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Everyone: “You’re going all the way to Colorado … for a HALF marathon?!”
Me: “You betcha! I am not going to miss the Trail Sisters inaugural race! Besides, who doesn’t want to go adventure in Colorado!?” 🙂
With that, I boarded a plane on a Thursday and flew two hours to Denver ready to have my own little momventure in the mountains.
I have been supporting and following Trail Sisters since it started in 2016. Gina, the founder, is one of the most motivating and encouraging people on the planet. She has inspired so many women to get out on the trails and run.
I was fortunate enough to meet Gina for the first time at Western States a few years back and then again the following year. She’s pretty incredible. It was a no brainer when I saw that this dream of hers was about to come to fruition. I was going to make the trek and be part of it.
The flight from NorCal to Denver was about two hours. It was uneventful (minus the airborne pacifier that hit me in the head from a kid who was terribly unhappy on the plane).
Once I landed, I navigated my way to my rental car and made the 2.5 to 3 hour drive to Buena Vista, Colorado.
Had to stop on the drive and capture this amazing sunset.
Buena Vista sits at about 8,000 feet, something that will come into play later during the race.
It is a beautiful little town situated between the Collegiate Peaks and the Arkansas River in south central Colorado. I had never been there before this trip.
East Main Street, BV
The drive started out with some Denver rush-hour traffic but luckily, I think I caught the tail end of it. Once I left the Denver area, it was smooth sailing until I reached my tiny AirBnB studio.
I grabbed some dinner from House Rock, which came highly recommended and it did not disappoint. I actually ate there twice during my visit I enjoyed it that much.
House Rock Salad
Friday morning I woke up bright and early (despite the 1 hour time difference). I had been given some hiking/running recommendations as a “must see” pre-race adventure, so I hopped in my little Jeep Compass rental and headed 20 minutes or so out of Buena Vista.
Hello 12,000 feet of elevation! Words cannot express how incredible these views were. I am inclined to let the photos do the talking. I hiked a total of 5 miles here. I would have gone more but I kept reminding myself that I had a race the next morning.
There were a few people on the trail at the start but other than that, I was pretty much solo my entire hike out and back.
Solitude on the single track
If you are ever in the area, this is definitely 100% worth the stop. The altitude wasn’t really bothering me too much either but I also wasn’t running a ton. I was hiking because I was afraid I would trip as I was trying to soak up all that was around me.
Seriously incredible.
When I finally got to the top of the mountain, or one of the many mountains there, I decided I should probably call it a day so as not to tire myself out too much.
Just a tad bit happy here.
One thing I did not take into consideration however, was the sun and how close I was to it and how powerful it is. I wore a hat, but typical Pam, I wore it mostly backwards. So be warned, the sun is strong up here … my red face later that day was evidence enough.
Repping one of the original TS tanks.
After the hike, it was time to head to packet pickup and grab my race schwag which, as you’ll see was pretty awesome.
The packet pickup was located at this park in an area called South Main. I walked there from my studio. It is also the location of the start and finish. I am glad that I walked as it made me realize that the next morning, I should definitely drive to the start vs walking as it was a tad farther than I realized.
Gina, founder and race director extraordinaire, was handing out the race packets and bibs. She was excited to see me and was happy I was in her town. I grabbed my sweet canvas Trail Sisters bag and headed over to this adorable little spot in the park and just relaxed and watched the women interact with Gina as they picked up their bags.
To say Gina has touched a lot of women is an understatement. Just hearing the joy emanating from the women she greeted was amazing.
As I was sitting there, I received a text from my coach (and friend) Sandi. She had headed into town from her home 2.5 hours away, just to see me! I’ve “known” Sandi since 2017 but I had never met her in person.
We agreed to meet for dinner and for her to play tour guide around Buena Vista (she lived here quite a few years ago).
Mount Antero
She drove to a trail head where we could see Mount Antero and the Chalk Cliffs and then we hiked a little bit to see the Agnes Vaille Waterfall. Sandi is a great tour guide. She explained that Agnes Vaille was a mountain climber/expolorer in the 1920’s who attempted the ascent of the east face of Long’s Peak (in 1925). Apparently she summited but on the descent, she fell and died and her training partner named the waterfall after her.
Ignore my goofy grin. I was beyond excited to meet this woman.
We had dinner at the Simple Eatery on East Main Street. We both had the Carrot Coconut Soup. It was too dark to take a photo but believe me when I say it was delicious and ended up being the perfect (for me) pre race meal.
She dropped me off at my AirBnB and the activity of the day hit me, I was ready for bed and excited to run the Trail Sisters Half Marathon, the very next morning.
I drove to the start and parked in the super convenient dirt lot just steps away from the starting line.
Being that this was an all women’s race … I was worried the porta potty lines would be long but nope, all was good! Everyone was smiling and in good spirits. It was chilly but not cold and it was predicted to warm up mid race. I went with shorts and a tank top and I was really glad that I did.
Since the race fell on September 11th, the 20th anniversary of the Twin Tower attacks, we had a moment of silence at the start, followed by the National Anthem.
Everyone was super polite. No one wanted to start too close to the starting line or get in anyone’s way.
Gina counted us down and we were off!
Only the first few yards were on pavement and then we turned onto this bridge and headed towards the hills and mountains.
The course was uphill after you crossed the bridge. Everyone was super excited and running at a pretty good pace. One woman behind me yelled, “Um, this is typically a walking hill!” Which created a wave of laughter … but yet no one stopped to walk!
My legs, despite my marathon of hiking and walking the day before, felt great but it was my lungs that hit me. It immediately felt like I was breathing through a straw. Never mind the fact, that having come from northern California, my lungs had been inundated with smoke from the local fires we’ve been facing. I had not run much leading up to this race either because of our terrible and dangerous air quality. Boy, I felt it.
View during the early miles
I did power hike my way up quite a bit trying to get my breathing under control. For me, it really helps to breathe in through my nose and out my mouth and just focus on calming myself and my breath down. Sorry to those women around me who must have thought I was going through labor! 🙂
It worked though and I was able to sort of regulate myself to a pace that allowed me to run more than hike.
The trails were gorgeous. There were a lot of rollers up and down, some climbing over boulders and some amazing single track. The course was also really well marked with orange ribbons and yellow flags. I would say, that there were only a few times where I had to pause and look for the ribbon/flag and most of those times, it was up and over a rock.
single track heaven
All the runners eventually spread out pretty well that I did find myself running alone or just slightly behind one or two runners. It was fun to hear some of the stories. For quite a few, this was their first trail race and first half!
My favorite story of the race is one woman apparently dropped her phone on course. Another runner not only picked it up and brought it to the finish, they took PHOTOS for this person of the course along the way so she’d have a memory of the race! How sweet is that? Only in an all women’s race do I think that would happen.
I was feeling pretty good and it was getting quite warm. The entire race I had been sipping on Unived’s Elite Wild Watermelon drink mix. It’s my favorite and tends sit well in my stomach.
Around mile 6 or so I took a Spring Energy Awesome Sauce gel. I will say, I’ve never been a gel person having really ruined my stomach years ago when gels first hit the running scene. I had never even taken a Spring Energy gel in a race before this.
This (and no, I am not sponsored) was really good! I think if I had the forethought to toss it in the freezer before the race, it would have been even better. This gel tasted great but also had a texture that I could handle (one of my issues with gels). Best of all, it never upset my stomach, not even post race (my other issue with gels – um hello gu poo!) Definitely a fan so far and look forward to longer miles/races to see if it continues to work for me. At some point (I forget when), I also took a salt tab.
