Trail Running Archives ~ Page 3 of 15 ~ TRAILMOMMA

May 1, 2019May 1, 2019

2019 CANYONS 100k (Race Report)

You know that race when everything just falls perfectly into place? Yea well, this wasn’t that race. As near perfect as my 2017 Canyons race was, 2019 was the total opposite.

The uncertainty with this race started early. We received emails from the Race Director that there was too much snow out there and that the Snow Course would be the route for 2019. That eliminated Devil’s Thumb and added Gorman Ranch Road which I had never been on before .

Add to that, the fact that in 2017 I trained almost every single weekend on this course but in 2019, I hadn’t stepped foot anywhere near Foresthill or its canyons. Throw in a clavicle surgery for Vans, soccer coaching conflicts and well, just life in general and my life’s been a little nutty this training season.

Finally, the topper were the emails we received the week of the race that drop bags would not be allowed at Rucky Chucky which was mile 47.8. This is kind of a big deal, at least for me, as someone who cannot typically eat the food provided at aid-stations. The race only allows for two drop bag locations total and they had just eliminated (due to State Parks and Rec decisions), the second drop bag. Luckily, I have the bestest friend in the world who loves to crew and does a pretty bang up job at it! Stonegate came through for me in more ways than I can count for this race. Pretty much eliminating the fact that in 2017 she overslept when she was supposed to drive me to the start. 🙂

Race morning Stonegate arrived at my house at 3:40 ready to roll. We picked up Not Chris and were on our way. She was going to park and stay until we started the race. We grabbed our bibs, used the facilities and then just waited for the race to start. We ran into Pigeon and it was nice to see her face because it had been forever. We text every other day or so but we haven’t seen each other in months.

Pretty soon it was time to line up. Not Chris had decided beforehand that we were going to run together. I assured him that he could pull ahead any time and run his own race. He didn’t need me. This was his first 100k after having only ever run one 50 miler last year, so he was understandably nervous and told me that no matter what we were sticking together.

The course starts off semi flat and then makes a right hand turn onto Bath Road where you run down…down…down. Not Chris and I were keeping a decent pace the whole way. I had no idea what to expect with the new Gorman Ranch Snow Course. In my mixed up head I was thinking we ran up to the aid-station and then down when in reality, it was the opposite. As we were descending down, my stomach was starting to turn. This happens to me in races where a downhill is right off the bat. MUC started on an uphill so I didn’t have that problem.

We did have to cross Volcano Creek which was roaring pretty strong. As I was crossing however, I thought my foot was secure on the bottom of the creek bed but instead it must have been on a rock as I slipped. I slipped big time and my whole lower half was submerged in the ice cold water and my left shin nailed a rock. If I wasn’t awake yet, I was now!

Mile 8 Gorman Ranch

We arrived at the aid-station and neither one of us needed anything. The guys from The Auburn Aid-Station were running this pit-stop and were a sight for sore eyes. They directed me toward an area would I could take care of business.

I found Not Chris hiking back up Gorman Ranch Road and together we power hiked and ran. I was feeling tons better.

Mile 12.5 Michigan Bluff

Not Chris’s wife was at this aid-station which was great. He also had pointed out that the porta potties had no line. I decided to go since I had the opening. I am glad that I did because at that moment, Mother Nature decided to bless me with my period (sorry guy readers). What the!? Now?! Luckily I was prepared. Training partners share a lot and I shared with Not Chris the new lovely situation that I’d have to deal with all day.

We said goodbye to Not Chris’s wife and left Michigan Bluff on our way to El Dorado Creek. We downed the next 3 miles at a pretty good pace, passing quite a few runners.

Mile 15. 5 El Dorado Creek

When we got to the aid-station we didn’t really stop, we walked right through and started the four mile climb up to Deadwood Cemetery.

It was then, that my energy died. I was leading a pack of guys up the climb and just lost all my steam. I went from feeling pretty good to feeling like I could not take another step. I let the guys go, including Not Chris as I needed to hike. Not Chris took off like a rocket and I did a death march almost the whole four miles to Deadwood Cemetery.

I was going through every scenario in my head. Was I eating enough? Was I dehydrated? Why on earth was I THIS tired only 16 miles into a 63 mile race? I never stopped but I felt like I was walking in quicksand and then add to that, the fact that every 2 minutes I would have to jump to the side (into a bush of poison oak) to let the lead runners who were coming back from Deadwood pass! I knew going into this that would happen but I didn’t factor in the toll it would take on my body. All the stopping, starting, jumping out of the way … it added way more physicality and mental toughness to the race.

Soon, I saw Not Chris coming down the hill. I told him to “Go get it!” and he yelled back, “I’ll wait for you at Michigan Bluff.” Ugh, not what I wanted. I wanted him to just go and run as I wasn’t sure what was going on with me and my lack of energy.

At Deadwood I grabbed my bracelet and turned around to run back down what I just had run up forcing all the uphill runners to jump out of the way as well. I noticed I was able to run down fairly well. Okay, if I didn’t have my uphill game, at least I had my downhill.

Mile 21.5 El Dorado Creek

I came into this aid-station pretty darn tired. I saw Dasie and Kuni behind the table and that gave me a boost. I grabbed a cup of coke because I was at my end. I couldn’t eat what I had on me and I knew I needed calories to climb the 3 hard miles back out of this canyon and it was getting hot.

Mile 24.5 Michigan Bluff

I arrived at the Michigan Bluff aid-station and didn’t see Not Chris. YES! He kept going without me, good boy! I didn’t want to slow him down and I knew what was ahead. I was in and out of this aid-station pretty quickly, eager to keep moving.

When I finally reached Bath Road, I was able to text Stonegate and let her know that Not Chris and I had separated and hopefully she had my stuff that I’d need at Foresthill.

Mile 31.0 Foresthill (the half way point)

I needed the excitement that was happening here. I had been having a conversation in my head the whole way up Bath Road, on what the heck I could do to get my energy back and finish this thing.

I spotted Stonegate quickly and saw that Not Chris was still here! He was almost ready to leave but it was nice to catch up briefly and hear that he’d had a good first half. He took off and I removed my pack eager for some ice cold water.

Stonegate was a machine. She filled my pack with ice water, she filled my bottles, she took my trash and she offered me ice to shove down my sports bra! YES please! My coach had reminded me to do this but I had completely forgotten until Stonegate asked. Not Chris’s wife also had an ice cold rag and that felt like heaven.

