Tahoe Rim Trail Archives ~ TRAILMOMMA

July 20, 2017July 20, 2017

TAHOE RIM TRAIL 100 (CREW/PACE)

“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.

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.

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 — 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 — “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 — 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.

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 — 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 — 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 — 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 — 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 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.

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.

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).

Sometimes the wife and children’s health seems more important to control the situation as early as possible. levitra on line It is available in the form of levitra 5mg online 25mg, 50mg and 100mg. it’s suggested that you simply ought to take this drugs in associate empty abdomen concerning associate hour before intercourse. Diabetic patients are advised to follow a healthy lifestyle by avoiding acquisition de viagra downtownsault.org smoking and drinking alcohol. viagra india It improves functioning of brain and boosts your immune system.
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.

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 finished in 34:30:23! 20 minutes to spare!!! So dang proud of that girl!

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.

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.

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

July 21, 2015July 21, 2015

TAHOE RIM TRAIL 100 (CREW)

As I said in my last post, I was headed up to Tahoe this past weekend to crew and pace Pigeon in her third attempt at the brutal, unrelenting Tahoe Rim Trail 100 mile race.

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, itâ€™s long. â˜º

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.

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!

Thatâ€™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. Letâ€™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 doesnâ€™t know (and still doesnâ€™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 canâ€™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 â€¦. She will only stop if she sees protruding bone or if I hit my head (we never actually clarified that second part but Iâ€™d like to hope that sheâ€™d stop for that too â€“ haha).

As I climbed up Tunnel Creek things felt okay. Itâ€™s a long uphill climb with a few flat sections. My goal was to just go easy and run when I could. However, the â€œproblemâ€ with this trail is that it is so darn beautiful. Seriously, it is begging you to stop and take photographs.

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.

â€œCrap! Why didnâ€™t I bring my jacket? I canâ€™t hike back down Iâ€™ll miss her coming through!â€ 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 Iâ€™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, â€œJust leave it over there when you leave.â€ Seriously the SWEETEST! Turns out he was the head medical guy at this aid-station and I am forever indebted to his kindness.

Almost on cue, Pigeon came running into Tunnel Creek. She looked good. I canâ€™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 â€“ one of the volunteers standing there said, â€œSo youâ€™re done chatting now? Ready to run?â€ as they left! Hahaha â˜º

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 didnâ€™t look like she was in any discomfort so that was good.

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 didnâ€™t stop to take 503 photos on my way down I would have had more time (haha) â€¦ I am telling you, I LOVE this stinking road up to Tunnel Creek. â˜º

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 weâ€™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 â€“ nothing seemed to be bugging her. Seeing JCM brought a good smile to her face.

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 all — The whole family – JCM was the master behind it all

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.

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.

For optimal results, athletes and viagra doctor trainers seeking chiropractic intervention should look for a DC who is also a CCSP ensures that you will be receiving the care of a doctor whose training extends into the specialty area of sports medicine. You must completely feel free to open your canadian cialis online concerns & worries. Work out what your posting schedule is raindogscine.com buy viagra online going to be and stick to it. If you have generic viagra pill gone through with any surgery, then in any of these conditions he may be unable to have sex but additionally a man can experience psychological issues, along the lines of low self-esteem and depression.
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 — 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 wasnâ€™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 wasnâ€™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.

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.

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, thatâ€™s a bonus.

She didnâ€™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.

Soon they were running all â€œhead-lampedâ€ down the trail! She was on her way and she looked strong. We wouldnâ€™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 Iâ€™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 corner

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 Pigeonâ€™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 Pigeonâ€™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 sheâ€™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, Dasieâ€™s phone rang.

I wonâ€™t lie. My heart jumped into my chest. I thought, â€œHoly crap! Here we go! I am going to finally be able to get to run with her! Yes! She is going to do this!â€ Then I realized the conversation was taking much longer than a â€œSheâ€™s almost thereâ€ message â€¦ Kuni is not a man of many words, and he was talking to Dasie a lot.

Something was happening with Pigeonâ€™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 Dasieâ€™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 couldnâ€™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 â€¦

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 sheâ€™d make the 7:35 am cut off at Diamond Peak not to mention the fact that if she did, sheâ€™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. Pigeonâ€™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 wasnâ€™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 didnâ€™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 weâ€™d go, filling her in every time weâ€™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 â€œdroppedâ€ 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 wasnâ€™t for her darn feet, she would have finished.