This was my favorite section of the race!
With some new found energy (thanks to some fuel), I started running a bit faster and passed a few people here and there. Most times, they caught up with me again later but always pleasant, always cheering and encouraging myself or the other runners. I am pretty sure that almost everyone, despite how they were feeling in the heat and altitude, were smiling while they were running.
Finally we hit the long dirt road stretch that Gina had warned us about. I was actually excited to get here so that I could finally find a stride. The course really is a bit technical with a lot of up and down that finding a smooth stride was hard for me. Prior to this race, I’ve recovered from a calf tear and then more recently, an ankle sprain just the week before. This nice gravel road made it so that could run more evenly and consistently. It lasted about a mile and a quarter before we turned left and headed down towards the finish.
I was really excited thinking that the final miles were mostly downhill. There were a few rollers but not enough to kick the wind out of my sail knowing that I would be crossing that finish line in a short while.
Photo credit : Sandi
The finish was perfect. You crossed a bridge, made a right turn and had lots of people cheering you towards that finish line where Gina, the race director and founder of Trail Sisters greeted every.single.finisher with a high-five or a hug.
Photo Credit : Sandi – ALSO, the look on my face says it all! Darn altitude! 🙂
What a race! What an adventure! Seriously could not have asked for a more beautiful day either.
Because she is awesome and the sweetest, Sandi came to watch me finish and we sat near the finish chatting and cheering on the runners as they came in.
Even though this is the first time we’ve met in person, I feel like I’ve known Sandi forever. We have a lot of similarities and both really enjoy being outside, adventuring and most of all we both love animals.
I am so grateful that she came to meet up with me and cheer me on during the race. Truly, the core of the meaning behind Trail Sisters. Thank you Sandi!
Gina thanking her other half and trail Mister for all his help with Trail Sisters
After the race, right near the finish, we had an awards ceremony and a raffle! I am the worst when it comes to raffles and in classic Pam style, didn’t win a darn thing. It’s okay, my heart was already full. Nothing could have taken away from that.
After the raffle, I made sure to refuel and stopped yet again to get the House Rock Salad with a side of quinoa.
The final piece of Gina’s dream for this event, was a post race social. She made it happen.
We gathered at a place near her home, in front of a nice fire pit and enjoyed some snacks and drinks. It was perfect. Gina was glowing, as she should be. She had just put on a stellar event, one that I think will only get bigger and better next year.
Gina chatting with everyone
Thank you Gina and thank you Trail Sisters! And ladies, if you are looking for an adventure or a momventure, this race is it! It was all parts exciting, relaxing, breath taking and fun. Keep an eye out for the race in 2022 and mark your calendars, believe me, you won’t want to miss it!
“pssst! Honey, wake up. I kind of had an accident in the kitchen. I tried to clean it up but I have to leave for my race now … I am SO sorry!” Not the best way to start a race but it sure added some excitement. 🙂
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I have run the FOURmidable 50k twice before. Once in 2017 before it was a USATF race and then again in 2018 when it was a USATF race … and it was insanely muddy that year. I love this race because it really gives you a test of where you are training-wise on some beautiful familiar trails.
The attempted clean up of my early morning disaster.
While the house was quiet and I was waiting for Not Chris to pick me up, I started putting together my race pack which means sticking my soft-flask that was filled with Unived Wild Watermelon drink mix into my race vest. I love using soft-flasks for the lightness of them but man, the same thing that happened to me at Canyons, happened in the middle of my kitchen.
This is how it went down: I try to gently squeeze the full bottle into the pack while covering the nozzle with my mouth so that the liquid wouldn’t shoot out when I squeeze it. Well, the nozzle on my soft-flask popped off in my mouth and the bottle became more or less a fountain shooting up, out and everywhere! You can’t really stop it either because the pressure from the vest is so much that it really just looks like a hose in your face. Needless to say, my kitchen floor was a sweet sticky mess. Sorry Vans!
I am normally a solid food runner when it comes to ultra races but I’ve been trying to experiment more with gels lately and this race, was going to be my gel race test. It also helps that I am a Unived Ambassador . I absolutely love their drink mixes and their recovery mixes but the gels are something I am not entirely used to using but I am working on it.
What is awesome about FOURmidable is the start time … 8 am!!! That’s later than when we normally run so it took some getting used to when it came to timing my breakfast (Picky Bars Can’t Beet Chocolate oatmeal for the win as usual). It was super chilly at the Auburn Overlook race morning because of the wind, but I knew it would warm up so I went with a tank top and shorts to start.
The race bibs are distributed right before the start of the race. I was lucky enough to see and say “hi” to a few friends I haven’t seen in forever when I was picking up my number. Soon enough though, it was time to line up and get ready to run.
The plan going into this race for me was: Treat this as a long training run – practice fueling and work on form. I’d say part of that held true. 🙂
At 8 am we were off and running down to the bottom of Cardiac. The trail meanders around a little bit but I noticed quite early on that my legs felt a little stiff. I had battled all week with a stomach/gluten contamination issue so I had not run much all week and I was feeling that in the beginning. Luckily gravity helped so I just let it pull me.
Not Chris took off like he stole something and was never seen again. He had been looking forward to this race and had trained pretty well with intentions to beat a certain time. Needless to say, he crushed it … and I just let him go.
The climb up Cardiac was brutal as always. That is never an easy climb for me for some reason. My breathing took some time to get under control and for 3/4 of the climb, I was leading a pack of runners who didn’t want to pass. I offered, they declined. Finally near the top, a little annoyed at the closeness (and my inability to breathe), I moved aside and let three or four of them go ahead of me.
The first aid-station is mile at mile 5.4 at Gate 142. I had decided that I’d take a gel but not stop. I smiled and thanked all the volunteers who were cheering for us excited to make the descent down to No Hands Bridge which has been our training ground the last month.
The gel I took however, a different flavor than I had taken before the start of the race, just hit my stomach the wrong way. I immediately felt some stomach discomfort. I quickly wondered if maybe I should consume the same flavors during a race (total gel newbie here)? There was nothing I could do and it wasn’t hindering my running that much, just a little uncomfortable.
You run up and around Robie Point, one of the historic sections on the Western States Trail and then you make your way to No Hands Bridge.
Stomach wasn’t too bad – still smiling
When I reached No Hands Bridge (Mile 9.6) Aid-Station, I battled internally if I should stop and use the porta potty here. I went for it. Prior to this moment, I had been solo on the trails for quite some time but while taking care of business, I heard runners coming in and it kind of defeated me for a minute.
I quickly shook it off. I felt 100 times better for having stopped. I then grabbed some fuel and made my way up to K2 (aka Training Hill) for another brutal but familiar climb. When I was training for last year’s Broken Arrow Sky race, I spent a lot of time on this hill. I know every nook and cranny inside and out. I just put my head down, engaged my glutes like I’ve been told and motored up. I passed a few runners on this climb.
The next aid-station isKnickerbocker 1 at mile 13.4. Still feeling pretty good, I took another gel and had zero problems. Maybe it was just that one flavor after all? I didn’t waste any time at the aid-station as I was eager to get to the downhill that leads to the old dam and another familiar climb.
I felt pretty good on the switch back climb up the dam. The old giant bird’s nest that was pointed out to me in 2017, was still there though no longer occupied. There were no runners near me this year for me to point it out to them. It is really a sight to see.
