running up the hill. I passed a couple of people (sorry Pete!) and I also set my sites on a ponytail ahead of me. By nature, I am more competitive with myself then I am with other people but it is good to have a focus, a goal that you want to accomplish and unfortunately for that ponytail in front of me, she was it.

I passed her on a climb and I heard her sigh. I just kept running we were on our way back to my street. Matt was busy directing cars when I ran by so I just kept going. I saw my dad on my front steps and I saw Squeaker outside bouncing up and down. I heard my dad call to the Peanut who came running out the front door too. They both smiled and cheered for me. I only had to make it up two more hills, one of them pretty darn steep.

Once again, I put my head down and I just ran. The volunteers told me that I just had to round a corner and I would be done. I crossed the finish and grabbed a water. I had no idea what place I was in or what my official time was except for what was on my watch. I chatted with some old friends for a bit and then decided that I better run home and get the girls so they could enjoy the finish area too.

View from the top of the park. Look at that awesome American flag!

The girls enjoyed the park and they wore their Stomp shirts with pride. Some day, I hope they will want to try and run it too. When I went back to get the girls, I also picked up my phone and I noticed that I had a text message from the race timing company that had my time and stats from the race! It told me that I was second female over all. How freaking cool is that!? Not that I was second female, but that within 30 minutes of having finished, I had race information sent to my phone!! That is pretty darn cool.

Of course I was excited to also get second place female. The first place female blew me away, it wasn’t even close. However, the highlight of the day was getting my photo with Dylan. This sweet boy was sound asleep when I snuck in and got a photo with him.

Unfortunately, soon after the girls arrived, some clouds moved in and the rain started to come down. It rained for maybe 20 minutes or so but sadly, it was enough to scare away some of the families, including my girls. I stayed however. I couldn’t bring myself to leave. Seeing the volunteers and the families pulling together really touched my heart.

I also got to spend some time with Matt. It has been two years since I’ve seen him and boy did I miss him. It was fun just hanging out with everyone and talking about things. I’ve missed a lot these people. They are good people.

Soon however, I did have to head back to Poppy’s as I knew the girls would be waiting. As it turns out, they were stolen away to visit Gramie for a bit so that meant I got a nice hot uninterrupted shower.

This race truly has my heart. I would have been there last year for the 3rd annual but unfortunately a lack of vacation time kept me away. I am definitely hoping to come back for the 5th annual Dylan Dinosaur Stomp. The girls had a blast in NJ too. They got to spend a lot of snuggle time with their Poppy.

They also got to spend time with their aunts and uncles too. We arrived on a Friday morning and we left on a Monday afternoon but we crammed in a lot of visits and hugs during our time.

I love my east coast family (friends included). 3,000 miles is a long way away but at the same time, I love how sometimes we can just pick up right where we left off … like the best of friends.

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

PS: If you would like to support Dylan and you can’t make it to his Dinosaur Stomp, check out this donation link. No running necessary. 🙂

May 3, 2015

CONFIDENCE BOOSTER

I haven’t run in Auburn in quite some time. Well, pretty much the last time I set foot in Auburn was during the last few miles of AR50. I have been running, just not super far or anywhere outside of my little town. I could slowly feel my mojo for running seeping out little by little. I needed something to bring it back front and center. Something that would get me excited again to run trails again. One place does make me happy. Auburn (and Tahoe but Auburn is closer).

Which is why I reached out to Stonegate and Burning Girl. Pigeon was working this weekend so I knew she was out and she is also tapering for her big race next weekend. Burning Girl bailed last minute so it was just Stonegate and I. We were both eager to get out on some Auburn trails and just have a good run.

Due to some obligations that Stonegate had, I agreed to pick her up at 6 am and that we would be running by 6:30 so that she could be home in time for the rest of her day. This was hard as the night before, Vans and I had visited our favorite sushi restaurant and I know from past experiences, that sushi and wine before a long run, don’t generally mix. Luckily, things worked out just fine in that regard.

The sun was up and the parking lot was surprisingly active that early in the morning. Stone gate and I quickly gathered our gear, hit the restrooms and were off down the trail. It was a beautiful morning. We knew it was going to get hot but so far, there was a light breeze and the views were gorgeous.

Stonegate caught me staring at the amazing views.

We ran and talked all the way down the trail. When we rounded a corner I gasped out loud. Stonegate totally thought that I had seen a bear. I laughed. I hope I won’t squeal like that if I run into a bear. I didn’t the last time!

No, instead I gasped because I saw that some trail fairies had come and built such a beautiful bridge so that we no longer had to try and jump across the stream.

