Something to know about me: 1) I love yellow split peas (and green split peas – I don’t discriminate), 2) I love anything with turmeric (it does wonders for the body and reducing inflammation) and 3) I love my Instant Pot (um, duh?!). So this soup was sort of a no brainer and you know what? It totally worked! Enjoy and let me know what you think!
TURMERIC SOUP
1.5 cups yellow split peas
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 carton of low sodium veggie broth (about 4 cups)
Kale or spinach (I used handfuls of both as that’s what I had on hand)
Green onions (optional but gives it a great flavor)
Chop your onions (try not to cry), toss them into your pressure cooker. Add the split peas, the garlic powder and turmeric. Add the whole carton of the low sodium veggie broth and stir.
Cook on manual for 10 minutes with the pressure valve set to sealing. Let pressure come down naturally.
When the pressure button drops, remove the lid (be careful of the steam), and add your kale and spinach and stir. Put the lid back on for one more minute to let the green cook down. NOTE: the peas cook down really well, they almost dissolve but if you want a pureed extra smooth soup, use an immersion blender before adding the greens. I prefer a soup with a little more chunk to it, so I did not puree before serving.
Serve with sliced green onions, red pepper flakes and crushed black pepper on top. I roasted some delicata squash in the oven to have on the side but really, the soup was enough for me.
This is one of my go-to meals both for breakfast and dinner. I make it for guests when they arrive and I make it for myself when Vans is out riding with this buddies. It’s easy, simple and super filling.
SAVORY INSTANT POT OATS
1 cup steel cut oats (I use gluten free)
2 cups low sodium veggie broth
1 cup water
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
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Kale or Spinach (as many handfuls as you like)
1/2 to 1 cup your favorite salsa
Add the first six ingredients in the order listed above to your pressure cooker. I like to stir and then add the kale or spinach. Set to Manual for 4 minutes and let pressure release naturally.
When the pressure comes down, stir and then add salsa and stir again. I like to add some crushed black pepper to the bowl once served to enhance the turmeric properties.
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.
Packed and ready to go!
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.
Photo from: www.quicksilver-running.com
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
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.
Photo by Chihping Fu
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. 🙂
Photo by CC Lee
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. Overdose of this tablet must be avoided which means that wouroud.com buy viagra online it is not sold by one particular manufacturer, and therefore, a competitive market exists, with vendors lowering their prices to attract buyers. To order buy pill viagra or place the order online you should log-in through proper website and buy as you want. It takes about three months to witness fully side effects viagra fledged results. NF Cure capsules cialis discounts increase semen volume, which is too much necessary for performing lovemaking acts.
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.
Photo by me
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.
Photo by me
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
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.
Photo by me
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.
“You have two choices: Run now or be ready to sprint later, your call.”
The last time I wrote about the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 mile endurance race was back in 2015 when Pigeon was attempting her third TRT100.
Beautiful Lake Tahoe
You can read about that event here (excuse the weirdness of that post, my blog has since been updated and there are all kinds of migration errors in it).
Needless to say she didn’t make it in 2015 and she didn’t make it again in 2016 when she attempted the race for a fourth time.
Fast forward to the present day; I wasn’t overly surprised to see her name on the entrants list for 2017. I know she has quite the vendetta with this race and a desire to conquer it because she knows (and I know) that she can finish it.
But some things had to change in order for that to happen.
Photo from: http://trter.com/
This post isn’t about her run per se, I will let Pigeon tell that story as it is hers and hers alone to tell. You can follow her here: Pigeon’s Blog. This post is more about crewing and what we saw from our side, which if you’ve ever run an ultra, you know there are two sides/adventures for both runner and crew.
In years past, I’ve missed my kid’s last swim meet of the season, taken off of work and headed up to Tahoe to help Pigeon get ready. This year, I couldn’t do that. I wouldn’t do that. Vans suffered an injury and is out of swim meet rotation. I also had told Pigeon early on that I wasn’t going to give up vacation time and my kid’s last swim meet again. She understood. I sound like a terrible friend but crewing is a huge commitment and it wasn’t that I didn’t believe that she could finish, I just had to put my family first this time.
That was the start of some of the “changes” that occurred. Pigeon’s wife also left town and would not be crewing. That meant, Pigeon had to find a whole new crew.