When I reached the top and the tiny bit of paved section of the course, I decided to run. I was feeling pretty good and it was getting warm.
You come back to Knickerbocker Aid-Station again from a different angle at mile 18 and when I did, I was greeted by two of the nicest guys! One of them was a fellow Topo Athletic Ambassador! Finally we get to meet face to face. Nice to meet you Chris!
Once again, barely taking any time I was off headed to the dreaded stream crossing. I’d been dry the whole race and while normally I don’t mind stream crossings, I just wasn’t thrilled about getting wet at that moment.
When I got to the bottom, I quickly looked at the crossing. It was considerably lower than in years past but definitely above the ankles. I noticed some rocks off to the side, decided against trying to balance on them. Knowing me, I’d slip and crack my head open so I waded in. Suddenly right behind me some dude comes by and just dances across the rocks.
He looked me and I said, “Show off!” He laughed he said he really didn’t want to get wet! I said, “I didn’t either but I would have totally fallen in if I had tried that.” We laughed and then made our way up the hill.
The back side of this race is absolutely beautiful but it was sunny and getting warm. I typically really enjoy the sun and the heat but this was the first ‘warm’ day of the season so it took a little out of me I think initially.
I had to pause for some horseback riders at one point, they were super gracious and nice and told me that I did not have to pull to the side but that “horse has the right of way” etiquette is ingrained in me.
Once again, I found myself relatively alone this entire time. I ran into a set of hikers who said, “Wow! You have the biggest smile we’ve seen yet!” That made me feel great and totally gave me a boost. I’d been slowing slightly through this section, I think the heat partially getting to me and I started thinking about my mom. 26 years ago to the day, she passed away from a massive and unexpected heart attack. She was 47 years old. I am 43 and it just hit me that I was running a 50k race something she’d never been able to do and I knew, that my two girls were at the end waiting for me to cross that finish line. Some how, my mom gave me a boost from above and I started running. Thanks mom.
Mile 23.4 is the Cool Aid-Station. I dropped some trash here and continued on. I was eager to get to the roller-coaster trail, one of my favorites in Cool.
As soon as we entered the start of roller coaster I took off. I felt like I was moving faster than I probably was but I managed to pass 4 runners here and made my way back to No Hands Aid-Station (mile 27.2). Once I was there, I knew in my head that there were only 4 miles to the finish and I was eager to get there.
I walked across the bridge fueling and trying to recover a little from the downhill push. Earlier in the day, I had met a nice guy from Reno who was running his first FOURmidable. I ran into him again on No Hands, his stomach having taken a turn.
Together he and I yoyo’d down the trail chit chatting when we were close enough. He was super nice and remained positive despite not feeling very well. I loved that.
When we finally made the sharp left to head down to the river, I was on fire. I could smell the barn and once again, I took off. Reno stayed close and asked some questions about the finish hill … like “Are you going to run it?” I told him, “I never have but my kids are there today and I am going to try!”
We soon separated and I just kept motoring on. The finish line seemed to never want to appear. Finally, I knew I was on the last long final climb of the race. I passed a few dudes, one guy was hiking down and cheered us on. I knew I was close to my 2017 time but I wasn’t sure I was going to make it but I was however within distance of beating my 2018 time (which happens to be the same course – 2017 had a slightly different course).
Then, I saw my girls racing down the hill to greet me! They cheered me on! I told them I was going to run so my 11 year old (Peanut) joined me.
Seriously one of the happiest moments ever and I am so grateful Vans caught it. She ran and said, “Woah, this is tough!” 🙂 I just said, “Just keep going. No stopping!”
She left me at the finish shoot but cheered me in all the way from the sideline along with her sister.
Happy to be done but even more happy that my girls were there to watch me finish.
Not Chris was there too. He’d been done a while as he kicked butt like I knew he would. He had a great race and I am so proud of him.
Post race, I enjoyed a Sufferfest beer (thanks Michael!) and cheered on all the other runners finishing the race. It was such a beautiful sunny day. I even cheered on Reno has he made his way to finish and I gave him a nice high-five. He came back from the dead and finished strong.
Overall, I am happy with my race. I didn’t execute as planned – this was supposed to be a training run and I guess I pushed a little harder than I thought that I would but I felt good and went with it. I did set a new PR for myself (on this course) and I finished 11th female overall which surprised me but hey, I’ll take it.
Clearly I have some things to work on. Perhaps that one flavor of gel just isn’t for me? I also think a combination of gels and solid food may help too. I do like the ease of taking gels and my Unived drink mix continues to work in my favor – minus when it shoots out of my bottle. 🙂 By the way, I have found the solution to that problem since the race . Fingers crossed my new locking soft-flask works. Vans was pretty understanding about the mess he woke up to and in turn, cleaned ALL the floors in the house while I was racing. Win win. 🙂
Thanks for reading this monstrosity. It has been a while since I’ve blogged and being brief is not my strong suit. 🙂 Oh and a special thank you to Single Track Running & The Aid-Station in Auburn for a great race.
Happy Trails!
~Trailmomma
I’d like to thank the companies that continue to support me and whose products I stand behind and use:
Topo Athletic – I ran this race in their Ultraventure model. I love the company and this shoe and I was super stoked to see a lot of runners wearing Topos on the course.
Picky Bars – Can’t Beet Chocolate Oatmeal is my pre-race go-to and their Fudge Nut Bars save me so many times when I am running to coach practice. My kids also love them and usually eat them before I can get to them. I have been a long time Picky Bar fan and now I am one of their AmBADASSadors. 🙂
Unived – The Wild Watermelon drink mix is my absolute favorite but I do use and enjoy all of their drink mix flavors. Pre Fourmidable, I took a Black Cherry gel and one of my other favorites is the Orange Twist! I also really love their Recovery Mixes – Chocolate Turmeric being my number one favorite.
Sage Running – My coach, my friend and my sounding board. Always supportive and encouraging. They have helped me tremendously over the years.
Normally I get my race reports up pretty quickly after a race when all the memories are fresh in my brain but this year, the California International Marathon just kind of came and went without too much hoopla.
For the first time in about 3 or 4 years, I ran CIM solo and I went to the race expo solo. Having just run Pine to Palm 100 a little over two months ago, I really had no “plans” for CIM other than to just enjoy the day, finish it and complete CIM #11.
This year, due to some construction downtown, the CIM race expo was held at the old Arco Arena. Not super convenient to get to but definitely much easier to park the car. I made quick use of the expo. I got my bib, a small massage on my calves and then visited Michael at the Sufferfest booth. Vans and I have run into Michael 4 or 5 times over the course of the year at various races or events. He was making hats for runners this year at the expo and assured me that Sufferfest would be at the finish line!
The Saturday before the marathon was a bit of a crazy day. I woke up early, attended the Western States Lottery (didn’t get called) and missed my daughter and team’s soccer game because it was at the same time as the lottery. The minute the last lottery card was pulled I jetted from Auburn to my other daughter’s three game basketball tournament in Rocklin. I spent the remainder of the day/evening there.
When race morning arrived, I felt rested but didn’t have that excitement that I normally have probably because I wasn’t sure what the day would bring since I was running alone.
My pre race breakfast was a half a cup of coffee and Picky Bars Can’t Beet Chocolate Oatmeal. This stuff is awesome and packed with calories for long distance running. Sounds crazy … beets and chocolate but it is SO good.
