Quite a few months ago, when I was in the midst of my Rouxbe cooking certification and reading more and more about Engine2 and Dr. Esselstyn and their messages for a heart healthy way of living via a plant-based diet, I heard about this ‘event’ called Plant-Stock.
Just the name intrigued me let alone the fact that I have been reaping the benefits of a plant-based diets for the last 20+ years. 🙂
If you didn’t already know, I am very passionate about living plant-based and sharing any and everything I know about it to anyone who wants to listen. Just because I have been this way since I was about 16 years old, doesn’t mean I know everything which is why I took the eCornell Plant-Based Nutrition course a few years ago and more recently, Rouxbe’s Professional Plant-Based Cooking Course. I just yearn to know all that I can, read all that I can so that I can share all that I can.
I am sure many of you have heard or seen the movie Forks Over Knives. If you haven’t, I highly recommend you rent it, borrow it or download it as soon as possible. I owe that movie for Vans finally making the switch to an (almost) plant-based lifestyle and sticking with it for over 3 years now.
There is a scene in that movie, where they are talking to Dr. Esselstyn on his family farm in Claverack, New York. THAT is the place I am going to be this weekend! Let me clarify, I am going to listen to and (hopefully) meet the following plant-based legends I have spent the last few years following, reading and learning from while spending two days at the Esselstyn Family Farm in NY:
The author behind Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. Dr. Esselstyn presently directs the cardiovascular prevention and reversal program at The Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute and is one of the biggest voices in promoting a Plant-Based diet.
Ann Crile EsselstynJane Esselstyn
Ann and Jane Esselstyn co-authored the Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook that is just fabulous and full of yummy amazing recipes. I am super excited to meet these two. Jane, a nurse, is also going to hold a cooking demonstration!
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I am very excited to hear the other speakers as well. Many of whom I have either read their books or know about them and their messages.
Dr. Tom Campbell – author of the Campbell PlanDr. Neal Barnard – author of Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing DiabetesDr. Doug Lisle – author of the Pleasure TrapDr. Robert Ostfeld – founder and director of the Cardiac Wellness Program at Montefiore Medical Center in NYCHoward Lyman
As an added bonus, we are also going to watch Plantpure Nation while we are there as well! I am super excited because the night I leave California, that movie is finally being shown in Sacramento and I was bummed to have missed it. Now I get to see it! I also helped fund and support that movie when it was trying to make funding for screening.
I am beyond excited about this adventure. Of course I am going to miss my girls and Vans but even Vans understands how huge this is for me.
As an added bonus, I will get to visit with Jersey Dad for a bit too but unfortunately, not for very long. I truly wish he could attend this conference with me.
I hope to come back from this trip with a recap for the blog along with photos. You can also follow me on Instagram or Facebook as I am sure I will be posting some updates there as well.
Hopefully, in the meantime, I can figure out what is going on with all my old posts and all the missing photos. 🙂 As usual, stay tuned!
With school starting in two weeks for the Peanut, in a last minute decision (more or less) Vans and I decided we wanted to take one more family getaway. We originally had planned that Sunriver, Oregon would be our only family vacation this year, but we managed to squeeze in one more weekend (truly a weekend) getaway and it wasn’t easy.
One random day while driving around to one of our various swim team events, Vans mentioned Santa Cruz. I did a quick google on my phone and found a trail race the very same weekend he was considering! His response, “Well, we have to go now. You can run and I will ride.”
So, a few more days of finding hotels that fit our needs and dates … we were set. Another Run-cation (as Vans likes to call them) was in the books!
We left on Saturday (not as early as we would have liked which would have been a better idea) and sat in the massive amount of traffic that is the bay area. I was “scolded” (in a humorous way) by a friend for the fact that my girls have never seen or been in the ocean (Peanut has seen the ocean but probably doesn’t remember it).
What can I say? We are Tahoe people through and through. Our girls have been in Lake Tahoe more times than I can count and built many a sand castle on the golden beaches of Lake Tahoe but the bay area? Ugh, sorry, I just cannot stand the drive that way as it is NEVER free from traffic.