Enter Miss P! Photo by: Not Chris
If you’ve followed my posts this year, you know that I’ve been running with some new trail friends. Not Chris is one of those friends. He’s been running with Pigeon and I for quite some time now and even though he is fairly new to ultra running, he’s proven himself to be a superb runner, friend and planner.
Miss P is not a “new friend” but she is a consummate bada$$ on the trail! I’ve never heard an ill word about her in the 7 years I have known her and she is one helluva runner.
That rounded out our crew. Myself, Miss P and Not Chris all ready to finish this. Miss P and Not Chris had to take on the Friday and Saturday duties while I attended my kids (very hot) swim meet.
“See ya in a few!” Photo by: Not Chris
Not Chris was unfamiliar with TRT100 before meeting Pigeon. As soon as he was asked to be part of the crew, he studied the rule book, website, cut-offs and maps. He was on top of everything.
He was also excited to be a back up pacer and to also finally go up Tunnel Creek!
Pigeon coming into Tunnel Creek Photo by: Not Chris
Even though there is little you can do at the Tunnel Creek aid-station (miles 12 , 18.5, 35, 62, 68.5, 85), it’s enough to have the moral and verbal support. I know Pigeon truly appreciated him being there for her.
Diamond Peak Photo by: Not Chris
When Pigeon came into Diamond Peak (mile 30) early Saturday, she was ahead of schedule. I was getting the play-by-play texts from Not Chris all day. She looked good he said, feet looked good, she was not much below the 30 hour runner cut-off! What!? That’s awesome!
Leaving the aid-station in the heat of the day. Photo by: Not Chris
I finished my swim meet which was a good 40 minutes away from my house. I raced home, cleaned up my kids, myself, made sure Vans was okay (remember he’s out of commission and essentially has the use of only one leg right now), did some house items he requested I do before I leave, shoved food in my face and then jumped in my car and drove to South Lake Tahoe.
I made it to Spooner Lake by 5:30 pm. Pigeon was expected (if she was still on schedule based on her day so far) to be in anywhere between 6:45 pm and 7:45 pm.
Spooner Lake Photo by: Me
Not Chris and Miss P were at Spooner by 5:45 pm. We set up our crew aid-station in a completely different spot than years prior (again, to change things up).
Miss P was ready to pace Pigeon through the night to Diamond Peak (30 miles). Originally I had hoped to pace her all 50, but with my swim meet obligations, I had to back down to only the last 20 miles. In the end though, that turned out to be a great and perfect plan.
There was quite a bit of carnage at Spooner and the mosquitoes were in full force. Not Chris and I waited on the trail for her just down from the aid-station.
Around 7:15 pm or so we saw her! She was still ahead of schedule! I had not seen her yet today, so I ran to her gave her a half-assed walking hug and then pummeled her with questions: What have you eaten? How do you feel? What do you need? What’s working? What’s not working? How are your feet? You get the drift.
She seemed quiet but verbal. She mentioned she had tummy troubles so I said to stop what she had been eating, we’ll try something new.
When she came in through the aid-station we got her settled. She changed her socks and looked at her feet. So far so good it seemed. We refilled her pack and replaced all the food she had. I don’t honestly recall what she ate while she was there … bad crew person!
Soon she was up, with headlamps and ready to run with Miss P. Off they went and that was that. She barely stayed more than 10 minutes in the aid-station.
Leaving Spooner, mile 50 Photo by: Me
Not Chris and I packed up everything and made our way back to the condo. We discussed what our plan should be for the morning. She’s doing so well and moving so much faster than expected that Not Chris and I were nervous about getting to Diamond (mile 80) in time to crew and exchange pacers.
Around 10:30 pm Miss P texted me their status .. all seemed well she was almost to Hobart Aid-Station (mile 57).
I woke up at 2:00 am ready to roll. I just couldn’t sleep . By 3:30 am Not Chris and I were at Diamond. We set up inside the doorway of the lodge (you are not allowed to set up outside before the sun rises) and waited. We waited some more and waited some more. We were fully entertained by the hum of all that was happening around us. A lot of runners (and pacers) looked quite haggard after the long night’s run.
Another text came from Miss P at 3:30 am. A few “issues” had occurred out there, she slowed down her pace considerably but was moving. They were just at Tunnel Creek (mile 68.5).
6:09 am another text “Hope to get in by 7:15.” Time wise the night (and blisters) took their toll on her and she was inching closer to the 35 hour runner mark. 7:03 am she came rolling into Diamond!