Like always, Tigger T came to pick me up and brought me to the race start. I love the laughs we have and the memories of past races we share when we do this. I’ve ran with Tigger T a few years ago during the coldest CIM in (my) history. We still laugh at the crazy fun we had that race. I also met her friend Tiffany who was doing her FIRST full CIM. I love meeting people who are running their first marathon. Their excitement is contagious and that is just what I needed.
Race Start
The whole weekend had been dumping rain and most of the runners for CIM were anticipating a full 26.2 miles in the rain. Instead, the marathon gods shone down and we only had a few sprinkles at the start and then beautiful weather the rest of the race!
After saying goodbye and good luck to Tigger T and Tiffany, I made my way to the race corral. Here I had to pick a predicted finish time so I could place myself on the appropriate side of the corral.
As I was standing there listening to the conversations around me, I recognized a voice. I turned to my right and realized I was standing next to Tim Twietmeyer, the 3:40 pace group leader. Something flickered in my head … “Could I? … Could I hold a 3:40 pace with zero training…on pavement? … 3:40 would be a BQ I think … Could I?” I quickly shut those thoughts down, “Be smart. That wasn’t the goal. You don’t want to end up injured. Just run for fun.” The internal struggle was real. 🙂
Finally the race started and all the runners shuffled their way to the timing mats. Once I crossed the mat, I just tried to get a comfortable pace and avoid being stepped on by everyone jostling for position.
The first mile I clocked just below an 8:30 pace. I thought to myself, “That didn’t seem too fast. I feel okay. Comfortable. I’ll just sit at this pace for a while.” The miles seem to click by one by one and I just kept running. Every so often I would glance at my splits and somehow, I kept them consistently just under an 8:30 pace, “Wow. I wonder if I could hold 8:30 the entire race? If I could, that would get a me a decent PR!” This is what happens when I run alone. It is like I have an angel on one shoulder saying one thing and the devil on the other saying the complete opposite. Right about now, the angel must have been tying her shoe laces because I kept that 8:30 pace for the first 15 miles!
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Then, at mile 15 my shoe came untied, then I ran out of water and had to fill up and I took some fuel. That wast my first 9+ minute mile of the race … “That’s okay. See if you can bring it back to 8:30 … but man, I am starting to feel tired …. is that my hamstring that’s aching … glutes, think about your glutes. Sandi would say focus on your glutes!“
I got pretty close to bringing it back down to a sub 9 minute mile but I never got close to 8:30 again. The wheels as they say, were starting to come unhinged.
Mile 20 is usually where I see Vans and my kids but not this year. This year I was missing yet another soccer game because of CIM and they wouldn’t make it in time to see me cross mile 20. Mentally, that was a little tough because I love seeing them there. Actually, I only saw one or two familiar faces out there this year but I do think the crowds of cheering spectators, especially through those Carmichael miles was way bigger than in years past. Way to go spectators!
The climb up the J street bridge is tough but this year, the music was pumping and the cheering was SO loud it almost brought tears to my eyes. It gave me a little boost that quickly faded as my right ankle started to ache.
An old injury that I had surgery on in 2013, started to make itself known so in an effort to keep myself in check, I slowed my pace down considerably. There went my PR but I’d rather finish without an injury. Still, my ankle was screaming as I made my way down J Street.
When I made the turn onto Alhambra and knew that I had less than 2 miles to go. I tried to pick up the pace once again. I knew I was close to the 4 hour mark and the competitive (aka the devil) side of me would have loved another sub 4 finish but the realistic side (aka my angel) was reminding me that I had just run a 100 miler two months ago AND I had not even trained for this so don’t be greedy and stupid. The angel won but only because I couldn’t get my legs to move any faster.
I crossed the finish line and just smiled. I was happy to be done and the first thought in my head was, “Dang! That was tougher than my 100 miler!” 🙂 Road races are no joke and they can be extremely hard both physically and mentally. The pavement is not forgiving but CIM is tradition and I was so happy that I completed my 11th CIM (17th marathon total). While I much prefer running CIM with someone (ideally someone running their first marathon), I was pleased at what I was able to sustain out there even if it wasn’t my intended plan. It led me to … “What if? What if I actually trained for this? What if focused on a BQ?” I love the trails too much though I think to leave them. Who knows, maybe some day.
Once I got my medal and my CIM finisher’s water bottle (woot woot Sacramento Running Association for the NO single use plastics at the finish – I love it!), I made my way to the beer tent. Every runner is allowed a free finisher’s beer (Sierra Nevada) but this year, for the first time in 11 CIM’s .. I was able to partake in that finisher’s beer because they also had Sufferfest!
It was a good thing too because Vans and the kids took a while to get to the finish to pick me up so I just hung out in the beer garden chatting with other runners and trying to stretch out my incredibly tight and very tired legs.
My two girls showed up to bring me home! My biggest CIM fan (psst, nice hat).
I love the California International Marathon. It’s just a great race with the best volunteers and spectators but it isn’t as easy as many might think. Happy to have #11 under my belt and I am already looking forward to next year. Anyone want to run their first CIM with me? 🙂
“Has anyone seen a flag in the last five miles?” …. “Nope. Are we lost?” Not what you want to hear the first 10 miles into a 100 mile race. But let’s back up and start from the beginning shall we?
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As a (hobby) blogger, I love to read blogs and race reports. In 2012 I read Jen Benna’s Pine to Palm race report and fell in love with this race. That report planted the seed in my brain and through the years it has grown until finally, at some point, I decided, it was time to run my first hundred and to make it a memorable one, I chose Pine to Palm in the beautiful state of Oregon. Go big or go home right?
Training had gone exceptionally well. I ran Canyons back in April as my Western States qualifier because I wanted to run Pine to Palm for me. I did not want the added pressure of needing a qualifier. I ran this race for me and the challenge alone. My coach was 100% supportive of this and believed that I could do it too.
Finding a crew to drive to Oregon with me would be easy. All I had to do was tell Stonegate and Not Chris that I had signed up and they were practically packed and ready to go. Stonegate in particular had been waiting patiently for this moment for years. Burning Girl rounded out the crew and I could not have had a better group of friends behind me for this adventure.
Race week was filled with lots of excitement. Typical taper tantrums were in full flux. Every ache or pain was causing mini freak-outs in my head. My kids’ schedule was out of control as I found myself driving all over the place and work was also pretty crazy at the time. When it rains it pours right? All I could do was remember to breathe, trust my training and try to get decent sleep and food as much as possible.
Thursday before the race, I loaded Stonegate’s car with all that I thought I would need and we hit the road to Oregon. The best part about traveling with friends, is they helped keep me calm and relaxed. It was almost game time and while I joked with them about puking because I was nervous, they kept me laughing the entire drive.
We arrived in Jacksonville at our hotel and learned there was an Alpaca/Winery just a few miles down the road. Say what?! We didn’t even unload, we hopped back in the car after a 5 hour drive and drove straight to see the Alpacas … and have a few sips of wine. It is exactly what I needed to calm my nerves and these Alpacas were the best!! I even got a kiss!
Seriously one of the best times ever with my friends. We laughed, talked and explored the grounds making it the perfect start to our journey.
Friday morning we had serious recon plans. First we wanted to find Pacifica Gardens where packet pickup was going to be held later in the day, then we found the start location, next the first crew aid-station spot and then finally the road that leads to the second crew aid-station spot. We did all of this because it helped calm my crew to know exactly where we had to go at 4:00 am the next morning .. in the dark and because the area of Williams is pretty remote. It also helped me visualize the start of the race.