So we left Saturday morning and was hit immediately with bumper to bumper traffic getting into Santa Cruz. What should have been a 3 hour drive was slowly turning into 4+ hours. We made some diversions along some local streets but in the end we arrived way later than we had anticipated.
The Beach!
But, we made it and hit Davenport Beach which is a nice quiet, semi secluded beach up Highway 1. Although we were all fully dressed and not in swim suits, the kids were free to do what they liked. The Peanut, albeit a little bit naive about the ocean, loved every minute of it. Squeaker? Not so much. She hated the cold and the noise. The ironic part is that the Peanut (a notoriously terrible sleeper as an infant) was put to bed with wave sounds whereas Squeaker who was always a great sleeper, was not… guess who was afraid of waves!? 🙂
Still, it was so amazing to see their excitement even if they complained about the seaweed. Tahoe doesn’t have seaweed. 🙂
We checked into our hotel and then departed looking for a place to eat for dinner. I had done a little Trailmomma #plantstrong research before we left home finding a few places that we could visit. The first was the Saturn Cafe which came about because it was closest and we saw it while driving around.
Basically picture a real diner but made entirely vegan and almost 100% gluten free. That was this place. While not 100% healthy (anything fried, is not healthy) it was pretty incredible.
The Peanut and her camera skills
Unfortunately, with a race looming early the next morning, I couldn’t go too crazy with all the plant based foods (I have a sensitive tummy) so I kept it low(er) key by sampling a lot.
Sunday morning came faster than I anticipated and so I woke up and snuck away to the lobby with my gluten free oatmeal in search of some hot water. I managed to make a good breakfast. Soon we were on our way to the starting area.
An important item to note here is that Vans’s phone died and I wasn’t about to leave him with the girls and no phone while I was off running in a race for a few hours. I gave him my phone which is why this race report has limited photos. HOWEVER, I want to return to this race because the photos would have been amazing. 🙂
This would be the second Inside Trail Race that I have done. The first was the Mt. Tam 50K last November. In typical Inside Trail fashion, the course markings were definitely something you can’t ignore. Once again, I printed the course map and threw it in my pack. I know better with these guys. 🙂
There was a 10k option, half marathon option and 30k option. I signed up to do the 30k. The first few miles of this race were up hill in sand. Not just sand, but deep beach sand where you sink about 3 inches and slide back a few as well. By mid race, my calves were screaming at me but I was loving every minute of it.
Within the first 4 miles you are also crossing the San Lorenzo River which was about knee high for me. The race director had said in years past, the river was well over his waist!
I started out with a fairly fast pack and was not thinking too much about pacing or anything. I was just happy to be running on new to me trails. Some people may think I am nuts for finding these races and running them solo, but I love it. It really just sets your mind up for something and it is up to you to conquer it. You also really take in your surroundings this way. I kind of love it. 🙂
At mile 2.5 I happened to run past a porta potty that wasn’t intended for the race (I think it was for some workers actually) but I took advantage of it and then lost my spot. When I emerged from the porta potty, I was stuck in a conga line. Oh well. I passed when I could and eventually found myself spaced out from other runners.
Along the way I had helped two men find their way. They didn’t have a map on them and I guess did not listen to the pre-race talk as they had no idea which ribbons to follow at one point. I told the Half Marathoner that he had to follow the pink ribbons only and if he sees orange ribbons, he has gone the wrong way. The other guy was running the 30k like me. I helped him a few other times along the way when the paths were some what confusing. Ironically, this will come back to me later in the race.
A 30K is just a smidgen over 18 miles and so they only had 3 aid-stations on the course, one of which you passed twice. They are very efficient with the way they set up these races and have the course. I relied a little too heavily on the idea that the aid-stations would have something for me to eat and therefore I didn’t bring too much in the way of my own fuel. That was not a well planned out idea as the aid-stations didn’t have any gluten free options for me. They had sugary items but no gluten free salty items and the items that I brought with me, were sugary in nature as well. Oh well. I made due and continued on my way never staying long at any of the aid-stations.
Vans and the girls were wandering around the grounds
At the second aid-station I caught up to the woman who had been in front of me. She seemed extra paranoid that I had caught her. We talked briefly and then I started out on the trail before her. She was very quick to follow and then she started up a conversation with me up a hill.
As she was talking we noticed a group of mountain bikers. Between the mountain bikers and her talking, we missed our turn and realized it about a mile later, that we were going backwards around the loop that we needed to run. The girl panicked big time and started running away. I kept telling her that I had a map and we could figure it out. Then we ran into another girl who was also going the wrong way … she too was kind of freaking out. I was calm as can be and was intent on figuring out how to get back to where we needed to be in order to do the correct loops.
Both of these girls would not listen to me and took off back towards the finish. In the end, they skipped a whole loop of the course (about 4 to 5 miles worth) and I betcha anything, are the two girls listed on the finish list in my age group as 3rd and 4th place. Karma was not good to me there. I had been helping other runners all day and then got myself lost! ha! Oh well. I was smiling the entire time.
I did the right loop and tried to make up time. I did as I eventually caught up to the guy who had been running behind me the entire day. He laughed that I got lost (he was the guy I had helped earlier).
The way back was fun. It was SO humid outside that I even contemplated taking off my shirt and I NEVER do that. The river felt amazing when I had to go through it a second time.
Eventually I realized that I must have been close to the finish. Luckily, we avoided the sandy section on our return. Soon enough, I saw Vans and heard the girls! They were on the trail cheering me on.
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I finished in just over 3.5 hours which I was okay with considering I ran an extra mile or so when I got lost and spent all that time trying to figure out the course (and porta potty stop). It was fun and I would totally do this race again.
My Medal was stolen by Squeaker
Vans and the girls had a blast exploring Henry Cowell State Park while I was off running. They have some amazing red woods here and the girls were just in awe over them.
Big Tree!
Post race we wandered the grounds as a family which was good and bad. Good as I enjoyed seeing everything, bad as I didn’t take enough time to stretch post race but the walking felt great.
The rest of the weekend we spent doing all kinds of fun things. We hit the Santa Cruz Boardwalk which was a blast. The Peanut is like me and likes rides a lot, especially somewhat scary ones. 🙂
Our view from the Ferris Wheel – amazing
Squeaker was able to ride her first ever ferris wheel AND she went on a (small) roller coaster – not sure how she feels about that now (she was a little freaked during).
On the roller coaster!Strange creatures roam the Santa Cruz Boardwalk
On Monday, before leaving town, we had a few other things that we needed to get done. One of them was for Vans to visit the Derby Skate Park in Santa Cruz.
Found it!
This park was odd (to me) and full of local kids who were chatting it up with Vans. It was funny. Post skate park, we had to find the Santa Cruz bike shop hub …
Found it!The girls liked it
Then it was time for more strange plant-based eateries for lunch … the girls and Vans were not a fan of Dharmas. It definitely takes some getting used to.
The Peanut is drinking a mint chocolate coconut vegan smoothie that she actually liked
After lunch, we headed to Capitola Beach for one more jaunt into the ocean. This time we all put on swim suits and went in. Well, everyone except Squeaker. She was content to play in the sand the entire time.
Over all, it was a great short trip. The traffic in both directions was incredibly terrible reminding us why we never head to the bay area. We are mountain people at heart and luckily, the traffic to Tahoe is usually manageable. Still, our last vacation before school starts was a success. The girls had fun and were happy to get home to our two new fur babies.
Jersey & Reagan
TiggerT was a great auntie cat sitter for us. The kittens were in great hands the entire time.
Not sure when my next blog post will happen. I have to figure out this blog transfer stuff and fast. I am also doing some traveling to the east coast next week for something I am crazy excited for. I was hoping to do a whole blog post related to it so I better figure out this blog transfer thing and fast!
How is that for a funny blog title? I have not been posting much because I have until August 19th to figure out how to transfer my hosted files from GoDaddy to my new domain host (I think I got that terminology right) but I have had so many things “pop up” in the meantime that solving that issue is the farthest thing from my brain at the moment.
The Trailmomma household has expanded. We decided to finally adopt. Not a baby baby, but two adorable fur babies!
Kittens!
Jersey is the grey kitten and he is 3 months old and Reagan is the black kitten and she is 2 months old. So stinking cute and so much work. Still, it is kind of nice to have “babies” in the house again and my girls are totally smitten …. Vans is almost there. 🙂
New Kitten Toys!
So with the addition of Jersey and Reagan, real work, and crewing for Pigeon at Tahoe Rim … life was pretty busy. I spent a week or so after TRT trying to edit a silly little vlog kind of video of my day crewing for her. I have a terrible camera and I didn’t plan well for it, but I had fun trying to do it … maybe something I may try and do more in the future. It took a lot of time to edit together and I am not 100% thrilled with the outcome but I don’t mind sharing. This medicine with lots of attributes is available at the cheapest prices. online prescription viagra without check out these guys Kamagra Oral Jelly is the generic sort of cialis no prescription https://www.supplementprofessors.com/help/. They build up the libido level in person (sexual wish). orden 50mg viagra The ideal viagra soft pills is one pill a day.
Anyway, that’s what has been going on here. I may have more to write about next week as I have a few exiting things coming down the pipeline that I am VERY excited about so please stay tuned!
This race is not an easy race no matter what distance you choose. Whether you are running the 55k, the 50 mile or the 100 mile, this course can really throw all the elements at you in one day.
Last year Pigeon suffered through massive rain, hail, thunder and lightning while running on top of one of the highest peaks in the Lake Tahoe area. There are miles upon miles of exposed open trail covered in lung choking dust and the smallest particles of gravel you have ever seen.
In short, this weekend is a tough weekend all around both for the runner and the crew. So sit back, and enjoy the recap. As usual, it’s long. ☺
Friday after work, I drove up to Tahoe. I stopped at Squaw Valley for the annual Wanderlust Festival. I love stopping here to walk around, stretch my legs, use the bathrooms and of course, check out all the freebies they have to offer! I also scored a snack since I had skipped lunch that day in exchange for driving.
Crazy overpriced but good Spring Roll
Pigeon and Missouri secured a condo again this year near Diamond Peak Ski Resort which proves to be the best way to go about handling this race, especially for the crew and most definitely for a crew with a 6 month old!
JCM!
That’s right, Missouri and I were going to crew Pigeon while also trying to entertain little JCM who is super in love with his mama and only his mama right now. Let’s just say, Missouri put in double duty this weekend big time.
Friday night we discussed plans, routes and expectations for the weekend. Pigeon seemed way more relaxed and calm than she has years prior. She ran and completed Quicksilver in May so she has her qualifier for Western States 2016 which meant the pressure was off so to speak for this race. Her only goal was to finish.
We all went to bed early knowing that we all had different jobs in the morning. Pigeon and Missouri had to head to the starting line which is at Spooner Lake (near South Shore) and I was going to wake up a bit later and head to Tunnel Creek so that I could catch Pigeon coming through the aid-station at miles 12 and 17. The race started at 5 am and Pigeon and had all her predicted times written out for us. I wanted to be at Tunnel Creek with plenty of time to see her come through.
To be honest, I was a tad bit nervous in how the weekend would play out. What Pigeon doesn’t know (and still doesn’t actually) is that a week ago to the day, I had teeny tiny accident at home that has since caused me some pain. I slipped while removing the solar cover off the pool and cracked my tailbone against the side of the cement pool. Yup. As far as I know, nothing is broken. What I do know is that I can’t really sit well on hard surfaces and it hurts to sneeze but running? Well, I kept up with my mid-week short runs the week before Tahoe and while not exactly stellar, things are slowly getting better. I was just concerned mostly about falling while running with Pigeon because we have a rule if I fall while pacing her …. She will only stop if she sees protruding bone or if I hit my head (we never actually clarified that second part but I’d like to hope that she’d stop for that too – haha).
As I climbed up Tunnel Creek things felt okay. It’s a long uphill climb with a few flat sections. My goal was to just go easy and run when I could. However, the “problem†with this trail is that it is so darn beautiful. Seriously, it is begging you to stop and take photographs.
Insane sunrise
When I had left my car and started my assent, it was rather warm. Years past I have always carried a jacket and never ever used it. This year, I left the jacket in the car. HUGE mistake. Huge.
Of course I was warm hiking but the minute I got to the top of Tunnel Creek where the volunteers were still setting up the aid-station, the wind came and the cold. Bitter, bitter cold. I immediately started shivering.
aid-station up ahead
“Crap! Why didn’t I bring my jacket? I can’t hike back down I’ll miss her coming through!†Just as I was sitting there battling myself, a nice older gentleman came over and asked me if I wanted a coat. I felt terrible, I said no immediately. I told him to save it for his volunteers (there were tons of other people freezing too who actually belonged up there). He asked me THREE times if I was sure.
Then, I remembered I had my 99 cent poncho that I purchased at Target in my hydration pack in case it rained. This thing is thinner than a garbage bag but at least it would protect a little against the wind (I was wearing shorts and a tank top mind you). I threw on my bright red poncho an sat there shivering on a rock watching the clock willing it to move faster so that at least I’d have a reason to get up and move around.
The next thing that I knew, that same man came over with a blanket for me. He took it out of the bag and simply said, “Just leave it over there when you leave.†Seriously the SWEETEST! Turns out he was the head medical guy at this aid-station and I am forever indebted to his kindness.
Freezing my gluten free buns off.
Almost on cue, Pigeon came running into Tunnel Creek. She looked good. I can’t assist her at this aid-station, so I had to watch from the outside until she came outside the ropes. She said she felt good. She looked good. Serious.
She took off on the Red House Loop (6 miles) and I figured that I would see her in about 90 minutes or so. In the meantime, I saw Stonegate and Burning Girl who were running their first Tahoe 55k come through. They came running into the aid-station and I gave them big old cheer. They looked good and were smiling which made me smile more. We chatted on the trail for a bit and they too took off on the Red House Loop – one of the volunteers standing there said, “So you’re done chatting now? Ready to run?†as they left! Hahaha ☺
Stonegate and Burning Girl
When Pigeon came back up the hill I had run down to meet her. She looked okay. She was still serious. Not much smiling going on with her. She was focused. She didn’t look like she was in any discomfort so that was good.
Pigeon focused
When she took off towards Diamond Peak I returned my borrowed blanket and took off down the hill. I hated that I would miss Stonegate and Burning Girl as they returned through Tunnel Creek but the time frame was too short for me to get down the hill, get back to the condo, eat, change and load the car for Diamond Peak (mile 30).
I got a smile before she left for Diamond Peak
Maybe if I didn’t stop to take 503 photos on my way down I would have had more time (haha) … I am telling you, I LOVE this stinking road up to Tunnel Creek. ☺
Soaking it all in.Being a goofball
I literally made it back to the condo in time to change out of my sweaty clothes, grab something to eat to bring with us and helped Missouri load the car with all the gear we’d need for Pigeon at Diamond Peak.
The parking at Diamond is a pain in the butt and this year we had the gear wagon and JCM and his stroller and gear. So I pulled the wagon which was packed full with chairs, coolers, umbrellas etc up the dirt ski run to the back of Diamond Peak while Missouri pushed the stroller.
We immediately set up camp in the shade (score) and then I moved to the front to wait for Pigeon to come through. The temps were starting to rise now. I was no longer cold. It was hot.
It seemed liked forever, but still close to her predicted time, Pigeon came into Diamond Peak. She looked good. She ate solid food, she smiled – nothing seemed to be bugging her. Seeing JCM brought a good smile to her face.
Coming into Mile 30
We refilled her pack, made her eat, she put on more sunscreen and without much time wasted, she started her climb up the ski run of Diamond Peak.
The whole family – JCM was the master behind it allSunscreening herselfHeading up Diamond Peak
I helped Missouri reload the wagon. Vans and the girls came up that afternoon and so I stayed at Diamond Peak with them while Missouri brought JCM back to the condo for a much needed nap.
My girls!
The period between seeing Pigeon at 30 miles and then again at 50 miles is pretty long so this is an ideal time for the crew to catch up on sleep and eat. I had lunch with my family and the new all returned to condo where I took a quick 30 minute nap on the couch.
Vans and the girls said goodbye. I was so happy they came to see me. They were bummed they had missed Pigeon coming into Diamond Peak by only a few minutes but they were still in awe of the craziness that was happening around them.
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Around 5 pm, Missouri and I loaded the car again complete with JCM and made our way to Spooner Lake in South Shore where Dasie and Kuni (crew #2) would also be waiting for us. Kuni was scheduled to pace Pigeon from the 50 mile marker to the 80 mile marker where I would then take over and bring her into the finish.
Kuni and Dasie – the cutest
We found them almost immediately when we entered Spooner Recreation Area. State Parks changed the way they handled the race this year in regards to parking and I have to say, I kind of liked it! There was not as much parking but it wasn’t a pain to try and get in the gates.
We made our way to the aid-station, debated on a location for our set up and then just sat and waited. It was getting chilly out but at least it wasn’t raining like last year.
Again, not far off schedule, Pigeon came into the aid-station. She immediately said she needed to have her feet taped by the medical volunteers as she was starting to get blisters.
Assessing the foot situation
While Kuni was helping with that, the aid-station allowed one additional crew member into the area to help. I took over being the liaison between Pigeon and Kuni who were sitting in the medical tent to Dasie, Missouri and JCM who were outside aid-station with all the gear.
Discussing the plan
Pigeon changed her socks and her shorts here. She was able to eat another turkey and avocado sandwich which was a good sign. If you can still eat solid foods after 50 miles, that’s a bonus.
She didn’t spend too much time here. The majority of the time was just taping her feet. Other runners had spent way more time in the aid-station in comparison.
There they go!
Soon they were running all “head-lamped†down the trail! She was on her way and she looked strong. We wouldn’t see her again until the next morning at Diamond Peak (mile 80). I got excited. Things were looking good!
Missouri, JCM and I made our way back to North Shore to the condo. JCM had about had it for the day and I was starving and in need of a shower, bad. I wanted to eat, shower and get to bed as I knew that I’d have to get up early to begin my pacing duties.
I woke up at 11 pm freaking out that I had overslept and missed everything. I laughed and then went back to bed. I finally woke up at 3 am, packed my car for good (Missouri had to check out that morning) and made my way to Diamond Peak.
This aid-station moves inside at night due to the noise factor and the complaining neighbors. Inside the ski resort there were bodies spread out everywhere. Crew members napping, runners laying on cots who were exhausted. It was complete organized chaos.
People are sleeping under that tent in the cornerRunners who needed to lay down
I found some friends, chatted for a bit and then scored a corner when they left to set up camp for us. Then, we sat and waited. I had checked online before leaving the condo to see what Pigeon’s check in times were at the other aid-stations during the night.
When I saw that she had checked out of Tunnel Creek at 3 am, I knew something must have been wrong. I was hoping it was the timing situation. Per Pigeon’s calculations, she should have been out of Tunnel earlier than 3 am.
Pigeon had been 10 to 15 minutes off her schedule (roughly) all day. Sometimes she’d hit the mark and others just be 10 minutes off so we were not too worried when 15 minutes went by and she had not come in yet. Then, Dasie’s phone rang.
I won’t lie. My heart jumped into my chest. I thought, “Holy crap! Here we go! I am going to finally be able to get to run with her! Yes! She is going to do this!†Then I realized the conversation was taking much longer than a “She’s almost there†message … Kuni is not a man of many words, and he was talking to Dasie a lot.
Something was happening with Pigeon’s feet. It was bad. We had to pack up. Pigeon wanted the car moved up the road into the neighborhood. That meant unpacking the aid-station we had set up, loading up JCM and his stuff and having Missouri race down to the lower lot to get the car so that we could load everything back into it.
I ended up pushing the stroller and pulling the full wagon out of Diamond Peak by myself to get to the upper parking lot where Missouri was trying to bring the car.
I then hopped into Dasie’s car while Missouri loaded JCM and we drove up the road to find where the trail touches the road. I hopped out of the car and decided that I would just run onto the course until I came to them. I wore my sweatshirt so that I could give it to Pigeon.
So many runners were coming down. Some in great spirits. Some not so much. I saw this one guy who when coming at me, he looked like an angel with wings! For a minute, I thought I was seeing things and I couldn’t get my phone out fast enough to take a photo from the front. As it turns out, he had a space blanket under his pack …
Angel Dude
Up and up and up I ran and hiked. I kept sending texts to Missouri telling her how far up I had to go and that I had not reached them yet. I also kept an eye on the clock. If Pigeon was only walking, there is no way she’d make the 7:35 am cut off at Diamond Peak not to mention the fact that if she did, she’d be racing cut offs all day long.
Finally about a mile and a half from where Dasie had dropped me off, I saw them. Pigeon’s face was crestfallen. She just looked defeated and angry and of course, sad. Kuni filled me in on her feet and how massively huge the many blisters were that she had and what had transpired during the night.
She could barely move her feet and the trail ahead wasn’t easy. There were many obstacles to maneuver over.
I tried to joke a little here and there. Kuni did too. She would smile every so often but you could tell in her heart, she was done but that it was eating her alive that all except for her feet, she felt fine. She felt strong. She was trained.
We had a mile and a half to the car. I didn’t want to tell her that because when you are in that much pain, a mile and a half seems like another 100 miles. Step by step we all made our way down the hill. I was texting Missouri as we’d go, filling her in every time we’d make it a half mile or so.
We finally got to the car and Pigeon just got inside. That was it. She was done. We all drove back to Diamond Peak as we had to officially declare her as “dropped†and she wanted her feet to be seen by medical to see if anything could be done.
She had made it 80 freaking miles! Her longest distance covered yet. She got to see the sun rise, set and rise again! If it wasn’t for her darn feet, she would have finished.
Sunrising on the trail
As it turns out, medical wouldn’t even touch her feet. They advised her to keep the shoes and tape on for as long as she could and then soak in Epsom salts a few times a day to avoid infections. Unfortunately, she had to check out of the condo and drive two hours home before she could soak anything.
It was heart breaking to watch her drop again especially knowing how in shape and how well-trained and prepared she was for this race. The temperature was on her side most of the day (not too hot) and it never rained. She fueled herself well all day long. She had juice in the legs still but unfortunately, her feet looked as if they had been through the meat grinder.
The guy with medical suggested she invest in some gators for Tahoe running and after our training run a few weeks ago, I can 100% agree with his suggestion. The gravel and sand on these Tahoe trails is so fine and there is so much of it, that you are just covered in it head to toe, literally. The dust gets in your lungs and the gravel in your shoes and under your shoe liners until it shreds your toes and socks to pieces. Gators for Tahoe I think are a must have. This is definitely food for thought for me if and when I run this race someday.
I wish I could have ended on a happier note, I know Pigeon does too but it isn’t for lack of trying. I am so dang proud of her. I really am. She is the most determined and focused runner I know which is why when outside factors determine your outcome, it makes it harder to swallow.
Rest up Pigeon! Let those feet and legs heal. Tahoe will always be there. It isn’t going anywhere. Dig deep within yourself and be confident and proud. You are a wise runner and soon, you’ll have bigger trails to conquer and I hope that I can be by your side then too. Thanks for allowing me on your journey. JCM has one badass mama (two actually, cause Missouri is pretty darn badass herself to handle crewing and a baby). ☺
Finally, a special shout out to Vans. He came up to support me even though I was crewing and not running. He brought the girls which made me smile. I love involving them in this stuff and explaining that it isn’t always about running the race – you have to crew, volunteer and support the race too.
Nice photobomb Squeaker
Happy Trails!
~Trailmomma
***PS: I am fully aware that if you are viewing this on a mobile device that the photos are sideways or upside down. For an OPTIMAL viewing experience, please read from your PC or computer as I believe the photos will be upright. I apologize for the inconvenience. This is still a work in progress.***Â
It has been a while since my last post. I feel like I say that all the time and maybe I do. Sorry about that. I know consistency on this blog isn’t my strongest asset. Most of the time it is due to the insanity that is sometimes my life but this time around, it stems mostly from me taking a step down. Backing away from some things and focusing on other things.
In all honesty, after all the pain I’ve endured just trying to keep this blog afloat, I seriously have been contemplating not having one. I know I will miss it and I know others will as well. I still haven’t figured out the problem with whoever is hosting my blog vs where my domain lives now. Apparently I need to do some kind of switch-a-rue with my “stuff” but I can’t figure it out and don’t have the patience (and time) to try and I don’t have the money to have someone else do it for me (sigh – woe is me right?).
What I have been toying with lately though is “vlogging” which is basically a VIDEO blog instead of a words and photo blog. I follow a few vloggers and I admire their ability to put it all out there. I’ve often toyed with doing one of these since they popped online quite a few years ago but I just never felt I was “vlog” worthy (I still don’t but I want to for other reasons – see below).
What mostly intrigues me about vlogging is the video editing process which is a small passion hobby that I have. Actually, that is what I was doing during most of my “away” time, editing a video or two from our trip to Oregon.
I’ve also been cooking. Or meal prepping. Okay, both. I’ve just felt the need to make sure we have healthy food. We ate well in Oregon so it wasn’t like I over indulged at all.
Edamme Pasta with a Red Pepper Basil Pesto
My pressure cooker has been on my counter almost consistently since we’ve been home. I’ve made and froze beans of various kinds and portions. I’ve also made potatoes which turn themselves magically into amazing little wedges.
Mmmm potatoes!
I’ve also “deactivated” my account from Facebook. I’ve ignored Facebook for a while. I’ve also tried the “only logging in once a day” method and “only posting on weekends” trick but last week, I pulled the plug and deactivated myself. My intention was only to do it temporarily. Although, I have a big weekend ahead so I may have to reactivate my account in order to keep people posted on my adventures in Tahoe (pssst, Tahoe Rim Trail 100 is this weekend in case you were wondering – yes, I am crewing Pigeon again woot woot!)
There is nothing wrong with Facebook and I can’t say I was obsessed with it. I just, needed a break. I am already “online” via this blog, via instagram and who knows what else since I put myself “out-there” on the world wide web that I just really needed to take a step back. Facebook houses a lot of drama. It is also a great communication tool but that darn drama and the games people play, just made me need a break. If it wasn’t for family missing out on seeing my girls and me seeing what is happening with Dylan, I’d probably sign off for good.
In the meantime, I’ve been doing other things! Adult drivers ed courses may also be patented to prevent sales of similar drugs where the patent may only djpaulkom.tv order viagra online extend for five or tens years or have no restrictions of generic sales at all. You can take this medicine with online viagra djpaulkom.tv or without food. The professionals use them cialis 100mg pills simply as “cues” in order to enhance an individual’s sexual desire. The most simple things in life are djpaulkom.tv levitra prescription perfect.
Okay, so I really was just goofing around but secretly I’d love to be able to have the ability to skateboard. 🙂
Vans in action.
Instead, I watched Vans skate with some friends one weekend. I love watching him skate and I love that photo above because his shadow reminds me of Peter Pan when he was chasing his shadow and made his way into Wendy’s room.
I have also been reading more which I started on vacation and realized I missed too much. So, I have made a point to try and read at least a few pages of a book daily.
All of this (reading, cooking, editing videos, kids, running, work) has made very little time for me to blog or figure out my blogging issues.
Don’t worry though, I will be back soon enough I am sure. Like I said above, Tahoe Rim Trail is this weekend so I will be out there with my camera taking race photos, crewing for Pigeon, supporting Stonegate and Burning Girl if I can and just enjoying myself in the amazing mountain air that is Lake Tahoe.
Happy Trails!
~Trailmomma
***PS: I am conducting an experiment and not TOUCHING my photos above. If they are sideways (like the one of me skating appears sideways on my PC) then I am waiting to see if blogger/whoeveritis – changes the orientation if viewed from a mobile device.***Â