As it turns out, medical wouldnâ€™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 isnâ€™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 isnâ€™t going anywhere. Dig deep within yourself and be confident and proud. You are a wise runner and soon, youâ€™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). â˜º

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 isnâ€™t always about running the race â€“ you have to crew, volunteer and support the race too.

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

***PS: I am fully aware that if you are viewing this on aÂ mobileÂ deviceÂ that the photos are sideways or upside down. For an OPTIMAL viewing experience, please read from your PC or computer asÂ I believe the photos will be upright. I apologize for the inconvenience. This is still a work in progress.***Â

June 16, 2015June 16, 2015

TAHOE DREAMIN!

This past weekend we celebrated Squeaker’s fourth birthday, the Peanut had a swim meet and I was lucky enough to run 28 glorious miles in Tahoe. Talk about a jam-packed weekend!

The temps were rising to 100+ degrees near our house and for the swim meet on Saturday. That meant Tahoe was going to be pretty darn warm too.

The Tahoe Rim Trail Training Runs are usually held every year on Father’s Day weekend. This was the first weekend that I can recall where the run was NOT on Father’s Day weekend which is why I was the second person to sign up when they opened registration! I was that excited. I’ve run some of this course before, a few times, but I have never done the organized training run (FYI I am not running any of the TRT races).

Pigeon had signed up to run both Saturday and Sunday since she is attempting her third Tahoe Rim Trail 100 miler. I convinced her to stay up there at least Saturday into Sunday so that she could not back out of Day 2 on the trail. Due to my schedule, I was only able to sign up for Day 2 which was fine since that is the section of the course I will be pacing her. I’ve seen and run up Diamond Peak and into Tunnel Creek before (my other pacing section) so the trail into Snow Valley would be new territory for me.

I drove up to South Lake Tahoe on Saturday evening after a long hot day in the sun at the swim meet. When I arrived, Pigeon had just finished and recovered from 25 miles on another section of the TRT. We chatted a bit and I got to play with their baby a little but we were all pretty tired and went to bed very early. It was nice going to bed way earlier than I would have if I was home.

So fair warning, I took about a million photos on this run. There was nothing too ground breaking or eventful during the run so most of this post will be the amazing beauty that is Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe Rim Trail.

We drove to a parking lot outside of Spooner Lake (not the actual start/finish area of the race). We arrived close to 6:30 as Pigeon wanted to get an early start on the trail since we knew the temperature was going rise and fast.

We checked in. We said hi to Stonegate and Burning Girl and their friend Truckee and then were off. Pigeon knows these trails pretty well and the course wasn’t marked as well as most training runs so my faith was all in her as she led me down the trail.

First little bridge approaching Spooner Lake

Pigeon was visibly tired the first few miles (understandably so with 25 miles on her legs already) but I too was slowly adjusting to the altitude and the fact that my legs were not getting into the groove yet.

Stopping to take a gel and enjoy the morning glow

These first few miles are nothing but an uphill after uphill. I have heard rumors about the massive conga lines at the TRT 55K start and now I can see why. The trail is single track involves a very slow steady climb UP.

But the trails are amazing. It was still cool enough that we were able to climb and not feel the effects of the heat just yet but you could tell it was coming.

Pigeon shared a little bit about her run from the previous day, including going about a mile out of her way by missing a turn.

The first aid-station was going to be at Hobart. I had no idea how far that was and I wasn’t too worried as my pack was pretty jam full with lots of various things from home.

We were alone out on the trail for a quite a while but slowly we started hearing voices. Julie Fingar ran by us and then a few other ‘faster’ runners.

We approached a pretty lookout and stopped to take photos.

This was out on the trail and made me smile

As we were finishing up our photo session, Stonegate and the gang came running in. I told them there were some pretty cool look out spots up around the corner as I know they like to take a ton of photos too.

Pigeon and I took off and soon reached the Hobart aid-station which Pigeon informed me is NOT where it will be located come race day. Good to know. They had moved the aid-station farther up the trail so as to help direct people up Snow Valley as the turn is not exactly clear if you were on your own.

The girls came in just as we were about to leave the aid-station. They looked like they were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

The next aid-station was at Tunnel Creek and I have run this section before. It was nice to see it from another direction. I don’t recall if I ate much at the Hobart aid-station. I had packed a potato with salt which I knew I was munching on most of the time along with a few jelly-beans (I love that sugar rush at times). I also had packed an apple sauce packet, a gluten-free peanut butter and honey sandwich and a whole fruit chia seed bar.

As you can see from the photos, the trail is pretty exposed to the sun and the sun wasn’t even nearly as strong as it was going to be yet. You run towards Lake Tahoe with Marlene Lake right next to it. If the altitude wasn’t taking your breath away, the views surely will.