She was an hour and 53 minutes (roughly) below the 35 hour cut-off for that aid-station. I was okay with that, I thought that gave us a decent cushion. I was wrong.
We had her in and out of Diamond quickly. She only managed some veggie broth and a few pieces of potato. She didn’t eat very much which concerned me as we were about to start climbing to the top of Diamond Peak.
Leaving Diamond Peak (mile 80) Photo by: Not Chris
As we climbed we chatted. She seemed quiet but fine. She said she was tired (duh) and that her legs hurt (double duh). Then, she dry heaved. “What the?!”
Me: “How long as this been going on?”
Pigeon: “Oh since before Spooner.”
Me: “Say what?”
I went into correction mode trying to figure out what we could do to alleviate this problem. I gave her ginger. Nope, that came flying out. I gave her salt. Nope, that came back up as well. I gave her three (yes 3!) jelly beans … those stayed down. Okay, we got something to work with. Jelly beans and coke are what is going to get us up this hill.
Then, she stopped and bent over.
Me: “Stand up. You can take a break but you can’t get air into your lungs if you are hunched over.”
Pigeon: (Death glare) “I am TRYING to relieve the pressure off my legs!”
Me: “Okay, okay but try and stay up as much as possible you’ll feel better with more air in your lungs.”
Up and up and up
Up and up and up and up we went. She kept stopping. Finally I tried the, “let’s get to that flag up there in the shade” method. It worked but not good enough. It took us 30 minutes to go one mile. The climb is steep but we were moving slow. It took us another 30 minutes to go another mile. Uh-oh. This had me nervous, our little cushion was quickly disappearing.
More up!
We made it to Tunnel Creek (mile 85) at 9:51 am, about an hour under the 35 hour finish cut-off. Okay, this is okay.
Finally at the top!
Pigeon was a celebrity at Tunnel Creek. The volunteers erupted in cheers and hugs when she entered. She must have had 3 or 4 people helping her so I left to use the restroom and take care of myself. She had her own pit-crew like at a Nascar race!
Volunteer: “What does she want? We have quesadilla, bacon, sausage …”
Me: “No dairy no meat!”
Volunteer: “No dairy no meat??!!”
(Everyone staring at me like I am a crazy person).
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Me: “Pigeon, they have Oreos, can you stomach that?”
Pigeon: “Can I have those?”
ALL eyes turn to me … volunteers, other runners all listening … waiting to see if I will let my runner have Oreos! LOL
Me: “Yes, they are vegan.”
EVERYONE: “OOOOOHHH!! She’s VEGAN!” 🙂
Back on the trail moving and eating. I was happy that everyone was able to get her to eat at Tunnel (despite them looking at me like I was a food-nazi).
We rounded a corner and BOOM! All that she ate, made a reappearance. Uh-oh, well on a brighter note, she should be feeling better but now we’re close to the cut-off AND behind in calories.
Knowing my intense dislike for anything puke related, she started profusely apologizing to me! “Dude, it’s ok!” As I rubbed her back and stared off into the distance focusing intently on a tree. 🙂
I started texting Miss P. She texted back some tips and tricks to try. Pigeon was overheating so I grabbed the extra bottle I had on me and started hosing her down from behind as we moved.
The heat and the sun was relentless. You can tell in the photo above, there is no shade, no place to hide. It was starting to break her. No matter what I said, she wouldn’t move any faster and was stopping quite often.
Finally I turned to her and said, “Okay, no more sitting. You can stop but you can’t sit.”
I thought she comprehended what I said, but then we approached a rock and rare shady area and she made a motion like she was about to sit …
Me: “No sitting!”
Pigeon: “I WASN’T GOING TO SIT!”
Oh boy. I got to keep her moving. I didn’t see any of the Pigeon I normally she in her at all. No sense of humor, no light.
She asked me to go in front of her and I think that made all the difference in the world but also, made her pay the price too.
With me running in front, I started a game. “Let’s run this flat stretch right here! Come on, just a little to that shady area.” She followed.
Pigeon: “I can’t do this. I can’t, I am done.”
Me: “No. No you’re not. Besides we have to move forward, we can’t go back right? One foot in front of the other, that’s all we have to do.”
Thank goodness for cell service too. I texted her wife who sent videos of their son chanting, “Go go go!” Her cousin sent me a video rooting for her. It was all I could do. I was digging and reaching to keep her moving.
Me: “Remember how at Quicksilver and at AR50 you came back from the dead and ran like a mad woman to get me? Come on, do that now! Follow me!”