It may not seem like a big deal to most, but it isn’t easy to get down this far on the trail running or hiking let alone carrying tools and machinery. It is a beautiful bridge.

We came upon No Hands Bridge pretty fast and took advantage of the porta potties that are there before climbing our way back up towards Cool.

Soon we hit K2. We paused at the bottom of the hill, not quite ready to start out climb. The trails were pretty busy already with people hiking. We even ran into someone hiking down K2. I always see people hiking down …. why is it I am always hiking UP K2? 🙂

When we finally reached the top, we stopped to catch our breath before running again. Stonegate had some flashbacks from her Way Too Cool 50K race as we were running towards the fire station. She now understands the love hate relationship with that little fire-road where you can see the station but know you have to run around to get there.

We reached the fire station and decided that neither of us needed water or the porta potty. So, we just turned around and started making our way back to the trail.

The route back always seems to take a little longer. Mostly because quite a bit of it is going up hill back to the overlook.

We paused on No Hands for a quick selfie. Always have to have the selfie on a good run like this.

When we were making our way back towards the overlook, the hikers and families were all over the place. It was so good to see people out enjoying nature. On one of our climbs back up I saw this person just bouncing down the trail towards us and I smiled. Jumping Bean was headed out on a run with some friends. We both squealed and managed sweaty hugs. We chatted for a bit and I introduced herÂ to Stonegate. It is always so nice to see her. She is such a sweet and genuine person. She too is running Quicksilver next weekend.

The climb back up definitely was as hard as it usually is. For a 14-15 mile run, it can always surprise you how hard it can be to make your way back to the car when the temps are rising. We probably hiked more on the way back but we kept moving (and talking). It took us just over 3 hours to complete this run.

When we got to the car, we immediately grabbed what we needed for a quick soak in the canal. No matter what, Stonegate wanted to make time for that and I will always oblige a nice cold soak after a good run like that.

That run will either boost your confidence or give you a reality check. It was nice to see that my fitness hasn’t completely left me high and dry. I am looking forward to some big runs later this month and now at least, I know that I can survive although it may be a bit more work than I originally planned.

The rest of the weekend consisted of bikes and more bikes. We went on a family bike ride on Saturday evening followed by a few races for Vans and the girls on Sunday morning/afternoon.

There is a bike series near by called Race Behind Bars bike series where you get to ride your bike on some amazing trails that are around Folsom Prison. I’ve run these trails last year and will again for the trail runner version of this same breakout series.

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The girls and I sat and watched Vans complete 3 big loops around the prison grounds. We tried to entertain ourselves between each loop.

When Vans finished his race, it was time for the kids races! The girls decided at the last minute that they wanted to sign up and do the race. I was blown away because usually, racing events is not exactly their “thing” … but today, they were excited.

Mom signing the papers and release of liability haha

Are you ready ..... — The girls were ready ….. and easy to see in PINK.

They kids stood on the starting line. The MC guy came by and asked them all for their name and age. The Peanut proudly said her name and age over the loud speaker . Squeaker however, just whispered that she was 3. 🙂 She was the only one on a strider bike and I do believe that my girls were the only two GIRLS in the entire race. 🙂 (proud mama for sure)

The Peanut did awesome. She is handling her bike so much better and I do believe she actually had fun. She almost passed a boy coming into the finish shoot.

Squeaker had to use her legs since strider bikes do not have pedals. She ran and ran and ran. Vans ran along side her too wearing his mountain bike shoes AND mountain bike helmet still. 🙂

I am not exactly sure how long their race was but I do know that they had to go down this hill and then back up. It was a mixture of paved bike path, grass and dirt.

The finish line was just busting with cheers for all the kids (and dads) making their way into the finish line. My heart melted a little bit when the Peanut stood at the finish cheering her sister’s name.

Both girls finished and both were smiling ear to ear (and also very thirsty). Squeaker despite being on the strider bike, did not come in last! You go girl!

After the bike racing was over, we headed over to the Folsom Zoo area and just hung out with friends, having a picnic and watching the kids play on the play ground. There were also wild peacocks walking about … I was so not loving that part.

Overall, it was a fantastic weekend spent outside the majority of the time being active as a family. I love weekends like these. Yes I have mountain of chores and errands to do still, but I love seeing my family so happy. Get outside. Your body and mind will thank you.

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

PS: I want to send many many Trailmomma vibes to my training partner Pigeon! She is running Quicksiler 100K this weekend. I won’t be out there cheering in person, but I will definitely be sending as much positive energy as I can muster to help carry her! Go Pigeon Go!

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