Come on, look at that! SO amazing up there. Truly the most beautiful place in the world.

Once you get closer to Tunnel Creek, the trail gets a little more technical with some boulders and stuff to dance around.

I was looking forward to getting to Tunnel Creek. Pigeon was growing pretty quiet at times and I knew she was tired but she kept moving and I kept seeing her eat. At the aid-stations she would down chocolate milk so I know she had some calories in her but she was probably pretty dehydrated from the previous day and in a deficit to begin with.

I know this aid-station well. I hike to here every year to watch Pigeon (and friends) come in and out. This aid-station rocks because you get to hit it twice (or more depending on the race distance). It was here that I saw the Kettle Brand Sea Salt potato chips on the table. I dug in for a few handfuls. I also finished my baked potato here as well. I was craving some salt I guess.

We spent a lot of time at this aid-station. I was just listening to the conversations around me. Pigeon was fixing her shoe. We had planned on running the 6 mile Red House Loop here. Pigeon had run it yesterday and it was grueling. I have never run it before and am dying to see it but I was content to skip it when I saw the look on Pigeon’s face. She wasn’t into an extra 6 miles that would take us close to 2 hours to complete.

I have a marathon in less than 2 weeks so fine by me to skip that extra mileage. Pigeon kept asking me if it was okay that we skip it. She knew I wanted to run it. I kept saying it was FINE. Really. I was anxious to get back home earlier than normal too even though I was having a blast out there and the heat was really starting to hit. I love heat running but Pigeon does not. So, instead I told her that we could skip Red House if she agreed to run more than hike on our way back. She held onto that promise big time.

On our way out of the aid-station we saw Stonegate and the crew coming in. Burning Girl was all smiles, the other two looked like they could not wait to hit the aid-station. It was getting warm.

Pigeon definitely held onto her word and ran quite a bit more on the way back. Some times I would let her get way ahead and I would stop to take a bunch of photos and then run real hard to catch up to her. My legs were tired but I was still having a blast.

We stopped a few more times to take some photos again. Different angles and views than we saw on the way in. We also passed a few runners on their way into Tunnel Creek.

There are those who claim that erectile dysfunction condition is known for affecting half of the men between 40 and 70. online viagra cialis usa online Eat 30 grams of pumpkin seeds everyday or take some pumpkin capsules. Please contact the doctor immediately if you http://amerikabulteni.com/2011/07/31/nyt-abd%E2%80%99deki-%E2%80%98seriat-firtinasinin%E2%80%99-arkasindaki-ismi-desifre-etti/ cheap cialis notice any of these signs, seek for medical care. Sexual issues are in large numbers amongst people which is having suspicion among men. http://amerikabulteni.com/page/115/ canada pharmacy viagra

Soon we found ourselves on the stretch of trail that leads you back to Hobart aid-station. This stretch is very exposed and a bit windy at times.

We just kept plugging away in the heat. I took a few salts on this stretch and it really helped give me something extra. I was drinking and didn’t feel thirsty or dehydrated but I could probably always drink more.

I was anxious to get to Hobart again because I knew that we’d be going up Snow Valley on our return and that is a section I have never seen. It is also a section that again, has very little shade.

It does however, have PURPLE ROCKS! Yes, purple rocks and my girls love collecting rocks so I was sure to grab two and throw them into my pack to bring home.

Pigeon explained to me as we ran that Snow Valley is where she got stuck last year during her 100 miler when that massive thunder and lightning storm came. It brought hail and massive streaks of lightning. She was here when that storm hit ….

Here. In the middle of no where with no where to hide!? Crazy!!!

I told her that I would have laid down flat in the trail and cried my eyes out. How she managed that one is beyond me. She is one tough cookie.

At some point along this stretch, Pigeon had to find a pit stop so I climbed my way up to some high peak and took a bunch of photos. 🙂

The trail ahead is where we were going — The trail ahead on the right is where we were going

The decent up Snow Valley was about three miles up and then about 7 miles down according to Pigeon into Spooner and where we would finish.

The decent down Snow Valley involved a lot of running. Our pace was pretty good but Pigeon was growing quiet again. At one point we had a little “discussion” about mileage. She clearly did not like what my Garmin was reading and pretty much declared my GPS wrong. I wasn’t about to argue with her because sometimes, they are wrong … but the four miles we “only” had left were probably the four longest miles I have ever run.