Then I saw a runner, “Okay, let’s go get that runner! I know how you like to pick people off in races, now is your chance, come on!”
She did. One by one we were picking off runners. She must have picked off 5 runners! We were running all the downs, letting gravity pull us while hiking the ups. She was moving. She had some really great stretches of running.
Me: “Come on! You got this. We’re in good shape!”
Pigeon: “No, we’re not! (stopping) You know we’re not. I have a watch.”
Me: “Ignore your watch. Let me worry about time. Your job is to keep moving. We have to keep moving. Hands OFF your hips and swing your arms. Come on! Let’s go!”
I’d text Miss P that I was struggling. Miss P told me to tell her, “If it isn’t happening today … IT ISN’T HAPPENING!”
That made her move a little more. We had a couple stretches of 14 minute miles on some of those downs. I could tell, she was chasing me, trying to keep up. The hot sections though would just murder her and her spirit.
Pigeon: “I have nothing left. I am completely depleted.”
Me: “I know. You have to dig deep. Deeper than you ever thought that you could. We can’t stop. You have two choices: You can run now or you can sprint later. Your call. I will be damned if we miss this by minutes. We are that close.”
We ran. Finally I could see Spooner Lake. I have never been so happy to see a leach infested lake in my life!
Me: “Look! Look it’s the lake!!! Come on girl! Come one, I can SEE the finish! You got this, but we can’t stop!”
I was looking at my watch. I could see the lake but I couldn’t really tell how far it was. I know it was less than 2 miles but we had 50 minutes left to run to get in under 35 hours. 2 miles any other day would be a walk in the park, but not today, not the way she looked.
She was moving and then, she was down … like down down. Sick again. I quickly looked to my right and saw that Spooner Lake was just a few yards away.
I jumped a burm and ran down to the water and dunked my bandanna. I ran back up the beach to the trail and tried to cool her down. By running in front of her, I was able to get her moving but then I wasn’t able to spray her down with water for all those super hot miles.
The heat, was destroying her.
Me: “Come on. We can do this. If we have to walk in, we can, we have time (I was hoping).”
Pigeon: “I can’t, I don’t think I can. This isn’t right. Something isn’t right.”
Me: “I know. I know. You will be okay. There are medics at the finish. Let’s just get you there. I promise you that you will be okay.”
She started walking. We saw the turn that leads towards the finish line. I was cheering for with tears in my eyes!
We made the next turn onto the single track that lines the lake and brings her right to the finish. Everyone was cheering for her.
Finish in sight!
Me: “Do you think you can run? You want to run into that finish?”
She shook her head, “Nope” is basically what she said.
Me: “That’s okay, we can hike it in.”
BAM! In true Pigeon style she started running!
Me: “YAY GIRL!!!! GOOOOOOO! You did it!!! You finished!!”
SHE DID IT!!
She finished in 34:30:23! 20 minutes to spare!!! So dang proud of that girl!
Got her buckle!!!!
She ran through hell and back to get that buckle, numerous times. She dug deeper than anyone I have ever seen and I couldn’t be more proud of her.
I hated that I had to be the “bad guy” out there but I wasn’t about to let this slip away on my watch but I was unbelievably happy and grateful that I was the one to be with her those last grueling 20 miles, puke and all.
2017 Crew
Seriously a phenomenal group to work with. We all had moments of worry I think throughout that race but I think we all agreed internally, that there was only one choice, and that was to get her to that finish line no matter what. Truly a pleasure working with Miss P and Not Chris. Two gems in my book.
To Pigeon, my dear friend, I am so proud of you. Despite the insanity that is toeing this race five times in a row, I commend you for your grit, determination and unwavering drive to finish what you started five long years ago. Every year I told you I had no doubts that you would finish, but I think, something about 2017, it just had to be THIS year. 😉
And to all of you that actually read that monstrosity of a Pacer’s recap, I reward you with my favorite photo of the weekend. Somewhere between aid-station/crewing duties, Not Chris and I caught this sunset … no filter, no editing. Tahoe is that beautiful. It can be harsh and unforgiving (especially when running 100 miles), but it is heaven on Earth.
Much like last year, this was only supposed to be training run. Last year’s Ruck a Chuck turned into a battle for the finish (read that report here), this year was a little bit different ….
Once again, Paulo and the crew over at Single Track Running, put on a stellar event. This is the second event of theirs that I have done in the last month.