I removed the food that wasn’t working and pulled out some items that I thought I’d try in the second half of this beast of a race. I must have got distracted with something else or thought I had put them in my pack but didn’t and Stonegate assumed I wasn’t using them and put them away. I was that out of it that I had no idea until much later in the race when I realized I didn’t have any of the fuel I needed.

I left Foresthill and continued on. There was no point at which I thought I might quit but I wasn’t sure how the rest of the day would go.

Mile 35.5 Cal 1

Luckily I still had my downhill legs and the section out of Foresthill leading to the Cal 1 aid-station is a good chunk of downhill running. I motored on this section as best I could, passing quite a few runners.

When I reached Cal 1 I still had not realized that I did not have my fuel on me. I was drinking calories still and not quite eating them at this point but I was looking forward to what I thought I had in my pack.

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Somewhere between Cal 1 and Cal 2 aid-stations, I realized my error. I started to conserve my liquid calories a little bit and hoped for the best at the aid-station.

Mile 40.5 Cal 2

When I entered the Cal 2 aid-station I saw Not Chris! “I am SO happy to see you!” he said. I was little shocked to see him still there. He admitted that he’d started to hit a bit of a wall and that downhills were not his friend. I grabbed some fruit and some other odds and ends and then the best volunteer ever said, “Do you want me to refill the ice in your neck bandanna?” “Oh my gosh, yes please!” I said. She was great and another offered me a pickle which just sounded SO amazing the minute the words came out of her mouth. “Yes, can I take one with me?” and so she chopped it up and put it in the baggy that I had on me. Woah, I was starting to feel better!

The trails out of Cal 2 are awesome and so fun to run down. I went ahead of Not Chris as I knew that even though he didn’t want to run downhill, he would if I did. So we had some nice long “fast” stretches here. Every so often he’d ask if we could walk or I had to walk myself because my quads were on fire and had been for quite some time.

I told him the next aid-station was pretty far away (7.5 miles) but that we’d see everyone there AND after that, we were running towards HOME which made him feel much better.

We ran into the same problem on this section as we had on El Dorado. The trail heading into Rucky Chucky is SO narrow that we were stopping and starting and jumping up on rocks or trees to let runners heading back pass. It was hard. My quads would get into a nice rhythm and then I’d have to slam on the brakes. Not Chris was not loving it.

Mile 47.8 Rucky Chucky

Getting into Rucky Chucky was awesome. I had a huge smile on my face when I saw our crew with the best shady spot and our stuff ready to go. I had decided to change my socks. This was a last minute call when packing my drop bag too. My feet were wet and I had rocks in them or so I thought. Turns out, it was the start of a blister! I never get blisters except for this race. The sock change felt amazing though and I refilled up on ice water and removed some items from my back and made SURE that I had the food I wanted. Stonegate again poured ice down my sports bra and I was ready to go! Not Chris was not quite as ready. 🙂 He did give me a mini use-and-toss travel toothbrush and that felt great to clean out my mouth and refresh my taste buds.

I was ready to get this thing done. We left Rucky Chucky hiking out. It was 7.5 miles back to Cal 2. We probably hiked 5 of those miles we were pretty tired. My quads and energy was starting to dip again just slightly.

Mile 55.1 Cal 2

When we were hiking the switch backs up towards Cal 2, I was getting excited. It was this and Cal 1 and then we were DONE! I wish I had more fire in my legs but my heart and head were definitely in it. We thanked the volunteers and left. I had told Not Chris that there were some VERY runnable sections from here to the Cal 1 aid-station and that we should really take advantage when we could.

We had to pull our headlamps out not far before Cal 1 which also cooled things off and changed the dynamic a little. It doesn’t seem as hard when you can only see a small portion of the trail in front of you.

Mile 60.1 Cal 1

We had agreed not to stop at the aid-station. I threw away whatever trash I had on me and started out. Not Chris grabbed a tortilla and was right behind me. I was leading us at this point, I could sense his tiredness and just kept moving.

There is one stream crossing before you reach the pavement and head into Foresthill. I had managed to avoid getting my feet wet at all the other crossings on the way back because my dry socks felt amazing. I could not see a way around this one and went through only to watch Not Chris find a way to get around and keep his shoes dry! That punk! haha I wish I had dry feet for the finish!

When we reached the pavement, I texted everyone and said that we had less than a mile left to go. Not Chris realized at this moment that this “100k” was actually more than 62.1 miles and was in fact, 63.3! Ooops!

We made our right turn onto Foresthill road and ran. All of a sudden I felt like I was stepping on shards of glass! We both had to stop and walk just a couple of steps and then we started running again. I think we had one more brief two step walk and then said forget it, and just ran into the finish!

We did it! We had finished this thing and we had finished together. Our time was 16:03! I was a little bummed as I was thinking that we could possibly have had sub 16 but considering the day I had, I was happy with my time and SUPER happy to be done!

Stonegate was there and so was Vans! After her crewing us at Rucky Chucky she drove home (showered) and picked up Vans! That’s how long we had been running. hahaha

I could not have survived without this girl. She saved me by getting to Rucky Chucky and having my drop bag. She kept me laughing and moving all day. So grateful for our friendship through the years and the passion we share for racing and being there for each other.

Vans was happy to see me and even brought me some gluten free vegan soup to sip on at the finish. Always my number one fan. He had left me good luck notes which always makes my day and he sent me funny texts when I was near the finish.

I am also SUPER proud of Not Chris for conquering his first 100k! It wasn’t easy either. He battled his way out of the pain cave to finish this beast. He’s been a great training partner these last few months. We push each other which I think is a good thing but we’re always supportive and have a similar mind set. Big things are in store for him, I have no doubt. I am sure he’s excited to get his first Western States Qualifier too.

I will say, the race swag for 2019 rocked but you definitely earn it at this race. There are no short cuts. You sweat, you bleed and you have to give 100% to conquer the Canyons.

Now is the time for rest. I am looking forward to the recovery ahead and running with my friends and my kids. I am also looking forward to a little cross training and having some mini adventures with my crew.

I love to run, I love to challenge myself, I love to problem solve and this race definitely forced me to problem solve to get out of my energy dip. Time to reward myself with rest, sleep and good food.

Thanks for reading this monstrosity! Sorry for the lack of photos! I am also sorry that I have to turn the commenting feature “off” on here. My blog has been going through some issues and the commenting has become a haven for spamers. Feel free to comment on my Facebook page or Instagram page though any time.