At one point I felt something “fly” into my neck scarf that I had around my neck (full of ice). I yelled to Pigeon to stop as I thought it was a bee. Then I felt something bite me on my neck, not quite a sting, but a real bite. Pigeon came over to take a look and saw the bug. She said it as round black and flat with red markings on it but not a spider … awesome. The bite location stung and itched simultaneously for a while and then stopped. Nothing seems to be there now so that was pretty random. We just kept running after that.

Pigeon kept mumbling something about a “picket fence” and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what she was talking about but then when we came up along side a fence and I realized she what she was looking for all this time … this was where we turned to finally get back to our cars and the finish area.

Finish area with fresh made smoothies in hand!

So I have a lot to say about this training run. First and foremost, it only cost me $20 to sign up. The mileage options were 28 and 35. There were two full aid stations out there, three if you count the amazing one at the finish location.

The finish area was the best. Not only did they have a massive spread of food (NOT your standard junk food either) they had a blend and were making coconut water, apple juice, mango and strawberry smoothies on the spot!!!

Check out that spread and that is only half of it!

They had a BBQ with black bean burgers and veggie burgers grilling away. They had GLUTEN FREE BREAD for the burgers and they even had gluten-free sandwiches a the aid-stations!

I didn’t have any of the gluten-free sandwiches they offered mostly because I am afraid of contamination and I didn’t have the burgers at the finish either because normally they are either not vegan or gluten-free or both AND I don’t like sharing the grill with real burgers. Hey, what can I say …. I like things the way I like things.

But still, these options are HUGE for a race. I am seeing more and more options like these at the end of my races. One of the awesome parts about living and racing in California I guess. 🙂

Pigeon and I cleaned up and loaded the car. We saw Stonegate and crew come in (they took a “different” route to get to the aid-station haha) so we said a quick hello and then were on our way.

When I got home the girls were happy, the house was clean and everyone was enjoying the pool. We also acquired a new pool toy compliments of Grandma.

The turtle was a birthday gift from Grandma and family and it has made its way into the pool (and stayed there).

I know Vans had his hands full with the girls for a day and aÂ half but he did just great. I know Squeaker isn’t the easiest to work with sometimes but then again, neither is Vans. 🙂

They also enjoyed some art time on the patio. They had a great time with dad.

Some day, I would love for Vans to join me on this running adventure. For $20 and these amazing views of Lake Tahoe with, did I forget to mention, FREE BEER at the finish?! That is right up his alley, minus the running part and the heat. 🙂

Overall it was a great day. We ran 28 miles at some crazy elevation. That was my last long run before my marathon in two weeks which is also at elevation (but just a mere 4200 ft haha). I hope that next year the training run is again, not on Father’s Day weekend. 🙂 The volunteers at this run were amazing too. I have to mention how awesome they were out there. If it was hot for us, it was hot for them and they had to lug all that food and water out there and they always had a smile on their face for us. Thank you!!!

I look forward to coming back in July to cheer on Stonegate, Burning Girl and Truckee as they conquer the 55K and to crew Pigeon again as she toes the line for the TRT 100 mile race. She has no weights on her shoulders this year, only the chance to finally put this course where it belongs, behind her. I have no doubts that she can.

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

(please excuse the typos and grammar, this was not proof read) 🙂

June 23, 2014April 21, 2015

CAN YOU TAKE SOMETHING FOR THAT?

Today, as they say in trail running was “epic.” Well, it was epic to me because I got to run in Tahoe on the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 course for the first time ever!

I went to great lengths to be able to run on a Sunday because the Peanut has swim meets on Saturdays now and it was well worth it. Pigeon had emailed that she wanted to run in Tahoe instead of at Michigan Bluff and I was all for it since I missed the TRT Training Runs that happened on Father’s Day weekend (really TRT people? Father’s Day!?).

The Peanut’s swim meet on Saturday was home and her team won (again). The Peanut did okay. She’s been struggling lately and we are trying to help her through it.

These swim meets last a long time sometimes and I was on my feet quite a bit during it helping get our family volunteer hours.

When Pigeon sent me the logistics for our run, I knew it was going to be a long day as we were meeting at 5 am to make the long drive to Tahoe.

Her wife Missouri chauffeured us all the way to Tahoe, stopping a few times to use a restroom. She brought us right to Diamond Peak where we started to unload. The temps that early in Tahoe were in the 40s and both of us were dressed in tank tops and shorts. Even though we were chilly, we knew it was going to be a super warm and sunny day on the trail.

Diamond Peak is a major hub in the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 as the runners come through here twice, once at mile 30 and again at mile 80. It will be mile 80 that I will start my duties as pacer for Pigeon in her TRT 100 mile quest. It was fitting to have us start our run here today because I would get a good glimpse of my portion of the trail.