I really enjoy STR events because they are fun, low-key, well marked races and they typically really challenge you (which I like) and they often are on trails that you wouldn’t normally find yourself on, which I also really like.
The Ruck a Chuck 50k is entirely on the Western States trail, which is pretty awesome in and of itself.
First let me start off by saying, I was bad blogger this race. I took only one photo the entire day! So all photos in this recap are from STR and Chasqui Runner (THANK YOU!) and from Not Chris.
The day started with my Garmin dying. I’ve been having charging issues and needless to say, it was going to be a Timex kind of day for me. Which is fine, it was just kind of a bummer to not have my mileage, pace or elevation at the end of this race.
Not Chris however did have his Garmin and he was running his very first 50k! He’s been running well and if we’re honest, he really didn’t officially even “train” for this race, he just kept his mileage up. He’s a stud.
The parking at Driver’s Flat is limited so Pigeon and I carpooled to the start and were able to score a spot and chill.
The weather was warmer and dry and having remembered last year how humid it was out there, I started this year in a tank top. So glad that I did.
Photo Credit : Casqui Runner
Love seeing so many familiar faces at these races. Lots of good people. I even met a few people that I “know” from social media only and that was super cool.
Paulo gathered us at the starting arch, gave us some final instructions and then passed the megaphone off to a friend to count us down.
We were off and running the 3 miles down the road to the river. Last year I remember really blowing this section up, yelling at myself and then stopping to use the restroom at the bottom as a way to calm myself down.
This year we flew down (Not Chris said we ran a sub 8) but it didn’t feel like we were flying super fast. I did tell Not Chris that we’d have to stop at the restroom at the bottom. I didn’t share with him yet that I’ve been battling an unsettled tummy for the last two days. I hated to stop but it was unavoidable.
Photo credit : Chasqui Runner
Our plan was to stick together all day. His main goal was to finish feeling really good and to fuel better than he did at FOURmidable. My goal was to not race. I was supposed to “jog” nice and easy – Not Chris’s job was to make sure I did that.
After our bathroom stop we continued on. I noticed that for some reason, it was hard for me to breathe. The trees and flowers have really been blooming lately and man, have my allergies felt it. It felt like I only had one working lung instead of two.
Not Chris was LOVING the views and the raging river on our right. He was mesmerized by it all. I love when people get to see new trails for the first time.
Stream crossing! Photo Credit : Chasqui Runner
We settled into a run and then hit the single track section and so the climbing began.
Profile from Single Track Running
The course is very runnable. The trails were much clearer (the over grown grass section was gone) but in some sections, it seems the rocks have multiplied.
I tried to just focused on running and hiking. My lungs took a while to come to life but they did eventually. My stomach however, was always just one step away from being a problem.
Photo Credit : Chasqui Runner
Not Chris and I bypassed the first aid-station (mile 2.7) and the next one wasn’t for another 7.5 miles. We chatted along the way, having a good time and enjoying the day.
Everything was so green and pretty! The flowers were in bloom and the ticks were out. That was the one thing that I was super nervous about but hey, that’s mother nature for ya!
Pigeon Photo Credit : Chasqui Runner
When we made it to the Cal 2 aid-station (mile 10.2) we couldn’t help but laugh. They were the happiest bunch of volunteers! The aid-station was fully stocked with everything you could need (including beer and shots) and they were cracking jokes. I almost didn’t want to leave … Not Chris I think was overwhelmed as he took some time at this aid-station. 🙂
On our way to Cal 1 we ran into a fellow co-worker of ours, Brad Rogers. The three of us chatted for a bit about work and running. Then I ran into Shavi! Shavi and I have never really met but we have many mutual friends so I said “hi” and introduced myself.
The down into Cal 1 (mile 14.6) is pretty steep but I knew that once we reached the bottom, aid would be close. Last year the race was shortened due to a rain storm and the aid-station was our turn-around. THIS year, we had to run past the aid-station a mile, grab a wrist band and return to the aid-station.
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Not Chris and I barely stopped at the aid-station. As we were reaching the turn-around spot, we ran into lots of friends on their return. It was such an energy boost with lots of whooping and hollering.
Not Chris let out a bit “WHOO HOO” when we reached the bucket holding our wrist bands. We grabbed ours and headed back, eager to get to the Cal 1 aid-station (mile 16.6).