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

March 12, 2019April 7, 2019

2019 MARIN ULTRA CHALLENGE 50 MILE – MUC – (RACE REPORT)

“I am sorry to report, that the clavicle wasn’t broken in just 3 places, it was broken in 7 and required 9 screws and a plate to put back together.” That’s what the surgeon told me and the kids, Monday night before race weekend. Oh boy, what a crazy few weeks it has been!

To recap quickly, Vans crashed on his mountain bike on President’s Day. He broke his clavicle (we thought) in 3 places and he broke 3 ribs both anterior and posterior. They highly recommended surgery. However, that recommended surgery was a moving target, changing from in a few days to almost 2 weeks out – all the way to him receiving a call 2:30 pm Monday saying, “Can you get to the hospital within the hour, we have a opening.”

I am happy to report that the surgery went well but Vans is in a lot of pain. In a way, as insane as it was to rush to the hospital with him and the kids, having it on Monday instead of the scheduled Wednesday was a blessing in disguise. Otherwise, my Marin Ultra Challenge 50 mile run might not have happened at all.

The week leading up this race has been stressful to say the least. I am blessed to have a very caring and understanding boss and employer and I’ve been able to successfully make this juggling act work the last few weeks. But leaving town for a day and half, had me nervous. Vans cannot drive and I have become an Uber mom and nurse and if I was out of town for more than 24 hours, who would pick up the kids from school? Take them to their soccer game? Make their meals?! The “What if’s” were piling up in my brain the closer and closer it got to race day.

The bottom line is that I reached out to friends for help. Mostly just picking up the kids and scheduling rides. I precooked all the meals they would need while I was gone and made sure they were easy enough that the kids or Vans could remove them from the fridge, and warm up in the microwave.

So when noon time hit on Friday, I left town with Stonegate. The rock in the pit of my stomach was small but it was definitely there.

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The best part about running MUC is that it is a great excuse to go Marin and visit with a very sweet dear friend. Visiting with her always relaxes me. She not only opens her home to us but her and her husband are the sweetest couple and are so gracious when we stay with them. They also have a very comfortable guest bed.

While I slept comfortably, I didn’t have a deep sleep. A few hours before I went to bed, the Race Director from Inside Trail Racing messaged out to all race participants that a crucial 1/3 section of the trail had been rendered unsafe due to washouts and erosion and that they were currently working on a reroute. I could hear the rain pounding on the roof while I was trying to sleep. I knew it would be a wet and muddy day, but I had no idea what to expect when I woke up.

Stonegate and I handled our morning routines like clockwork and got to the race start at the perfect time. After we parked, I decided that I wanted to back my car in so that post race, it would be easier to change out of my (soon to be) wet muddy clothes. This, unbeknownst to me, was also foreshadowing events to come (keep reading). As luck with have it, we were parked next to Miss P and Pearls who, seeing us back in, decided that was probably a wise decision. We both had some prime parking and while Miss P was attempting to back into her spot, other cars were fighting to take it from her.

No fear! Stonegate hops out of car and starts directing traffic so that Miss P could once again, be in her parking space. 🙂 I was cracking up. This was the levity I needed to release the stress that was still building.

The race started a half an hour later than last year making it much brighter at the start. It was ALSO not raining yet! Yay! There were so many trail friends at this race! It was so much fun seeing people I haven’t seen in a while. Best of all, Stonegate and Not Chris were running the 50k so having them both there at the start was a huge boost.

Much like last year, the race started and we all ran straight up hill! Not Chris decided he was going to run with me for the first 15 miles. He’s never been on these trails before and I was content to have him with me to keep me moving.

I felt good on the first hill. Legs felt okay, breathing wasn’t labored and I was in a groove. I seemed to avoid a little of the conga line that had occurred last year. The one difference this year that I noticed, was the amount of runners using trekking poles! There were quite a few and sadly, not many of them knew how to handle the poles very well. I almost had my knee cap jabbed and/or was tripped multiple times by a trekking pole. It was a little frustrating so I tried to avoid them if I saw them.

I should state that going into this race, I had no real goals. Last year I finished in 11 hours and 15 minutes and if I am being honest with myself, this year I wanted to finish sub 11 hours. However, that was before Vans had his accident and my last few training weeks turned upside down. This was also my first ultra post hamstring tear and rehab so I knew I wanted to be conservative. So I threw out the sub 11 goal and decided to just run and let whatever happens happen. That included any stormy weather thrown our way and boy was there stormy weather!

One of the best parts about running with Not Chris was that he was experiencing these trails for the first time. In the beginning he was running with his head down, so as not to trip and fall but I kept calling out from behind him, “Look up! Look how pretty!” He was in awe and it was so fun to see him experience these views. I didn’t have to yell, “Look up!” more than a few times before he was realizing how awesome it was around us.

We ran probably the first 5 miles or so with a little misty type rain, no big deal. We took off our rain jackets on the climb because they were too warm and not really needed. Soon however, the mist started to turn and by the time we reached the Tennessee Valley Aid-Station at mile 10.5 it was dumping buckets on us and we stopped to put our jackets back on.

We were in and out of the aid-station pretty quickly, eager to keep moving because if you stopped, you got cold fast. The trails leading you towards the Muir Beach Aid-Station has some nice rollers. Not Chris I think found his groove and he really motored on ahead. I always kept him in my eye sights but I was letting him have his day because I had way more miles to cover than he did.

At Muir Beach I stopped to use the restroom (a first for me so early in a race). Then Not Chris, my friend Kim (who appeared out of no where!) and I ran out together. Here is where the 50k runners and the 50 mile runners part ways. We hugged and I wished them both well on the rest of their 50k races. They both went on to have fantastic finishes. I went on however, to swim up stream for the next 3 miles.

Photos are sparse from here on out. The climb up cardiac was a torrential downpour. The trail was a river of water that flowed from top to bottom. The water even flowed around through the switch-backs! It was, to say the least, probably my darkest miles on the trail. I never stopped moving but I had three powerful ladies pass me on the climb and I felt the fire start to burn, “Let it go. That is not your purpose here today. Let.it.go.” I dug deep, I thought about the things that brought me joy or would pull me farther up the hill and just continued to push.

When I finally reached the top of Cardiac Hill (mile 19.8) I was freezing. The wind was relentless. I asked which way I had to go and motored on. One of the two toughest climbs in the race was behind me. Now it was time to go get the other one and then, I’d be on my way back home.

When I arrived on the trails leading to Stinson Beach, the craziest thing ever happened. It STOPPED raining and the SUN came out and not only did the sun come out, it came out full force heating up the path, my body and ultimately, my soul.