Now I have crewed at Tahoe Rim TrailÂ three times and I have read enough race reports from other runners that have mentioned the climb from Diamond Peak more than once. Words like “brutal” “so steep” “I hurled” have all been used to describe this climb.

Which, don’t get wrong, is pretty steep and quite sandy/gravely making getting a foot hold not quite so easy. We just power hiked our way up.

My thoughts were “this isn’t so bad” and “really? is this all that there is?” when we reached, what I thought was the top. Pigeon was a little unsure of which way to go so we wandered in a few different directions until she found the trail we needed.

Things changed. All of a Â sudden I knew what everyone was talking about.

Barely to the top here. — Barely to the top here but looking down.

It just went up and up and up. We had started at 7 am and it was still cool outside and a bit shady in some places. When Pigeon comes through here at mile 30 of TRT, it is almost 2 pm in the afternoon and scorching. There is no shade. There is no relief from the full sun pounding at you as you continue to make this climb.

Still at the top yet! — Still not at the top yet!

Lucky for us, it was still a bit cool outside, I was fresh but Pigeon had run mega miles this week and started out with some tired legs. Most of all, we had not seen each other in a bit so we had lots to talk about to occupy our climb.

Some not so happy flowers at ALMOST the top of the climb.

I realized I was taking a million photos at this point because Lake Tahoe was just growing in size behind us as we continued climbing. I have snowboarded at Diamond Peak before and it finally hit me when we got to the top, that this was the very run that we board down most of the time because it gives the most spectacular view of the lake.

It was neat being at the top because we found a nifty snowboard chair off to the side and since I have only ever been here before ON a snowboard, I found it appropriate and worthy of a photo.

Soon it was time to continue on though. My tummy had been rumbling since we started which wasn’t a good sign. I had to duck off the trail once already and I could feel another visit coming on soon. This is a popular mountain bike and trail runner trail so I knew we wouldn’t be alone out here.

I also knew from studying the race website that the distance from Diamond Peak to Tunnel Creek was only 5 miles. Pigeon had promised me 20 miles yet Missouri was picking us up at the bottom of Tunnel Creek in 5 hours. That meant, Pigeon and I were running past Tunnel towards Hobart which is exactly what I will be doing with her come race day.

At some point, we determined (well, Pigeon determined since my math sucks) exactly when we’d have to turn around and head back.

We just followed the very rocky terrain and kept a pretty good pace since it was runnable. You did have to watch your foot placement though as the rocks blend into the sandy ground. Throughout the day I would find myself clipping a toe on various rocks sticking up out of the ground. Pigeon clipped a few too but I definitely win the award for the day.

As we were running along, we ran into a guy who was training for the Tahoe Rim 50 mile race. He was fast and motoring along. We chatted a bit and then he was off telling us that he had a couple runners behind him.
It is primarily caused due to the cialis generika reduction in blood flow can prevent you from getting harder erections. People having history of CCSVI, Multiple Sclerosis or Venous sclerosis in their family may wonder to look out their symptoms to online prescription cialis http://respitecaresa.org/event/winter-break-camp/ avoid these diseases. Life for viagra pfizer canada a patient of erectile dysfunction is difficult. What is it? Tadalafil 20mg It is a medicine that can relax the muscles found cialis price no prescription in the penis and that allows the blood to enter the penis in sufficient amounts to cause an erection.

As Pigeon and I ran through what would be the Tunnel Creek aid-station we rounded the bend and followed the trail. We saw our runner guy up ahead just killing the switch backs. At one point, I thought he was turning around even though he said he was running all the way to Spooner Lake.

Turns out he ran up a side trail called the Sand Harbor View Point. I asked about it and he said we should do it because it is the most photographed section of all of Tahoe. Pigeon had done it the week prior and had debated whether or not to take me up but seeing how I was a photo-fiend on this run, she just had to take me.

So UP UP UP we climbed again. It definitely was a hike up but it was well worth it once we reached the overlook.

Sand Harbor is a great beach. We’ve been there before and we’ve brought Be-Well-Run and her family there as well just a few years ago. It was incredible to see it from that vantage point.

We stayed and fueled a bit here and Pigeon indulged me by taking all the million and two photos that I wanted.

But soon it was time to start moving again. She had been eating and fueling while I was taking all my photos so I had some catching up to do. I started to eat, drink and run at the same time but quickly came down with a painful side stitch that wouldn’t go away. I was also starting to trip on a few of the rocks here. My legs were apparently starting to feel tired.