Once through we started our climb out. The section leading back is a gorgeous single track that’s super runnable and boy did we run! Last year this was the section where I ran into my Tommy Lee Jones friend Roger. Funny enough, I ran into Roger within the first 3 miles or so during this race and he laughed remembering last year’s brutal run and how he helped me push to score a nice finish. This time I said, “Don’t even think about it Roger!” 🙂
At one point, I think I was hallucinating as I told Not Chris that I saw the Cal 2 aid-station through the trees. Not sure what the heck I saw but it sure wasn’t the aid-station! 🙂
When we finally did come up on Cal 2 (mile 21) I was looking forward to the sections ahead. The descent out of Cal 2 is super fun. A switch back down that can really give you a boost of energy. Before we left the aid-station though, we laughed with the volunteers again. They were a riot, they told us to give them a good “YELP” review. 🙂
Photo Credit : Me
Not Chris took the lead and down we flew. I was no where near the speed I was last year as my ankle (that I tweaked the weekend prior) was starting to bark at me, a lot. Still, I think we ran down pretty well, excited to be on our way home.
Not Chris was thrilled because he ran his farthest distance ever on this down hill. Followed by his first ever marathon distance when we hit 26.2.
At one point on our way back we passed a guy on the trail and he said, “Trailmomma?!” and I turned and said, “Yea!” He said, “Hi!” So whoever that was (I missed the name on your bib), you totally made my day! 🙂 It also made Not Chris laugh … “Did that guy just call you Trailmomma?” 🙂 I hope you had a great race too!
Photo Credit : Chasqui Runner
When we hit the fire road that runs along the river, I was feeling a little bit better tummy-wise (though still bloated – started the race that way but what are you gonna do?) but I was also having some swelling issues. My fingers had started swelling as I was starting to retain water. I stopped consuming anything salty and luckily, there wasn’t much farther to run. The temps were humid and it even sprinkled on us a bit but it was still warm. Warmer than I think I anticipated and ultimately was a bit behind in my hydration.
LOVE this photo of Pigeon Photo Credit : Chasqui Runner
We reached the final aid-station at Gate 101 (mile 28.5) and prepared ourselves for the climb out. It’s a nice long climb up a dirt fire road. We started out hiking, neither one of us eager to run. Then, as we both tend to get, we got bored and would pick “trees” to run to. “Okay, run to that second big tree! Now, run to that tree on the left!” Do what you have to do to move.
We turned a corner and I noticed a speed sign that was just littered with bullet holes. We both were looking it, talking about it when I turned my head right and saw the arches! “Hey!!! Look! HA! Let’s go!”
The finish line totally took us by surprise! We both started running and smiling.
Photo credit : Not Chris’s Family
I saw all of Not Chris’s family off to the side and they were cheering for him. Even his dog looked like he was cheering!
He did it! (that’s his dog too) Photo Credit : Not Chris’s Family
Woo hoo! We crossed the finish line smiling. We both had reached our goals, but I was beyond proud of him. He has the potential to run much harder than he did and I know he will some day, but it was so nice to watch him reach his goal and to see his family there at the finish witness it too.
SO happy for him! Photo Credit : Not Chris’s Family
Another awesome 50k in the books. Thanks Single Track Running for a great event, a challenging course and a well executed race.
Thanks Not Chris for keeping me company all day. You looked strong, ran well, kept me moving and my mind off my stomach. Man, the bloating and the swelling was not fun but that is what these training runs are all about right? They make us stronger. They help us figure out what we need to work on. I’ve been super lucky the last few years to have some stellar uncomplicated runs and races. I can’t always rely on the fact that everything will be perfect, but I can rely on myself and my ability to problem solve as I go.
Swollen and bloated but happy. Photo Credit : Chasqui Runner
As it turns out, Not Chris ended up second in his age group and I ended up third in mine! Woot woot! I’ll take that. 🙂
And a shout out to my hubby Vans, as he also raced this weekend on Sunday and he also came in third at a gnarly (muddy) mountain bike race in Cool.
Two very muddy boys! Photo Credit : Me
Overall, a great weekend. I raced Saturday morning, Vans raced Sunday morning and our girls had their swim team clinic on Sunday afternoon. Perfection.
Cheers to Third Place Parents! Photo Credit : Me
Happy Trails!
~Trailmomma
Full Disclaimer: I am not associated with SingleTrack Running at all and was not paid or compensated for writing this report. This is the fourth race of theirs that I have done, and I truly believe they host stellar, challenging and thoroughly top notch events.
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