I could not get my drenched rain jacket off fast enough. Holy cow was it hot! I am a hot weathered runner, I love me some heat but to go from cold to heat so quickly, was quite a shock.

The climb up to Willow Camp was exactly how I remembered it. Gnarly. I was grateful the wind and rain had given us a break for once. I cursed a few times on this climb, kicking myself for forgetting just how brutal of a climb it really is. No way to go but up, so up is what I did.

The trails on this side however, were pretty damaged. I climbed over trees, under trees and at one point, I had to shimmy up the muddy hillside to get around a massive downed tree. My hand literally sank in the mud up to my wrist when I tried to steady myself. It was quite an adventure 25 miles into a 50 mile race to say the least.

When I finally made it back to Cardiac Hill (mile 29.3) my mind made a huge mental shift. I was on my way home. Plain and simple. Sure I had 20 miles to go, but I was headed home. I had a tiny drop bag at Cardiac that I grabbed quickly and I was off. The next few miles are a lovely down hill section that I thoroughly enjoyed.

My uphill game was weak but my downhill one was still strong so I took advantage the best that I could whenever I could.

From Deer Park Aid-Station (mile 35.9) back to Muir Beach (mile 40.8) was a lot of road. Narrow road without much of a shoulder to it. This stretch was another mini mental battle. I decided to view it as a tiny break from the mud and obstacles of the previous miles and appreciate the fact that it wasn’t raining anymore.

When I reached Muir Beach Aid-Station I used the restroom for the third time that day! That’s a new record for me. My stomach was absolutely stellar the whole race I just was apparently quite hydrated! 🙂

Muir Beach to Tennessee Valley (mile 45.8) was a mission for me. I remembered the energy at Tennessee Valley and I needed that to push me through to the finish. I power hiked a lot through here trying to find strength in my legs to run some of the uphills but no matter what, I had the power to run the downhills so I did, pushing aside what my quads might feel like the next day.

Just as I suspected, the Tennessee Valley Aid-Station brought a smile to my face. They cheered when I came in and when I left, they stood in the road and yelled, “You.are.awesome! You got this! You are a badass!” Making me laugh all the way up my first hill. I just love this aid-station. It gave me a boost.

I also knew that Stonegate would be waiting at the top of the mountain for me. Knowing she was there and propelled me a little bit faster.

When I finally reached the top of the mountain and could see the ocean and hear the finish line, I smiled. My legs felt like tree trunks at times descending the stairs but I didn’t stop.

Then I saw her! She was whooping and hollering! A sight for sore eyes and just what I needed (along with the downhill) to get me to and through the finish line.

The miles leading to the finish line look like this photo. Absolutely gorgeous. You have to watch your footing or you will trip, but it was breathtaking and I again was so happy it was not raining.

Before I had reached Stonegate, I glanced at my watch. I had forbid myself to look at it most of the day because I didn’t want to ruin my positive mood. When I saw that my time was well below what I hoped for, I smiled. I tried so hard to run even faster downhill to the finish but my chewed up quads were doing only what they could.

I crossed the finish line and the volunteers that were there cheered and congratulated me. What an incredibly long, wet, muddy and eventually sunny day it was!

Unlike last year, this year I remembered to take a photo of Stonegate and I post race. Without this girl’s support both on and off the trails, I don’t know where I would be. She took my kids when I had to drive Vans to the ER that first night and she drove my sore butt home last year and this year post race.

Right after this photo was taken, we hopped in the car to head home only to realize that my car battery had died! Remember when I said I had backed in at the start? Foreshadowing. 😉 Actually, it did not matter all that much, the Race Director had a starter and they helped give my car a jump start to get us on our way. Inside Trail Racing is a great organization and we absolutely love their races. I highly recommend them. It was a top notch day despite horrid conditions. Their volunteers are some of the best, always positive, always helpful and always smiling. A simple smile when you are dog tired at mile 35 is sometimes all you need to get you through the next mile.

Happy to report that I had a course PR this year! I finished 50 minutes earlier than last year despite the trail conditions. Last year I had shoe problems, this year, since I have found Topoathletics, all my feet problems are nonexistent. I could not be happier.

The training season so far has been nothing but wet, mud and wind. It has been frustrating to say the least. Constantly running in a windy downpour plays with your mind. Add to that, some family health drama and you can have a recipe for negativity. I won’t lie and say I was all Mary Poppins this whole time, I had my moments of doubt but I trusted myself, my training and my ability to stay positive despite what was thrown at me. I faltered at times (ahem Cardiac) but I never gave up. I continued to push forward. I never looked back.

Many thanks go out to Vans for his continued support. Despite the past few weeks, he encouraged me to go and run and supported me throughout. Also, thank you to my coach, Sandi for her constant motivation, advice and being a great sounding board for everything I’ve battled so far. Also thank you to Stonegate, Not Chris and Pigeon for being the best trail friends a Trailmomma could ask for. Here is to many more miles ahead my friends!

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

May 15, 2018May 16, 2018

QUICKSILVER 100K (Race Report)

I don’t even know where to begin with this race. I guess an apology should be first. I failed as a blogger by not really taking very many photos. My focus was to finish and at some point during my 62 mile adventure, my focus became “just survive.”

Photo from: www.quicksilver-running.com

The training road leading up to Quicksilver was long. Back in March I had run the Marin Ultra Challenge (MUC) mostly as a training run but it also was a bucket list race for me as well. However after MUC, I found myself not being as excited to go out for a long run anymore. That’s pretty rare in my world. I love running on trails. A lot.

To be fair, April and May have been insanely busy months for us. Birthdays, vacations, swim team, soccer team, volunteer duties and oh yeah, that full-time job that I have too. I was truly starting to feel like I was burning the candle at both ends some days but then other days, I had boundless energy.

When race week arrived, I had finally started to get excited. I spent the week using my dining room table as my race headquarters, adding and taking away things that I wanted to pack.

I had planned for three drop bags one of which would be a “safety” bag – a bag that I could use if I absolutely needed but wouldn’t mind donating to the post-race lost and found either.

When I ran this race 2 years ago, the biggest concern was inventory at the aid-stations. If you were near the back of the pack, as Pigeon and I were back then, you were &hit out of luck if you wanted soda or water at an aid-station. This time around, I planned my drop bags accordingly.

When Friday rolled around, Pigeon and I left town. Our first stop was at Pushkins (a gluten free and partially vegan bakery) for sandwiches. It was Pigeon’s first time. She dug it.