Towards Hobart we ran along with all the mountain bikers also going in that direction. I am very impressed with those who mountain bike this section of trail. It is not easy to run let alone ride a bike.

I just kept following Pigeon trying not to fall but the views were so gorgeous at times that occasionally I would Â stub my toe on a rock making a loud thud which would make Pigeon turn around to see if I was okay.

On about the fourth toe stub, she finally said, “Can you take something for that please?” Like I had a headache or something and could magically take a pill to stop me from tripping. We started laughing. I took a salt tab just to appease her a bit but we kept on running towards Marlette Lake.

Marlette on the left and Tahoe on the right.

When we got to the section that overlooks Marlette Lake and Lake Tahoe the winds really picked up. A few mountain bikers were also sitting here enjoying the views and taking some photos.

We had a few more miles to go before our turn around so we didn’t stay long at this point. It was a little too windy too.

The next section was very uphill with some more technical rocky stuff to try and not trip over. I was feeling okay, maybe a bit tired but just breathing the Tahoe air really made me happy. I have not been to Tahoe in quite a while, so I have been missing this and was happy to finally get a bit of Tahoe Love.

As you can see from the above photo, there is not much shade on these trails. You are pretty much in the sun. Some of the sections that I ran with Pigeon are also the sections I would do if I was going to do the Tahoe Rim 50K which is one of my bucket list races.

The run back was not that exciting, except for the fact that I finally bit it and actually fell. One too many stub my toe on a rock moments had me diving head first almost as if I was sliding into third base.

Pigeon busted up right there on the spot and pulled a total Trailmomma with “Can I get your photo? Wait. Are you okay?” I was fine. I just scraped up the palms of my hands and my right leg but it wasn’t too bad at all.

I just wanted to keep moving and Pigeon was happy that I was getting all these kinks out now and not on race day. She was sure to tell me that come race day if I fall, she will check to be sure that I didn’t hit my head on a rock or have any protruding bones but for the most part, she isn’t stopping.

It was a gorgeous day despite my fall and my tummy problems. It was exactly what I needed. It was nice to see the course and see the terrain. I know what is runnable and what might not be. No matter what it is hard to tell with Pigeon. When I pace her during the race, she will have 80 miles on her legs and in theory should be pretty tired. But I know her and I know her strength. Something tells me that I will be struggling to keep up with her on these last 20 miles of the race.

I am looking forward to the day. It will be EPIC for sure.

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

May 15, 2014April 21, 2015

FUN IN THE CANYONS

With Miners Revenge behind me, it is time to get back into building miles again so that I can be ready to pace Pigeon at the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 Miler in July. Last week was a hard week for me. I took a couple of classes at Diane’s that made me so incredibly sore, running last week was a struggle. I did manage some hill repeats one night although it wasn’t a pretty sight.

When Pigeon reached out to me to plan our Saturday run, I was a little nervous. She gave me some options but she really wanted to get some time on her feet in the canyons which involves a lot of climbing (both up and down). My shaky tired legs were a bit nervous.

Saturday morning rolled around and I left the house ready to meet Pigeon and drive to Michigan Bluff. I have run this section of trail before in 2010 as part of the Western States Training Run so I thought I knew what to expect. I was wrong.

The drive to Michigan Bluff takes about an hour. Pigeon was pretty good at getting us there without too much trouble. After we parked and started to get ready, we noticed that it was pretty darn cold outside. Her temperature gauge in the car had said 40 degrees! We knew it would warm up but boyÂ it was a chilly start to our run.

Right near the parking area (really just in front of some people’s houses) is a monument dedicated to the Western States Trail and Michigan Bluff’s role as a big aid-station in that race.

Pigeon is looking for the belt buckle that was built into the monument.

We weren’t alone when we arrived. There was a group of about 15 boys (teenagers?) who were also unloading their cars. They didn’t look like runners to us at all and so we assumed they were hiking. We never fully figured how who they were or what they were doing but they were pretty funny to run past on our way down into the canyon as they were cheering for us and wishing us a great day.

However, not one mile into our run I had a little malfunction with myÂ Ultimate Direction Jenny Vesta pack. I love this vest/hydration pack more than anything but this is the second or third time I have had this same malfunction. My hair is on the longer side and when I braid it down my back, the braid inevitably gets caught in the pack zipper! So we are starting our run and all of a sudden I can’t lift my head! It is tilted back and totally caught in the zipper. I yell out to Pigeon that I need her help. She stops.

Me: “My hair is caught, can you get it out please?”