Pacifica Gardens is the coolest place. When we arrived back later in the day for packet pickup, it was all decked out in Rogue Valley Runners and Pine to Palm 100 signs making the reality of what I was about to do, come to life. Up until this point, it didn’t seem real, not yet, but seeing other runners, seeing Hal and actually picking up my bib changed all that. It was however, still very low key and down to Earth. Another bonus of doing this race.
Call it fate, luck or just a coincidence, when I approached the check in table, my bib was sitting on the very top of the pile, number 59 …. “That’s me. Right there on top.” I said to the guy as he checked me off the list. Next stop, medical where I had to fill out a contact sheet for emergencies and get my bracelet that I would wear for the next two days.
Last stop was drop bags. I had to leave what I thought I would need during the race for locations that crew could not reach me. Then, it was time to wait … and wait … wait for the pre race meeting.
Admittedly, my biggest concern about this race was getting lost. I’ve heard the stories, I’ve read the blogs and from what I could tell, it was very easy to get lost and getting lost was not something I was wanting to experience. Prior to the race, we were told that volunteers had hung over 700 ribbons throughout the course about a 1/4 mile apart each for confidence. That made me feel 100 times better and Hal reinforced that during his pre race meeting.
We left the meeting, headed back to the hotel connected with Not Chris who had flown into Medford and went over the race start and plan of attack. After that, nothing left for me to do but go to bed.
Sleep didn’t come quickly but it did come or felt like it did a little at least but I was awake before the alarm went off ready to get this show on the road.
The drive to the start was 35 minutes from our hotel. My crew played my pump up music and did everything they could to keep me calm. I was quiet but I appreciated their excitement.
We were one of the first cars in the quarry parking lot and I was the first to use a “fresh” porta potty. I had an hour to kill before we had to line up at the starting arch and I must have hit that porta potty a million times the nerves doing loop-de-loops in my stomach.
Finally it was time, Hal counted us down and we were off and just like that, my nerves went away … this was just another race. One foot in front of the other was all that I had to do. Just.keep.moving.
Start (mile 0) to Seattle Bar Aid-Station (mile 28.5)
You start on a fire road that goes up hill. Here I mixed up power hiking and running. Everyone around me seemed to do the same. When we reached the top of the hill where you veer right to hit the single track, I realized I had made it just as Hal, the race director, was pulling over in his truck with water. This was our first “aid-station” of the day though it came much earlier than expected. My pack was still full so I just continued on the trail behind a bunch of other runners as you go down a nice soft single track.
We had headlamps and the sun was rising yet the trees here are still too dense to let much light come through. One thing I noticed very early on in this race, was that everyone, and I do mean everyone, had hiking poles! I, however, did not. I am not a fan of poles. I understand the benefit of using them but I find that the more races I have done where people had poles, the more people do not know how to use them. I was poked or jabbed or a pole ended up in my shoe more times than I can count.
I tried to focus on finding flags but the terrain was so nice that it was more natural just to follow the runner in front of me … up…down…up…down. Finally, after a good solid period of hiking up hill, I noticed, that we had not seen a flag in a very long time. We were maybe 10 miles into the race and we were supposed to be (I thought) at the top of Grayback Mountain by now. I was in a line with 10 other runners when I posed the question, “Has anyone seen a flag in a while?” Silence. “Has anyone else run this race before.” I received 10 “Nope. This is my first 100.” … in return. Finally, at what looked like the top of Grayback (as I have seen from YouTube videos and other blogs) we all paused to discuss. Some pulled out maps. Finally, a runner approached us from behind and I said,”Have you run this before?” He said that he had and that they probably couldn’t hang ribbons on this section because of protected land. Whatever. I was just happy to hear we were on the right track. In reality, there really were NO other off-shoots or sections but the quarter mile confidence ribbon reference was still fresh in our minds from the meeting the night before.
The top of Grayback Mountain
Downhill came next and it was glorious! That is until I felt an excruciating pain shoot up my left forearm. I looked down and there was a yellow jacket sitting there stinging and biting me. Holy crap that hurt! I flicked it off my arm and just kept going. My arm started to swell and burn but I didn’t want to stop. Twelve miles into a 100 mile race and I was just stung by a yellow jacket. What the heck?!
I entered the O’Brien Creek Aid-Station (mile 14.5) and a sweet volunteer took me aside and told me I was third female. WHAT!? I actually laughed and choked on water at the same time. It was way too early to have that kind of chatter but he was sweet. He filled my bottles, I found my drop bag and then was quickly on my way.
Steamboat Ranch Aid-Station (mile 21.5) was next. Here I had found a nice group of runners who were into walking and running stretches. We had a nice time chatting about all the races we’ve done. I met Eve from Phoenix, Ryan from the Bay Area , Holger from Edmonton, Canada and another guy from Portland whose name I never caught. Together we all ran and just had a nice time each of us eager to get to the next aid-station where our crew would be waiting.
Seattle Bar Aid-Station (mile 28.5) appeared like a dream after a little stretch on some hot pavement. I saw Not Chris up ahead hooping and hollering for me. He was a sight for sore eyes. I was in good spirits and nothing was wrong at all, I was just eager to see my friends and get some ice!
Like a fine tuned machine, my crew met me, handed me a cup of water to drink and sat me down to remove rocks from my shoes. Stonegate poured ice down my sports bra and wrapped an ice bandanna around my neck. It wasn’t horribly hot but the next section up Stein Butte was notorious for chewing up and spitting out runners who were not ready for some exposed hot trail.
My favorite photo ever.
Seattle Bar was such a lively aid-station. Not Chris was showing me were I had to check out and I saw Eve from Phoenix sitting there and I called to her. She hopped up and joined me and Not Chris across the field and under the bridge. Holger also ran up and joined us. It was nice to have some company.
Stein Butte Aid-Station (mile 35) to Hanley Gap Aid-Station (mile 52)
The climb up Stein Butte was not too bad at first. I had expected something a lot worse. Both Eve and Holger had poles. Their uphill was strong. Mine was starting to slow a little and I took that as a moment to have more calories. Soon, I lost sight of the two of them and I was by myself just power hiking as much as I could. It was a solid 6 miles up hill. Then we entered a section I had been warned about, Elliott’s Tract and man-alive that section was brutal.
Top of Stein Butte
The top of Stein Butte, though hot, was pretty gorgeous. I had to stop and take a photo. I tried eating more calories but the sun and heat were making it a bit difficult. At one point I had found Holger and Eve again. We all entered the Stein Butte Aid-Station (Mile 35) together.
I made quick use of it because I wanted to get to the next aid-station desperately to see my crew. I left without Holger and Eve.
The downhill into Squaw Lakes 1 (mile 41) was AMAZING! It was shady, soft and just the sweetest single track ever. The forest was also incredibly quiet! Not even a bird could be heard. I was bombing it and I even commented on how awesome and quiet the trail was and another runner agreed. Together he and I were super excited to get to Squaw Lakes and see our crew. Stonegate was at the top and she let out a big “WHOOP!” when she saw me. My runner friend said, “Awe! That’s going to make me cry!” and so I told Stonegate to cheer for him too and she did. 🙂
Coming into Squaw Lakes
Squaw Lakes is where you come into an aid-station and then have to run 2.5 miles around a lake and then revisit the aid-station and your crew again. My crew did exactly as I had asked them to do. They removed my pack and gave me a handheld to run around the lake with instead. Stonegate was allowed to run the 2.5 mile loop with me which was so nice. We walked and caught up and she had me run some too and try to eat. I shared with her the day so far. This lake is absolutely gorgeous. It was breathtaking. I would love to come back and camp and paddle board some day.
After the loop around the lake (Squaw Lakes 2 (Mile 43.5) I told them I needed a restroom and sure enough, there was one there and it was available. Score! While I had been running, the crew had refilled my pack and was ready to send me off.
The crew had did some recon on the next section of trail and warned me that it was a lot of uphill but that after that, I would see them again at Hanley Gap (mile 52).
After seeing them, I was alone for a long time. My climbing legs seemed to have disappeared completely but I still had my flat and down hill running legs. French Gulch (mile 47) was a water only aid-station which was a little sad only because it meant I would continue to be alone. Eventually some younger ladies passed me on the trail looking really strong. I told them to go get it!
When I came into Hanley Gap Aid-Station (mile 52) I was SO excited to see my crew. They had set up the perfect spot but they shared with me that I had to climb up to Squaw Peak to get a flag and bring it back down and that I had to do so alone.
They had me remove my pack again and handed me my hand held for the 1.5 mile climb up and 1.5 mile climb down. They also handed me baggies of food in hopes that I would eat. What I forgot to bring was my phone. The climb up was pretty relentless. Steep with a lot of switchbacks but on a fire road. You had runners running down with flags so that was exciting to see. I just continued moving, one foot in front of the other.
When I reached the top where the bin of flags were held, the view took my breath away. It was gorgeous and I didn’t have my phone. Probably for the best because it forced me to grab my flag and head back down.
When I reached the bottom my crew whisked me to the side. They massaged my calves, my quads, my hamstrings. They shoved food in my face, covered me in bug spray, gave me my charged headlamp … they were in short, fantastic!
Stonegate walked me out of the aid-station almost a mile. The next time I would see them it would be at Dutchman Peak where I would be able to have Not Chris pace me to the finish. It was all I could focus on.
After she left me, I ran some until all of a sudden I couldn’t. My stomach decided that every downhill step that I took, it would start to rumble. I’d stop to take care of business but nothing would happen. I’d start to run, rumble, stop again, nothing. This happened 8 times total. It was beyond frustrating. My saving grace was the sun had set so at least it was dark and I was alone on the trail.
Squaw Creek Gap Aid-Station (mile 59.5) to Grouse Gap Aid-Station (mile 80)
When I made it to Squaw Creek, I was excited. This was the last solo aid-station of my race. After this, I would have Not Chris with me. While here I ate a banana with a huge slab of peanut butter on top. This really helped my stomach situation. I asked the nice volunteer what was next, and she said, “You go that way, make a right at the parked truck. Then it is 6 miles straight uphill.” Um, what? No sugar coating it. It was going to be brutal.
Prior to this, a lovely trail angel had told my crew to give me a new buff to wear around my neck so that I could cover my face as the 6 miles up to Dutchman is the same fire road that every single car uses to climb the mountain so the smoke and the dust kicked up, was pretty bad. I am so thankful for that bandanna.
The climb up was pretty relentless but we had a full moon which made the sky absolutely beautiful. I just kept moving. I saw hundreds of dead and alive scorpions on the ground on my way up … I also saw a lot of puke from earlier runners.
The climb goes on forever, not going to lie … and at one point you can see the lights of the aid-station but you’re no where near close when you do. Just keep moving.
When I finally reached the top, there are some logistics to figure out. To the left is the aid-station where you need to check in but to the right is all the crew parking. Ryan from the Bay Area had informed us to go left and visit the aid first then go find our crew so that is exactly what I did.
When I reached the aid-station I was handed a cup of warm vegetable broth which was great because the winds blowing around at the top of Dutchman were probably 45 mph. It was also freezing .. if you stood still. The key? Don’t stand still. I found Burning Girl who helped me check in, made me take another cup of broth to go and then led me to our car which was 2 miles away. Yes, 2 miles.
When I finally reached Stonegate’s car it was go-time. Not Chris was ready to pace. I changed into some much needed warmer clothes, switched out to a stronger headlamp and tried to ingest some calories. Soon, Not Chris and I were headed off on the PCT to finish this darn race!
Going from running completely alone for 66 miles to running with a friend, is like Christmas. It was a whole new day for me. I was excited to tell him what I had seen along the way. He was in pure heaven running with me on the PCT. The sky was just littered with stars and as instructed, Not Chris made me pause and look up as much as we could.
The next aid-station was Siskiyou Gap (mile 73.5) and my stomach was doing that wonky thing again where if I tried to run down, it would rumble in an unhappy tone. I had asked for some Tums when I saw the crew but there was so much stuff blowing around from the wind, we all got distracted and I forgot to take one.
When Not Chris and I entered the next aid-station I made sure to ask and some Tums magically appeared. I took one (something I never take but I was desperate to make the stomach issue go away).
It worked. About 30 minutes and one stop later, I felt brand new though it was still hard to ingest anything other than liquid calories. I just knew we had to keep moving to get to Grouse Gap, mile 80 where Stonegate and Burning Girl would be waiting. For me, at this point, I had broken the race down into 10 mile increments. Looking at it that way, made it seem so much easier to conquer.
I came whooping and hollering into Grouse Gap (mile 80) and quickly found my girls. They whisked me over to the fire so I could remove my shoes and take out some stones while simultaneously feeding me some veggie broth.
Grouse Gap
The runners already at this aid-station looked like death warmed over. I wondered briefly if I looked that bad. I didn’t feel that bad, tired but not like death. I wanted out so I stood up ready to go when Burning Girl mentioned some “vegan treats” at the aid-station.
“Holy crap! I forgot! The balls!” Earlier in the week, a volunteer had posted to us runners that they had made gluten free vegan rice crispy balls – and they even used fresh new pans to avoid contamination (not intentionally but it worked). I ran back to the aid-station and asked about the balls and sure enough, they had some (I mean, how many gluten free vegan runners are there in a 100 mile race? haha). I thanked him profusely and started off up the hill excited to have one of them. They had to have been the most delicious thing in the world at that moment and probably the most amount of calories I had consumed in a single shot in over 5 hours. Heaven.
Weasle Creek Aid-Station (mile 90) to Finish line/Ashland (mile 100.5)
Next stop, mile 90 … then only 10 freaking miles to the finish. Nothing was stopping me now. I felt like I was moving decently but later on, Not Chris shared that I wasn’t exactly breaking any records. The sun would also be rising very soon, bringing life to the day.
Before we could hit mile 90 however, we had to conquer Wagner Butte, the last major climb in the race. An “easy” 7,000 foot climb to the top of the butte where I had to grab a flag and then descend 7,000 feet to the bottom. Piece of cake right?
The trail to and up Wagner Butte wasn’t smooth. It was semi technical or as technical as it can feel at mile 86 in a race.
The climb to get the flag was legit rock climbing and bouldering. Hand over foot up these giant rocks to the top. You had to laugh and even though my legs were shaking with fatigue, I was having a blast.
When you reached the top and grabbed a flag, you were met with the most amazing view and Not Chris and I had timed it just perfectly with the sun rising. I have never seen anything more beautiful. It was impossible not to smile ear to ear.
Then we soldiered down. Slow moving due to some tired quads but we just kept moving. I was on a mission. I was counting down the miles in my head and I knew I would finish this but I wanted to get to mile 90.
When we finally reached Weasel Creek Aid-Station (mile 90) I tossed my warm clothes into my drop bag that I had there. It was warm enough again for a tank top and shorts. I ditched my lights and any bottles I had too as I wanted to be as light as possible for the final 10 miles into town.
I quickly tried some goodies from the aid-station and just kept moving. Not Chris had to catch up with me because I didn’t want to stop. We were a little confused on what the volunteer had said the trail conditions would be like for the next 10 miles.
The guys hiking down around us were not in the best of spirits so we ran ahead. Not Chris turned to me and said, “So you are okay with 30 hours?” I looked at him like he was crazy, “It’s not going to take me 4 hours to do 10 miles. I can do this in 2.5 tops!” He said, “Okay, but you’ll have to run. We can do it. You just have to keep running.” So, run we did. The final splits the last 10 miles still blow me away. I would pick an object and run to it, take a quick break and run again. Along the way, there was one more aid-station, Hitt Road which was just a table with some water but it was at mile 95.5 and I wanted it. I didn’t need any water, I just wanted a marker, a destination.
Down down down, we continued to run. I was passing guys left and right along the way. To be fair, there was only 22 women that started the race and only 12 finished so the race was very male heavy.
Eventually we rounded a corner and was met with a slight uphill and another female. This girl had run strong all day long. She had passed me way earlier in the race but I had entered aid-stations just as she was leaving most of the day. I just had not seen her in a long while so it was quite a surprise to see her in the last 10 miles.
Not Chris looked at me, “You can do this.” So, I ran. I ran uphill past the girl and continued on down for as long as my body would go. Now, it was a matter of just how much I could run in a single stretch. Our little walk breaks became just a few steps and then no steps. Just run.
Finally we reached that water jug aid-station and I said, “Now I want the pavement. I want to see the pavement!” Not Chris laughed at that is not something I would normally prefer over trails but I knew pavement equaled Lithia Park and the finish line.
With 3 miles left to go, still on the dirt, Not Chris clipped a rock and went flying. He hit the ground bounced up and kept moving. I was shocked and concerned but he was hell bent on getting me to that finish line.
When we finally hit the pavement my heart swelled. This is it! There is NO walking on the pavement. As steep and as painful as that downhill section was, I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop. I wanted to get there and I wanted to get there as fast as I could.
Finally we rounded a corner and I could hear cheering. I pushed as hard as my body could go. It felt like I was running 8 minute miles hahaha I wasn’t but I was moving!
I crossed that finish line, gave Not Chris a high-five and was engulfed in the biggest hug from Stonegate I have ever had. An awesome camera guy near by caught the whole thing on video! I thought I would cry but I didn’t but I could not stop smiling.
This race meant a lot to me and I am beyond grateful to my crew, the volunteers and my family for all their support. I wanted a challenge and I wanted a race that was beyond beautiful and I received exactly that.
After celebrating at the finish, we went to our hotel where I had some time to shower and take a nap before heading back for the buckle awards ceremony.
This was one of my favorite parts. Hal, the race director handed out our buckles and some gifts. In return, he asked us to stand and say our name, where we were from, how many 100s this was for us and a turning point in the race. I truly loved hearing everyone’s journey while eating one of the best post race meals I have ever had.
Ramen Daddy Food Truck
Pine to Palm 100 is breathtaking. I had a near perfect day something I am forever grateful for and I will never forget. If the body breaks, the mind will follow and I was hell bent on not letting my mind falter, not ever. It wasn’t that hard, the trails, the beauty, the magic that is the Siskiyou Mountains makes it hard to get down in such a beautiful place and my crew is the most positive, uplifting and fun bunch of friends a girl could have.
My Dream Team
I am still feeling that high, that joy of knowing that my two feet covered 100 miles up and over some pretty big mountains. It makes me smile just thinking about it.
A special shout out needs to go to Hal, the race volunteers and the other runners. The ultra running community is generally friendly and supportive normally but this race, everyone seemed to go above and beyond. Thank you to Adam Boyd for my finish line video!
Hal, me and Not Chris aka pacer extraordinaire
To my crew, my friends, there is no one else I want by my side on our next adventure. I am forever grateful for all that you sacrificed for me and my dream and to do so with smiles, laughter and love really made the journey 100 times better.
Thank you to my Coach for your continued support, belief and never ending advice. I am so happy our paths have crossed and look forward to more adventures for us both.
To Vans and my girls, thank you. Thank you for supporting me and this crazy idea. Thank you for handling weekends without mom and all my early morning runs. I could never have accomplished anything without your never ending support.
If you are still reading this monstrosity, thank you. My blogs tend to be an ultra in and of themselves but you never know, maybe some day, someone will read this race report and it will inspire them to run Pine to Palm too. 😉
Happy Trails!
~Trailmomma
Some extra photos:
Best pacer everMy final 10 milesPacers help you remain steady even after the raceWhat do you do after a 100 miler? Walk a mile to the awards ceremony of course. Post ceremony crew celebration
I cannot think of a better place to run my 10th ever 50k than in Tahoe. This race had it all and then some. Warning, I took a lot of photos. 🙂
I signed up to run the Big Chief 50k early on in the year with the intention of using it as a training run. I made plans with some friends in Tahoe to crash at their house the night before as I wanted to run this solo. I did not want the family hanging out at the finish line because I wanted to feel as if I had zero support and zero pressure. I wanted to just run it and let the day unfold and battle whatever demons came up … and some did indeed show up but I was ready.
Photo : Big Blue Adventure
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The weekend started with a serious heat wave. Saturday before the race was spent at the kids swim meet. I did my best to hydrate all day and get out of the sun when I could.
After the swim meet I had to unpack from the meet, shuttle one of my kids to a party, continue to pack for the race and I also made some mashed potatoes to bring with me as fuel. It was a busy day.
This was the race for experimentation. As it turns out, mashed potatoes, while great in theory, did not taste so great at mile 22 on a million degree day. Live and learn.
I arrived at my friend’s house Saturday evening. We had dinner, caught up and relaxed. I also got some doggie loving in from their two sweet dogs. It was just what I needed the night before a race.
Doggie kisses
I slept incredibly well and was able to do my usual morning routine. I arrived at the race start as soon as packet pick up opened. It was a beautiful and cool morning.
In the parking lot on the way to packet pickup, I ran into an old friend, Captain Kirk! Captain Kirk manages the Fleet Feet Folsom store (my local store) and he also was one of my coaches who back in 2010 helped me run my first ever Way Too Cool 50K and American River 50 Miler! So he’s to blame for for all my crazy running. 🙂 Kidding.
This was the inaugural race so everything seemed very low key. There were not a ton of entrants. Really, it was the perfect amount. The race starting area was quiet but full of smiles as it was a beautiful morning.
After a quick race briefing, we were off! The race starts up hill to get you out of the ski lodge area. At first it seemed like everyone took off like they stole something but maybe that was my perception because my lungs felt like I had left them back home in EDH.
I had some flashbacks of my Broken Arrow start where I thought I might die but eventually the trail spreads out and some people started to power hike. I knew it was going to be a long day, so I joined them and tried to get my breathing to settle down.
The trail soon turns onto the most beautiful single track and it was like we stepped into the mecca of Tahoe trails.
Soon enough I caught up to Captain Kirk and we ran a few miles together just chatting away. At one point he turned to me and said, “Um, that was a 7:55 mile. We should probably slow down.” It honestly did not feel like we were going that fast at all, it was a slight down hill too but when I looked back at my splits, I had about 3 fast(ish) miles right about then. Oops!
It was around mile 8.5 or so that my stomach really started to bug me. Without too many details, I had to stop, lady-problems abound and that would set the tone for the start of my race.
Jumping off the trail to take care of business always bugs me. All the runners I had passed earlier, I saw running right by me while I was off in the distance dealing with myself. Still, it needed to be done and is a fact of ultra-running.
The trails seriously could not get any better. Every turn introduced you to an awesome trail or a great view. Despite the lady-cramping that had started to pummel my body and the still present stomach troubles, I was truly enjoying myself.
Finally at mile 12, I had to stop yet again. Completely frustrated at this point but I was hopeful this would be the last stop, and it was but once again, it plays a cruel mental game in your head when you have to stop and deal with things like this that come up.
But how could I be mad when I had views like this all around me? The view of Lake Tahoe from this trail was spectacular.
I figured if my day was going to go to hell in a hand basket, I might as well have some beautiful photos for the blog! 🙂
Still smiling despite the inner battles I had been dealing with
Basically, from miles 12 to 16, I hiked a lot. My body just did not want to run even though the trails were very run-able. Between the stomach, cramping and just feeling depleted, I was just putting one foot in front of the other the best that I could. The day was quickly warming up too.
Finally, I came to the third aid-station shortly after mile 16. I decided that I need to figure my $hit out and quick. Luckily this aid-station had some ice so I grabbed some and shoved it down my sports bra, and put the rest in a bandanna around my neck. I took my extra soft flask and filled it with water to hose myself down.
As part of our race packet, we received two Gu gels. I am not a gels kind of person but at this point, 16 miles into a 31 mile race, I was having a hard time getting in calories. I downed the gel and you know what, it wasn’t that bad and brought some pep into my step! I started kicking myself that I left the second gel back in the car.
My stomach woes finally subsided and my body overall was starting to feel better. I was happy that I had mitigated whatever problems I had previously. From that point on, I was able to run and hike. It was about 86 degrees out, which for the Tahoe area, is pretty freaking hot.
Long miles in the sun…
Some of the trails were like the above photo, fully exposed fire roads. Still beautiful but definitely brutal in the heat of the day. Here I was able to catch up to and pass a few runners but running on flats like this, is not my strong suit.
Standing in the hot sun looking across at the still snowy mountains!
The next aid-station was around mile 22 or so and I could not wait to get there. Luckily they had ice as well so I continued my ice in the sports bra and bandanna around my neck and nibbled on whatever I could find in my pack method. Nibbling was key.
It was at this aid-station that I had finally caught up to a girl I’d been at first yo yo’ing with on the trails but who then passed me during one of my many bathroom pit stops. She looked up at me and said, “You look familiar.” She was wearing the 2019 Canyons hat and I said, “I think I was running near you at Canyons this year.” and she goes, “Yea! Your legs looked familiar!” 🙂
As we started down the trail she said, “Welcome to Saw Tooth!” I asked her if that was what the trail was called and she said, yes. She’d been out there the weekend prior running it in preparation for today’s race. It’s a gnarly section definitely designed for a mountain biker. The rocks are jagged and plentiful. It was gorgeous, but pretty technical to run on but also so incredibly fun!
The trails right before Saw Tooth
Her pre race practice paid off as she took off down those trails! I lost sight of her as I was focusing on not falling on my face as well as letting mountain bikers pass. The trails were still open to them but they were super friendly and encouraging.
After Saw Tooth we were on a trail called, Two Beavers and a Bear. 🙂 Just the name made me smile but the trails themselves were pretty amazing.
I caught up to the Canyons girl here too along with a guy who was adamant that we were lost. He had turned himself around and was insistent that we had already run this section. Canyons girl assured him that we had not and I told him that I trusted her because she lives near here and was running out here just last weekend. I also really wanted to tell the guy to just take a gel or something. I think he might have been bonking a little from the heat. 🙂
Back into the shade!!
I honestly do not know how that guy could truly think he was lost because this course was SO well marked. I never doubted where I was for a moment and we made tons of turns. I give major kudos to the Race Director and volunteers for Big Blue Adventure, they did a stellar job marking this crazy course.
One of the cool bridges we ran over
Even though I was feeling better and running more, I couldn’t stop taking photos. We came across so many neat trails. From soft dirt, to technical rocks to cool little bridges like the above photo!
There was also some fun trail art! You could not help but smile if you were really looking around and taking this all in. These trails are incredible.
Even though I was feeling better and running more, my calorie intake was probably not where it should have been. I dug out an old gel that I had in my pack, not the same as the one prior (I always carry a safety) and I tried to get it down but the texture was pretty nasty. Just then I tripped over a rock and the gel packet went flying into a mud puddle. “Guess there goes that,” I said out loud … just as a mountain biker had approached, “Are you okay?” I had only partially fallen, not a true fall and I was fine but I am sure she must have thought I was a nutso talking to myself in the woods. 🙂
I was starting to smell the barn and I was also counting down the miles to the final aid-station as my bandanna was dry but luckily I still had my hosing water bottle.
More cool bike bridges to cross!
Finally I reached mile 27 and the aid-station. He was out of ice but he had water so I refilled my hosing water bottle and continued on my way. He warned us that the next few miles were a slow up hill and then it would be down hill.
What he didn’t share was that the next 2.5 miles were on this fully exposed hot fire road. Ouch. Uphill in the sun is one gnarly way to head to the finish line but I just kept power hiking and moving. No stopping now! I was on a mission.
With that hot exposed fire road though, you’re still greeted with some really pretty views. This race just never stopped with its beauty.
Finally I reached the section where the downhill began. I could not hear the finish but I could smell it and I could see some of the mountain bikers riding the downhill course which was located near the finish line.
I just turned on the jets and motored down the hill as fast as my legs would go. I was still in the dead sun but eventually I started running on the uphill that we had started the race on … which meant the finish line was near. My Garmin said I was doing this last mile to 2 mile section at around an 8:36 pace or so. I believe it. I could not wait to finish.
I crossed the finish line and Captain Kirk was there to greet me and give me a high-five. I told him that I finished way later than I had wanted or even expected to, and he said, “Because that was f*&^king hard!” That made me feel better. 🙂 I still think this race is very run-able but the heat, the stomach troubles and everything else that I battled with for 31 miles, I did what I could do and got it done.
Ignore the hand-wound. I had fallen a few days prior to the race. 🙂
I managed to grab 3rd place age group (it was a small race). Captain Kirk also got 3rd in his age group as well and his friend placed first! The finish area was full of smiles, beer and just good times.
I just sat on the grass for a bit, cheered those still finishing and enjoyed a grape popsicle. 🙂 It totally his the spot. I could have probably eaten the whole box.
Even though I did not finish in the time frame I was expecting to finish in, I am still quite happy with my race. I went into this race with zero expectations other than get the miles in and use this as a training run to experiment with some new fueling, run in the heat and I also ran with the new Topo Athletic Mountain Racers.
I think I handled my lows pretty well and did a good job at problem solving when I needed to. It might have taken longer than it should have to come to certain solutions, but now I have ideas on what I can use to address certain things that pop up.
Overall, I am in absolutely in love with this race and the race course. Vans already has decided that next year the whole family will go up and he can do the mountain bike race on Saturday while I run this again the next day. I am all for it because this race was beautiful through and through. 🙂
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