San Jose is about a 2.5 hour drive for us. Leaving as early as we did, we missed a lot of gnarly traffic. .

We picked up our swag from the Sports Basement, grabbed some food from Whole Foods for post race and then headed to our hotel to chill. We both were spouse-less and childless for the next 24 to 48 hours.

With a 4:30 am race start, 2:15 am came pretty quick. Surprisingly I actually slept quite well. The hotel bed was heaven. We dressed, ate, packed our drop bags and headed to the race start.

This year we didn’t get our bibs until the morning of the race which caused a bit of a back-log and resulted in the race starting 15 minutes late on what was already going to be a VERY hot day. The sky was clear, every star visible which meant the sun would be beating down on us as soon as it came up.

The race director gave us a quick pep talk and at 4:45 am we were on our way, a line of headlamps heading straight up the mountain.

The course this year differed quite a bit compared to two years ago and to how it was listed in their course description (which differed from their turn-by-turn directions). I was a little thrown off by this but the mileage was panning out as expected. I was also running with people so I knew I had not made a wrong turn.

One familiar part was running around the cemetery (it is so cool). Someone yelled, “Trailmomma!” and whoever you were I apologize! I was still adjusting from removing my headlamp and I have no idea who you were but you made me smile so thank you!!!

The first aid-station we came to is Hicks #1 (mile 6.1). I was in and out and on my way.

My legs were feeling pretty good. I had been running quite a bit of the uphills and going slower on the down hills to preserve my quads (which would benefit me later in the day).

The second aid-station was Wood Road #1 (mile 12.5). What a lively bunch! I think I stopped briefly here to see what they had. My goal was to just keep moving and eat what I had on me, what I knew I liked and what I knew worked.

I just kept running and bobbing back and forth with a group that seemed to be running together. I was chatting with a guy who was asking me about Dogmeat. I inadvertently told him that it came around mile 15. Pretty sure it was more like mile 20 or something. Oops

The trail then dumps you out onto the pavement and you’re directed up the hill to the Lexington aid-station (mile 17.9). The girl directing us was none other than Amelia Boone! I totally fan-girled her and said her name and she turned and looked at me like, “Do I know you?” and I just had to say, “You don’t know me, but I follow you on Instagram.” HA! That’s a TOTAL “I carried a watermelon” line!! (Dirty Dancing reference for those who don’t get it).

I was actually laughing to myself as I ran into the aid-station. I was in and out of here pretty quick climbing up the hill to Priest Rock Trail (aka Dogmeat). I don’t think it even registered with me that I was even on Dogmeat until I was mostly done. It didn’t seem as bad as two years ago which is good because what came after WAS pretty terrible! 🙂

Me on Dogmeat Photo by: Sean McPherson — Me on Dogmeat
Photo by: Sean McPherson

The next 8 miles were newly added to the course last year. You run four miles down (and I do mean down) to the Kennedy Road aid-station (mile 25.8). As I was starting my descent, Cat Bradley was running up the hill and told me she liked my hat. 🙂 Another fan-girl moment.

The descent down wasn’t too terrible, it was hot and exposed but what I noticed most were all the runners coming back up. They looked like they’d been hit by a mack-truck! Brutal.

I made it to the bottom and I over heard the volunteers talking about conserving water and ice. They wouldn’t open another bag of ice for a runner. Uh-oh. That’s not a good sign.

I got in and out of there. I wasn’t eager to climb back out but I did want to get it over with.

Once you climb up those four miles, you continue climbing on the Kennedy Rollers (another 1.5 miles of that I believe) until you are back to the Wood Road aid-station #2 (mile 31.3) which also meant you are half-way done with the race! Yay!!

When I was at the bottom of the hill the volunteer wanted me to call out my bib number but I was so happy to see him that I yelled, “I am so happy to see you I could kiss you right now!” He laughed and told me that was the best response he’d received all day. 🙂

I was really starting to feel the affects of the heat, the distance and the hills. I think I did well by keeping myself cool with my bandanna and my extra water bottle that I used to spray my head and face. My mouth however was not into chewing anything. Certain things that I brought with me I was really trying to force down as I knew at some point, there would be no more solids happening. Calories help make you go and if you can’t take them in, you’ll be in trouble.

Hicks Road #2 (mile 37.8) was next. Here I had a drop bag. Lucky for me I had frozen water bottles that were just almost fully defrosted. I pulled those from my bag and refilled my pack and extra bottle here.

I was some what on a high now as I knew I would be heading to the Hacienda aid-station (mile 41.4) next which was only 3 miles from where there would be a large crowd.
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I left Hacienda excited to get to Mockingbird aid-station (mile 44.5) but my legs wouldn’t have it. I had completely blocked out of my brain how many hills were between Hacienda and Mockingbird. Some runners were picking up their pacers at Hacienda too so they were all happy and coming back to life. I was just eager to get to Mockingbird because I needed the boost and the energy from the crowd even if I didn’t know anyone. 🙂

I arrived at Mockingbird, found my drop bag and did some switching in and out of fuel. I left what wasn’t jiving for me anymore and pulled some new items out that I hoped would help. As I was there, Cat Bradley came through winning the 100k race as first female. I never saw her but I heard everyone cheer. Damn.

I fully admit that I am bad at math. As I was leaving Mockingbird I was texting Vans and Stonegate on my status. I apparently for a little while in my head thought a 100k was 60 miles and thereby eliminated the fact that I had to run more 2 miles. 🙂 I eventually figured out my mistake and again laughed at myself.

When I came to Bull Run #1 aid-station (mile 48.4) I glanced at the table and saw the largest pile of freshly cut orange slices! I grabbed one, shoved it in my mouth and then proceeded to exclaim, “Oh my god this is the best orange in the world!” The woman next to me started laughing. I’m a dork, what can I say? 🙂

I was pretty eager to get to Tina’s Den (aka the mountain lion zone). I was excited NOT because of the potential of seeing a mountain lion but because it is a glorious single track rolling trail (in the shade) and I absolutely LOVE this section.

Once I hit mile 52 on my watch, my brain chemistry changed. I went from “Oh man this race is never going to end,” to “Hell yeah, 10 miles to go let’s do this!”

Whatever I had left in my legs I used them here for a quite a while. I ran and ran. I encouraged some guy who I passed to run and he joined me happy to have me pull him (or so he said). I didn’t have as much energy and power as I had two years ago on this same section but I had also run the whole race faster this time around, I left more on the course. I was trying to remind myself of that.

McAbee aid-station (mile 54.1 formerly Tina’s Den aid-station) came a lot sooner than I remembered. I grabbed a drink here and left. The volunteer said I was the fastest person in and out of that aid-station. There were people laying on the ground, it didn’t look like a place I wanted to stay for very long.

The next 5 miles are some what brutal. You are back on the fire road on a fully exposed trail. Luckily it wasn’t as hot as it had been when I was on Dogmeat and on the Kennedy Rollers but it was still pretty dang hot.

I just kept running all the downs and focusing on the ups and running little stretches of them when my legs would work. I kept counting down the miles in my head. I was doing this! No stopping me now.

Sun, sun, sun … that photo just shows what the day was like. Hot and dry.

I could not wait to get to Bull Run #2 (mile 59) because I knew (even with my lacking math skills) that the finish was just 3 miles away and MOSTLY down hill.

When I reached the aid-station they called out my number and then I walked right past the table. No stopping. Not when there are only 3 miles left. I started hiking with this nice guy from Berkeley. We chatted about our past races etc. It was nice to have someone to talk to for a mile or so. He was one of the few like me without a pacer.

He mentioned that we could finish in sub 15 hours. I wanted to finish in 14:30 but I knew that was out of the picture with the last few hills that lay ahead. My legs had nothing to propel me up but they were doing a pretty bang up job of getting me down.

The minute we came to a down hill I just turned it on and ran. The guy stayed with me for a bit but then said goodbye. I didn’t want to stop. I wanted to run until I could hear the sounds of the finish line and not stop.

Of course I had to stop when I ran right into a massive hill. Darn it! I had forgotten about those hills near the finish line! I was still a little bummed my time was slipping away but was determined to stay under 15 hours.

Finally I heard the sounds of the aid-station. It sounded so far away but I knew it wasn’t, my watch was keeping pretty accurate distance all day and it said it wasn’t far.

Finally I saw it and I just tried so hard to run as fast as I could. I thought I was sprinting but when you look at my splits I think I might have been sprinting if I was in quicksand! 🙂

Finished!! Photo by Nina Giraudo — Finished!!
Photo by Nina Giraudo

I crossed the finish line and threw my hands up in the air. I was so relieved to be done!

What a day!? I am proud of myself for gutting this out. I normally am a pretty positive up beat person when running, but I definitely had one or two internal dark moments out there. I never said the word “quit” but I did have some inner discussions with myself trying to figure out how to keep moving. Luckily I have the ability to laugh at myself a lot and that really helps.

Sadly I found Pigeon waiting for me at the finish line. She had been caught by the sweeps. Neither one of us wanted to stick around the finish line so we hopped on the shuttle and headed back to our hotel.

Luckily we had planned well and had dinner waiting for us. Plant-based pizza and a gluten free Sufferfest beer for me. I think I earned it.

I can’t end this without thanking Vans for all his support these last few months. Not only did he have to hear my whining and moaning about random aches and pains during training, he also stepped up and handled the girls’ mock meet while I was out racing.

I have to thank my Coaches too for seeing me through this and helping me over some hurdles and always reminding me to think about my form (I TOTALLY DID COACH!) and to remain positive and problem solve.

Shout out to Pigeon for sharing hundreds of miles of trails with me every weekend and for all the laughs that we have when we’re together.

Stonegate for all her funny texts and motivation during the race and for consistently getting up with me at the butt crack of dawn to run during the week.

Now it is time to rest. I am going to honor my body and give it what it needs. I’ve been consistently running/training since last summer. I think I deserve a little break and I want to find the joy again. I want to head out on a long run because I WANT to not because I HAVE to.

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

January 24, 2018January 24, 2018

HELLO WORLD!

Wow, I can’t believe I haven’t written a blog post since early December!? Happy New Year everyone! Time is sure flying already.

It isn’t that I haven’t wanted to write or had anything to write about, I just purely have not had the time to sit down and devote quality time here. This is sad because this used to be my creative outlet but clearly through the years, it has developed more into Race Reports and the occasional trip to Plant-Stock posts. 🙂

Today I decided to file away some time to sit down and just “check-in” with all of you and this ol’blog. I’ve been coming here (or blogging to be precise) since about 2009! For you long time readers, you’ve been with me through my first ultra and the birth of Squeaker! Crazy where life takes us huh?

To recap, I have been running. Every weekend I am hitting the trails filling my heart with all things trail-running. Laughing, running and loving nature. I am blessed to live where I live.

My kiddos are deep into their winter sports season playing basketball which warms my heart like no other. I was a basketball player and I love the game but watching my girls play and learn to the love the game? Best thing in the world!

Peanut has so much more confidence this season.

Overall 2017 was a pretty good year. I ran in some amazing races (see my Race Reports page), I traveled to Washington DC and became a Food for Life Instructor and I laughed, a lot.

laugh — When your friend gets a pot stuck in the fridge!

I also paced Pigeon the last 20 miles of her first ever 100 mile finish at the Tahoe Rim Trail.

2017 Crew — Pigeon with her crew AND her 100 mile buckle.

And I paced my friend Miss P into the night running 31 miles of her first 100 mile finish at Rio Del Lago.

Miss P with her pacers AND her 100 mile medal! — Miss P with her pacers AND her 100 mile buckle!

How awesome is that?! Watching someone run 100 miles is beyond motivating and spectacular. I adore these women.

Yet 2017 wasn’t all sunshine and roses though. Some chapters in my life closed but when one door closes, another opens right? The universe has a plan. I have always thought and believed in that. Sometimes it is hard to listen to it because it has been familiar, routine or comforting but all you can do is trust.

My hopes for 2018 are simple: Laugh ♦ Love ♦ Listen … MORE.

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I want MORE outdoor adventures with these two crazies!

I want MORE roller skating adventures – YES I begged my friends to roller skate … the end result? THEY LOVED IT!

So I want to do it again!

I want MORE plant-based education whether in person or through social media. I recently taught an in-home cooking demo for my friend Beth. It was fun! Currently I am coaching 17 people at work and it is so rewarding and exciting to watch them discover the power of a plant-based way of living.

I want MORE one on one time with this guy.

No one supports me and loves me like he does. He also loves being outside just as much as I do and I love how he is instilling that in our girls. Our family adventures are what I cherish most of all.

So that’s 2017 in a brief recap and 2018 wishes all in one post! Not bad for the first post of 2018!

Whatever your goals are for 2018 or whatever happened in 2017, be at peace with it and trust what unfolds before you. Sometimes it takes stopping the search, the quest, the need-to-know … to find what you are looking truly looking for in this crazy world.

Just breathe. Just be.

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

October 9, 2017April 7, 2019

OREGON COAST 50k RACE REPORT

Spontaneous (spon-ta-ne-ous) adjective: performed or occurring as as a result of sudden inner impulse or inclination and without premeditation.

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Spontaneity was our theme, our goal, our mantra this past weekend. We only had two items on our road-trip agenda:

1) Stop, stay and explore Eugene, Oregon; and then

2) Head to the coast and run the Oregon Coast 50k.

We’ve had this trip in the books for a while. When Stonegate presented me with the idea of running the Oregon Coast 50k, I was all-in because I love a good race destination road-trip ESPECIALLY when that destination is in Oregon.

Photo from: www.rainshadowrunning.com

When I signed up for the race, I decided that I truly wanted to run it. Maybe the correct phrase is “race it” but in a middle of the pack kind of way. 🙂

I started training in July. I told Stonegate and Burning Girl (who was supposed to join us but had last minute family obligations), that my intention was to push it hard(er) on this race than I have for our other road trip races. I don’t normally run “hard” in the fall, instead I use this time as more of a recovery period from a gnarly spring race schedule. Yet, something compelled me to want to run harder.

The Oregon Coast 50k boasted an elevation gain of about 4500 feet. I tried not to let that get in my head. That is probably the lowest elevation I have raced on trails in a long time, but I know better than to underestimate any race, especially a coastal race.

I had an A Goal (place top 3 in my age group), a B Goal (place top 5 in my age group) and a C Goal (finish standing and smiling). The day before, Stonegate and I played “tourists” a bit over zealously and man, did we both feel a tad bit tired! Oops.

The race had a 9:00 am start time which is something completely foreign to me! Most ultras start in the dark and super early. Stonegate and I really didn’t even need to set an alarm for this one. What did require some juggling, was our pre-race fueling but we managed okay by making huge smoothies and taking selfies on our hotel patio.

They have you head to the finish line and then they bus you to the starting line up the road. The race starts on the beach! The bus ride was quick and painless. Some runners had to stand but no one seemed to mind because the weather was gorgeous. I guess in years past it has been rainy and pretty gloomy … it was sunny and quite warm for us.

Starting line - Jason (in red) is the Race Director — Starting line – Jason (in red) is the Race Director

Stonegate and I were pretty excited. The energy around was happy and everyone was so nice and talkative. Jason, the Race Director let us all get situated on the beach before we took off running.

Stonegate and I minutes before the start.

Boy did everyone RUN! The whole race started off crazy fast! I was hoping it was just the excitement and that everyone would eventually settle down. I mean, 6 miles all along the sand … that can be brutal on your body if you’re not careful. Stonegate stuck with me. My first mile rang out on my watch. …

Stonegate: I feel like we’re going really fast.

Me: Well we’re doing about an 8:30 pace according to my watch.

Stonegate: Okay then, you go ahead, I am going to slow down dude. I don’t want to start out too fast.

Me: Okay! I am sure you’ll catch up to me soon!

I felt okay and not like I was pushing to keep the pace so I tried to just settle in and run. A few groups passed me so I assumed that I had slowed a little bit.

Now don’t get me wrong, the ocean was GORGEOUS. You had the beautiful Pacific to your right and an adorable coastal town to your left but six miles, on sand … is a really REALLY long time. It was for me at least. I found my mind wandering, “What will I eat later today?” and “What do I have to do on Wednesday again?” I tried to zone in my thoughts and focus on my form like my coach instructed me to but every so often I would drift.

At the end of six sandy miles you literally hit a rock wall. You then have to climb up some steps (that felt like boulders at the time), and then you run along the most beautiful path!

We walked the path the next day ... super cute! — We walked the path the next day … super cute!

I sort of felt like a weight had lifted off me when I left the sand. I am not a sand loving runner. 🙂

You then run through the coastal town of Yachats (pronounced Ya-Hots). The first aid-station is here, Mile 7 except that I never actually SAW the aid-station. When I crested the grassy area, I saw a ton of elite-looking guys changing their shoes but I never saw a table and I didn’t really want to waste time looking for one. I decided to fuel with what I had on me. In hind-sight, I probably should have fueled a tad earlier in the race given the later start time.

The course was extremely well marked. We were assured at the start that if there was a major turn that there would be clear markings and signage and there WAS! I only had a few moments when I was alone on the trail, that I had those “Oh crap! I haven’t seen a ribbon lately!” thoughts but to be fair, there were no turns or any other trails around…you just had to follow what was natural and in front of you.

There were more stairs much to my dismay but not a ton. Not like at Stinson Beach or in the Bay Area. I just kept moving. Then we hit our first climb and it felt like a ton of bricks had landed on my chest! “What the heck?!“

I decided to fuel thinking that maybe I was in need of calories. However I could barely chew because my chest felt so tight. I pulled out my inhaler and actually took a puff. I can’t remember when I have had an allergy attack like that. I say allergy because I never had it again and Stonegate had the same thing around the same spot on the trail! Something was blooming that my allergies didn’t like.

Around this time, about 20 people passed me on the uphill deflating my inner fire a bit. How on Earth did they have the strength and power to climb like that?!

I decided to power hike as best I could. I knew I was on the first of the three climbs and that the second one was way bigger.

When I got to the top and started on my way down, I was eagerly looking forward to bombing a downhill! The trail however was super technical with lots of tree roots and rocks. Still, I did my best trying to open it up on the down.

I was flying down a hill, somewhere at about the 12 mile marker when I felt a sharp stabbing pain in my left quad! “What the heck!” I yelled. I had thought that I was hit with a be-be gun! I didn’t stop running but the pain was intense! I looked down and there was a stinger sticking out of my quad! “A bee?!”

I was seriously just dumbfounded. I kept running afraid to stop and have it blow up and swell. I haven’t been stung by anything since I was like 8 years old so … I had no idea if I was allergic or not.

It burned, it itched, it stung. I didn’t stop. Finally, I came to Mile 14 and the Cape Perpetua aid-station. I grabbed a hand full of grapes and I asked the guy there if they had bees around here and he goes, “Oh yea! We have an angry bunch that just stung a ton of people!” Great. Well at least it wasn’t a be-be gun. 🙂

I continued on a bit, knowing that the big second uphill was coming. I was starting to feel a little bit better around mile 17 or so. The views were just outstanding and really were lifting my spirits.