Pigeon, “We are not even 1 mile into our run and you are having wardrobe issues? Wait. It’s stuck in that thingy! How did you did you do this? I can’t get it out! It’s stuck in the loopy-d-loop thing!”

Me: “Don’t mess up my hair! Don’t undo my braid!”

Pigeon: “I have to! I can’t get it out!”

We were laughing so hard. I never take myself seriously and clearly our runs always have some element of fun to them.

However, things would change a bit a little further into our run. The first 2.5 miles are a pretty deep descent and Pigeon is loving long descents lately. Me? I like them but I can honestly say they are not my strong suit. I’d rather run up a climb than run down a hill. I know, odd.

Pigeon took off down the descent and soon I lost her yellow jersey from my line of vision. Normally this is how we roll. She goes on ahead and I just take up the rear doing my thing, taking photos, whatever. However there is something about Michigan Bluff and the canyons that had me a bit spooked on this run.

Granted, not more than two months ago Robert “Bob” Root was lost for two days and then ultimately found on this same trail!!! Also, Facebook has been inundated lately with bear and mountain lion sightings all throughout Auburn and other areas. I am petrified of seeing either on the trail (more so the mountain lion).

So of course it was absolutely natural for my mind to go to dark dark places when I was running solo down these long descents where the trail was narrow, foggy and totally in the middle of no where. Sure Pigeon would be waiting at various turns or cross sections, but within moments she’d take off again and I would be mentally picturing in my head some gruesome scene played out around every corner. I know, I know, not smart but that is the way my brain works. I had my cell phone in my pack but of course I had it turned off and all I could think about was “if I get eaten, my phone isn’t ‘on’ so they can’t track my phone!” I need to stop reading scary books the night before I go on these trail runs. Clearly.

A blurry Pigeon waiting for me at the bridge.

Did I share any of these thoughts with Pigeon? Did I tell her how petrified I was? Did I tell her that my heart rate was spiking not because of the physical activity but because I was totally imagining some vampire meets the hunger games scenario in my head? Nah. Instead I would just run my little heart out so that I could get as close to her as possible.

Soon we were climbing which is a good thing because then I was close to her! We were hiking our way up the trail when I heard something off in the distance. Pigeon turns and looks at me and I am smiling.

Pigeon: “What? Why are you smiling?”

Me: “Nothing. Nothing at all. I didn’t hear that gun shot did you?”

Pigeon: “Nope. I didn’t hear those gun shots either.”

Granted, they sounded miles away and it sounded very much like target practice. Â Whatever, some sick twisted part of me was thankful for the gun shots as I was hoping it would scare away any four legged creatures that might come eat me.

She has no idea the thoughts going through my head — She has no idea of the thoughts going through my head…

We continued climbing, up and up we would go, switch back after switch back. There was no one on the trail. It was quiet except for a few birds and the lizards darting through the leaves.

Eventually we made it to Deadwood Canyon. I remembered this section of the trail from 2010 although it looked a lot different.

So of course the curious side of me gets going: “Why is it called Deadwood Cemetery? Is it a real cemetery? What does it mean?” Pigeon has no clue but luckily there are some state park educational billboard things out there to ease inquiring minds (like mine).

These little bits of history were kind of neat. They also calmed me down a bit because if there are state parkÂ info boardsÂ like this out there, that means we were closer to possible civilization!

The water pump in the above photo was our destination but we had not quite achieved the mileage we wanted so we decided to keep going. As we were running away from the water pump I saw 3 girls running in our direction.

I MAY have been a bit overly excited to see people on the trail that I MAY have squealed “PEOPLE!! PEOPLE!! HI PEOPLE!” Pigeon was pretty mortified but then again, she had no idea WHY I was so overly excited to see these three strangers.

We chatted briefly with them but the time had come for me to come clean with Pigeon and I shared with her how terrified I was earlier on our run. She was shocked and had no clue and couldn’t understand why I would be so frightened. I have a very over active imagination and sometimes it gets the best of me. 🙂

Soon however we had reached our destination, Devil’s Thumb. I have been out at “the thumb” a few times. Once as a volunteer for Western States and then again in 2010 when Pigeon and I ran up and through it. I have to say, I was shocked by what is now left of Devil’s Thumb.

This can be cialis tadalafil online deeprootsmag.org cured by various therapies, stress relieving therapies and most commonly used treatment is pills. online sildenafil india check this now Along with the consumption of the capsules daily workouts and taking healthy diets is very important. Increased flow of blood cheap generic tadalafil results in the increase in the size or shape of a breast. Due to a wider age gap, these men may not have enough sexual cialis no rx stamina or romantic attitude women need.