“Just keep moving Pam, you can do this. You trained for this.” That’s what I kept telling myself at least. Then I ran with a guy for a little while who was talking about the 100 milers he had done and how he was excited to have his Western States Qualifier. He lived in Ashland and I told him that was our race destination spot last year!

THEN! I was stopped dead in my tracks on the trail. There was a bunch of runners and some guys just yelling. Turns out, there was a Yellow Jacket’s nest in the middle of the trail with tons of angry yellow-jackets.

One dude said, “I am going to go for it!” and he ran straight through! I felt like I was watching him in slow motion … BAM stung in his calf … BAM stung in his quad.

I turned to the girl next to me and we were like, “Um nope! No way. No how!” We followed the other group that had to bushwhack their way FAR around the buzzing yellow jacket’s nest.

By the time I reached Cooks aid-station (mile 19.5) I was already coming back to life. I was excited that this was essentially the “turn-around” spot which mentally always helps propel me in races.

I ran into that aid-station ready to be in and in out but then I looked at the table and saw mini dill pickles! Oh my. I’ve never eaten pickles in a race before though I hear a lot of runners like them. I had a quick mental battle of “should I or shouldn’t I?” in my head and decided to grab one and walk out. It was THE BEST PICKLE ON EARTH! 🙂 Seriously, that little dill pickle recharged me and I floated out of that aid-station light as feather!

One more aid-station to go and the biggest down hill section of the race was next! I honestly felt like I was flying down the next section. It was one of the few NON technical downhills in the course. I am going to assume that the intense thick tree cover interfered with my pace on my Garmin. 🙂 I know it did with the mileage because the race came up short in distance according to my Garmin but we were under some pretty thick tree cover for a lot of the race.

I just kept running. I’d pass a few people here and there. Sometimes they’d pass me back. In my head, I had settled on my C Goal but a part of me wasn’t giving up completely.

I came across one guy who was laying on the ground. I asked if he was okay and he said he had swelling in his knee. I asked if he wanted any Advil and he hopped right up and said, “Sure! We can keep walking so that way I won’t slow you down.”

I handed off some Advil and wished him luck and continued on my way. Finally, I came to the last aid-station! Woo hoo! I was getting excited knowing that I was getting closer and closer to the finish!

I chatted with the aid-station volunteer. I asked him if anyone dropped here earlier because of bee stings and he said he had a lot of drops, but not sure if because of bee stings – Stonegate is allergic and I had been worrying about her all race.

I continued on my way running all the ups and the downs. When I encountered any stairs, I walked. 🙂 FINALLY I was dumped back onto the pavement! Yes!!! I could smell the finish but I knew that I had to run a lot of pavement first.

I looked up and saw a woman that had passed me earlier in the race. She had looked SO strong too. She powered up all those hills like they were nothing. A small part of me was excited to have caught up to her.

I ran along side her and she seemed excited to have someone to run with. I told her to go ahead and she said she was out of water and that she couldn’t go any faster. I asked her if she wanted my handheld water bottle, “Are you sure!? You don’t mind?” she said. “Of course not! Go ahead, I have plenty.”

The two of us ran through the town together. Then we made the turn onto the grass. The woman said, “Come on, we have about 400 yards. We can do this! I don’t care about time.” In my head I was thinking: First of all, how does she know it is 400 yards and second of all, my C Goal had turned into “finish this BUT finish under 6 hours” since I was way off what I had hoped I would finish in … so for ME, I did care about time, MY time. It wasn’t about beating anyone but myself. It always is.

We were running across the grass. Everyone was cheering. I saw the finish and that it was a little up hill and something just turned on inside me and I went for it. I sprinted as hard as I could. I saw the clock and I pushed it!

Whew!!! I did it. I was done, thank goodness, I was done! That is one helluva race. It is unassuming in many ways, but don’t be fooled, it’s a doozy of a race and I was thrilled to be done!

The woman came up to me and thanked me and said, “When I saw you turn it on, I said, I don’t have what she has!” 🙂 Then the Advil guy finished shortly after and he thanked me for the Advil.

I found my drop bag and waited for Stonegate to finish. She texted me so I knew that she hadn’t dropped because of an allergic reaction but she had been stung.

I changed out of my smelly shirt and ran back out on the course to find her. I ran through the town with her until she reached the finish! What a day!

Final stats:

I finished in 5 hours and 53 minutes.

I was Second in my Age Group!! 🙂

And 17th female out of the 91 that started the race.

I will take it! I conquered my A Goal after all despite feeling like I had run a terrible race. It just goes to show you, never give up, never quit. Give all that you have left to give!

Stonegate and I didn’t hang around the finish for long. We were hungry! 🙂

Post Race Tradition - Champagne! — Post Race Tradition – Champagne!

We headed back to our hotel, showered, stretched, had some champagne (a tradition), hummus, carrots, crackers, chips and salsa. Food never tasted so good!

Later that night, being that we are both Plant-Based and know the importance of post race fuel being key to recovery, ran out to the store and bought kale! We made a rice, bean, kale and salsa dish in our instant-pot that night which was perfect!

Plant-Based Athletes recovering with plant-strong food!

Overall, I am happy with the race outcome. It was a gorgeous race, super well marked and well run. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone even though I had some dark(er) moments out there. I was able to pull through and not wallow for long … there is always a silver lining, there is always something you can do or try to pull you out of your funk. No one can do it but you.

In the end, it was the best road-trip ever. I am in love with Oregon and I finally got to visit and run on the coast. It was everything I expected it to be and more.

I truly am blessed to have a friend like Stonegate who seeks and cherishes adventure like I do and a husband who is willing to let me go and explore and feed my soul on trips like these. I missed my family immensely while I was gone, they would have loved the Oregon Coast. I guess we need to head back all together. 🙂

Until next time Oregon!

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

******

Some of my favorite road trip photos from our four days of fun!

We discovered a selfie-stick in Stonegate's car and it opened a whole new level of fun for us. — We discovered a selfie-stick in Stonegate’s car and it opened a whole new level of fun for us. Thank you to her 10 year old for leaving it in there!

Wandering the University of Oregon campus ... — Wandering the University of Oregon campus …

Discovering the Sea Lion Caves on 101!! One of the best random finds of the trip!

No shortage of laughter while driving long hours.

Our home away from home most of the time - our ocean side patio. — Our home away from home most of the time – our ocean side patio.

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