Pigeon and I took a few moments to wander around and look at all the damage. It truly was heart breaking to see this area just burned almost beyond recognition!

We gathered ourselves together and decided to turn around. Neither one of us wanted to go down to the bottom of Devil’s Thumb only to go back up (the climb is brutal and we’ll be doing it in about 2 weeks anyway).

Our run back was good. Pigeon stayed with me for most of it. We ran into those teenagers again who said hi. The first section of the trail however, involved a large descent and would end with a large climb (the reverse of what we ran out).

Pigeon stayed a little closer to me on some of the downhills. Maybe she didn’t want me to be afraid or maybe she just was taking it easy but at one point, she stopped dead in her tracks which scared the living day lights out of me. Now normally my brain would just think “did she see a mountain lion?” but instead, I had heard what she heard … a motorcycle!

What?! We are on some random single track trail in the middle of no where and it sounded as if there was a highway near by! Nope, barreling around the corner was a guy on a dirt bike.

Luckily, there just happened to be a big rock off to the side that could fit the both of us while the motorcycle dude passed. He also shared with us that there was another guy behind him so we stayed put on our rock. Thank goodness for that rock! It totally saved us from either getting run over by the bikes or worse, getting poison oak by jumping into the bush.

We continued pounding the downhills with Pigeon moving quite a bit faster than myself. We did see a lot of people though on our returnÂ trip which was more reassuring. However, my IT band started to yell again a bit at about mile 13.

With the sun peaking out behind various clouds, our return trip was gorgeous. I had to stop to take a few photos (or maybe it was to rest my IT … maybe both?).

Once we got to that bridge, we helped a couple of hikers find their way and then it was a LONG 2.5 mile climb out of that canyon to the car. Pigeon managed to get ahead of me on a few of the switch backs and tried to be “funny” by dropping a rock down from above so that I would freak out. It ALMOST worked but I was onto her. 🙂

We paused a few times to say hi to a few runners along the way and then it was just climb climb climb. Once again, Pigeon stopped, only this time she screamed like a girl (and I say that in the nicest way possible). I grabbed my vital organs (my heart and chest area) and yelled “what!? what!?”

She pauses, ” a lizard!!!”

She screamed because of a lizard. Okay, I may scream because someone’s random dog (off leash) creeps up behind me or because some venomous turkey is on the trail, but she screamed for a lizard!? Okay, maybe this lizard was larger than normal and she almost stepped on it.

We laughed our butts off for a bit on that one and then continued on our way. Soon enough, I was D-O-N-E with this 2.5 up hill climb. I wanted to move so I started running. I ran various stretches of the uphill with Pigeon kind of giggling behind me at my attempts.

She had run 15 miles on Thursday and had some tired legs under her so she was content to work herself up that climb with a solid power hike. Me? I am barely in the shape that she is and I wanted to run to add an extra workout to the day (um, I had mega sore quads this week which I attribute to all the downhill but still, a reminder of what we conquered).

Overall it was a great day. I struggled with some highs and lows. My motivation is on the low side since finishing some of my key races but I want to keep my fitness levels on the up and up because:

1. It feels amazing to be able to go out and run the canyons on a few days notice;

2. I have a Western States Training run in 2 weeks (that is 30 plus miles); and

3. I have to pace Pigeon anywhere between 20 and 30 miles for Tahoe Rim Trail in JulyÂ and I want to be ready.

This runÂ also gave me a chance to try some new fueling and experiment more with running with my heart rate strap but secured a little tighter.

My favorite part of the run was all the laughter. Pigeon and I generally have a fun time on the trails and I always know she’d never leave me or risk my safety. I was out of my element a bit but it was also a little invigorating! Not saying I’d go out and run that route solo like a few of the other runners we saw (no thank you) but it does make me feel good inside and out.

Once again my recovery was nonexistent. My body was quite sore come Monday and I didn’t really rest much at all. Stretching MUST become my new best friend otherwise, I think my running days may be numbered. I see Dr. Lau this week and I am sure he will tell me the same thing.

This coming weekend I have a 10 mile race that I am not so sure how to tackle. Part of me wants to run hard and gauge my fitness level, part of me wants to run it easy so my body can fully recover and part of me wants to run with TiggerT who is also doing the race and would be somewhere in between. I have never been on the course before so really I am going into it with no real expectations. I just want to run.

Just so long as the course elevation looks nothing like it did last Saturday!

Oh you know, just 6,000 feet of climbing and descending

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

Share This:

Share This:

Share This:

Share This:

Share This: