So, at the beginning of 2015, I promised some sort of New Year's update....ringing in the new and casting off the old, or something like that. And, I intended on it, but as always, the time got away from me....life got in the way....things happen. A lot happened. After awhile, it felt like I'd been writing this entry for at least six months, and then I realized I had. And then I backed off...and then it was almost 2016, so I decided to wait. And reflect. And now I have pages of randomly typed thoughts and feelings....semi-sober, deep down, and at times heartfelt/heart wrenching thoughts and feelings. What a ride it's been......
It started with a race....
I rang in the new year doing the thing I love most....which ended up being my first 50-miler and fourth ultra of 2014. It was fun and tough and boring and great all at once. And, somewhere along the way, I learned that AIDS Marathon friends are some of my best friends. Something that I think I've always known, but forget to be thankful for. I also learned that 50 miles on pavement and gravel takes its toll on the human body and ended up staring down a knee injury for most of the year. That was an adventure in and of itself, a nagging, not-that-painful-but-I-know-its-not-normal adventure, requiring rest and PT, and two rounds of prolotherapy and a platelet injection.
Then, life threw me a curve ball...or kicked me in the shins...or both. I thought I knew the trajectory I was meant to be on, but turns out - life had other plans. And, sometimes, as hard as it is, knowing when to let go is just as important as continuing to hold on. I feel like there is so much I could say, but, as I also learned, some things are better left unsaid. Things happened and it wasn't ok and in my opinion, unforgivable. But, sometimes it's all about letting go and moving on.
Because, you never know what adventure you'll find once you do. Right now, I'm still not sure what that is yet. But, I get to figure that out, and I am so excited for that. Sometimes you have to let go of the planned finish line ...just like a race. You'll still get to there, it just might look like Coyote Ride or the North Face in 2014, and be a little different than you imagined.
It continued with a race...
Starting out the year with an injury and a healthy dose of stress was no fun, but I quickly found a way to stay involved with running and started volunteering again. It was something that I'd loved, but had given up in the craziness of work and school. As I got more involved in my free time over the summer, I learned to mark and sweep courses, and drive a giant van up and down some winding roads. I had so much fun exploring new trails and helping other runners...In the absence of all I knew, I found somewhere new to belong and something to focus energy on.
And, not to be out done, the back half of the year had to give the first half a run for its money. Whether I was getting re-acquainted with a certain fashion novel or finding out what happens when slimer gets in a fight with a Toyota Tacoma (nothing good), I began to anxiously await the arrival of 2016. I'm not sure why, something about turing the page, casting off the old, and bringing in the new felt fresh and necessary. Then, when I thought it was over, I had the opportunity to cross driving down the freeway with the flu off my bucket list (also not good). Since it's not 2016 yet, I suppose I should knock on something.....
It ended with a race....
I plan to end 2015 (and then begin 2016) with the same race I ended 2014 with. Though this time, I'll be working at it, not running it. Racing for me is on hold until March and then April - the race lottery odds were somehow in my favor and I 'won' entrance in to both Way Too Cool and Lake Sonoma, hopefully an omen of good things to come in 2016. I've spent the past week and a half (feels like forever) resting, so my silly ankles could heal, my body could get a much needed break, and I can get back at it in the new year. Bring it on lottery of pain, bring it on.
This year is nothing I'd sign up for again, I might dare say it's been the toughest of my life. But, looking back, I'm amazed at how much I've learned and how differently I look at certain things now. The importance of taking things one day at time....celebrating the small victories....forgiving yourself...standing up for yourself. Stopping to smell the roses....climbing up one more hill...taking the long way home. That wine just might be a food group - sometimes it needs to be, and that's ok. The importance of surrounding yourself with things and people that make you happy. And if you just keep moving, eventually you'll be moving forward.
And, above all, the biggest thing I learned is that I have a stronger support network than I ever realized and I will forever be grateful. I had listening ears when I needed to talk, advice when I didn't know what to do (or just needed confirmation), and smiles when all I wanted was to frown. I always had a rock, a safety net, and everything in between. Perhaps that cheesy car commercial has a point - when it's dark enough, you can see stars.
So, here's to 2016. Here's to good times with family and friends. To new adventures and new races. To my continued understanding that everything happens for a reason....and hopefully to understanding what that reason is.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Malibu Canyon Adventure
I'm always excited for a weekend adventure - especially if that involves a new place with new trails. Enter a 30 hour trip to Malibu Canyon.
The drive to Malibu was pretty uneventful (other than an accident that resulted in an extra hour and a half or so). Especially once I hit the 5. I talked to my parents....joked with a friend about how I needed an uneventful fifteen mile sweep after last weekend's craziness....sang along to bad 80's and 90's pop....all the things you typically do on a solo road trip.
Thanks to the traffic, I got to the hotel at least an hour and a half later than I planned. But never fear, it was in plenty of time to watch the poor desk guy deal with two girls under the influence of something trying to figure out if they'd checked out of their room or not. And how to use the wireless....and something about her 'friend' from 'last night'. Good times. Can I just have my key? After dealing with the girls and a broken computer, I finally had my key. Then I was pretty sure I was asleep in moments.
The next day started with an early Starbucks run and a joke about me even sleeping at the hotel. Thankfully the hotel, Starbucks, and the park were all pretty close, so it wasn't that early - at least when you consider last Saturday I started running at 5. We got our caffeine and headed out to the park. As we were unloading and setting up, I noticed that the finish line was a mine-field of potholes. All big enough to see, right?
Or not....at some point once the runners were off, but before I was supposed to start sweeping, I was walking over to the finish line. I avoided all of the holes in the dirt. Only to find the one in the grass...I love hearing my ankle pop. Almost as much as I love grabbing ahold of the ropes holding up the finish line arch before stumbling into the arch. Really? Right now? I tried walking it out and it was just sore, not really swollen. Nothing an ankle brace can't fix. Perhaps I should have wished for an uneventful weekend....
And now for the course. I love getting to see new trails in new places - especially places I wouldn't necessarily go to on my own. I had seen photos and heard it was hilly, so I strapped on my super cool ankle braces and was off. Luckily, I wasn't feeling too sore from last weekend's debacle of a race or from my tumble and stumble at the finish line.
The first few miles were pretty gentle - some rolling hills and some flat. A lot of course markings and thanks to someone's 'help', a bunch of them were gathered in piles at one of the trail heads....
Just after the two mile mark, I came across a creek. And, even with the drought, this one was flowing and probably would have come to mid-calf had I jumped right in (like I do with Redwood Creek). Somehow, I managed to navigate through on the rocks without falling in and was able to keep my shoes dry for the most part (save for my right toes....ooops).
Shortly after the creek, I hit the first aid station and then began a climb that I thought would never end. Beautiful views and a nice trail, but nearly seven miles of climbing with no reprieve was a tall order.
And then I was told by a mountain biker that I was at the top. So, of course I stopped to take a photo and captured the below photo. Looking back, I think the ones on the way up were better.
The next few miles brought place that I could definitely jog between ribbons and observe some cool rock formations.
Despite being told I was at the top, I came upon this monstrosity pretty quickly. I was pretty sure it was straight out of The Hills Have Eyes, if you've seen it. If you haven't, don't....At first, I didn't even think it was a trail....then I saw the pink flags lining the way up it. Really? That's a trail. Well, ok. I'm up for an adventure. And the way up actually wasn't too bad. The way down....let's just say I'm just glad I didn't crash and burn.
Surviving the land of The Hills Have Eyes, I came up on the second aid station. They were just as glad to see me as I was to see them. After getting high-fives from the volunteers and the ranger, I refueled and headed off on what was pretty much the last climb before a nice descent back to the finish.
After what really was a nice gentle descent, the last section I hit was pretty flat. Not sure if this was a good thing or not - right around mile 13 my foot (and the rest of my body), started to make it known that they were done with this running thing. haha...almost legs, almost.
Near the 10k turn around, I passed through the MASH site. It was pretty cool, despite not having watched too much MASH. I don't think I really watched any of it until after Alan Alda was on ER and I'm pretty sure those were reruns. Anyway, I digress. I paused for a bit to get some photos before the volunteer asked me if I was planning to get in before dark. Right. Dark. Yeah, I should probably keep moving.
After departing the MASH site, it was a quick jaunt back to the start/finish. A quick load of the van and I was off on the long journey home.
Once I got out of LA, I was ready for some food. Enter my second Carl's Jr. fix of the weekend. I'd also warmed up enough to want an Oreo milkshake. Yum. While I waited for the drive-thru, I decided to check out my foot again. It had been out of the brace for about an hour and felt pretty stiff. Probably because in the time it had been resting it decided to start swelling. Awesome...well, at least it wasn't my driving leg.
I stopped for gas in Kettleman City. At that point, my feet had been shoeless for several hours and the thought of having to put them back on was worse than the thought of being barefoot (or in my case, bare-socked) at a gas station - especially with my now swollen left ankle. So, I channeled my inner Britney Spears (circa 2004) and pumped gas sans shoes. But, I did have socks on and I didn't go in the bathroom. Haha...
The rest of the trip passed uneventfully and I made pretty good time getting home. Home, showered, beered, and in bed by 12:30.
Until next time....over and out.
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Life Doesn't Require that We Be the Best, Only that We Try Our Best.....North Face 50 Race Report
Ahh...the start line of the North Face 50. After a year plagued by ankle and knee injuries, it was one place I didn't think I'd be. But, after a few injections, and lot of PT, somehow I'd gotten it together enough to be there. I was nervous about the time cutoffs, but based on my 30 mile training run, I'd be fine. Especially since I was picking up Ksenya around mile 30.
We got to the start line in plenty of time, checked our drop bags, and then it was 5am and we were off. The first few miles were fine...it was just me and the mountain and a few hundred of my closest friends. As I made it up bobcat, I realized that my new watch had somehow reverted from miles back to kilometers. Awesome....so I had no idea where I was. Well, I knew where I was....I knew the trails, and I knew the two cutoff times, so I was good.
As I jogged down Rodeo, I met Becca, a woman from New York City who would stick with me until approximately mile 20. She was great....friendly....and we had a ton to talk about. She said hello to just about everyone, and listening to their conversation made the miles up Miwok and Coastal pass like nothing. At one point, we were talking about how I'd never been stung before and it would be really bad to find out I was allergic on the trail. She assured me she'd chase down the lady we met earlier with the bee sting meds. We shared the journey through Pirate's Cove, and she celebrated with me when I realized I had made through Pirate's cove and Muir Beach and had yet to see a sweeper.
I jogged from Muir Beach to Cardiac, before beginning the slog up the hill. At this point, two things happened - first, we were joined by a lot of 50k runners, so I wondered if I'd see any of my friends that were running that distance, and second, I had some weird acid-refluxy thing going on. Apparently the potatoes and Mt. Dew I'd had at Tennessee Valley and Muir Beach hadn't solved that problem as I had hoped. Ugh...well....onward and upward, I suppose.
Thanks to Becca, Heather Cutoff passed pretty quickly (and there wasn't any out and back traffic like last year). We got to Coastal, and while there were places I had planned on running, I realized it wasn't going to happen with the acid issues going on. Oh well....I was still right where I wanted to be pace-wise, so I wasn't worried. Just sick of climbing. Thankfully Becca was still on my heels and chatting with everyone....then, it happened, I recognized a voice. Yay! A friendly face at just the right time.
My friend, Liz, had come up behind us. She was looking great running up the hill, and had I felt better, I would have tried to tag on and run up the hill with her. She mentioned her boyfriend wasn't too far behind, so I kept an eye out for him and that took my mind off the horrible feeling for awhile. He passed by shortly after, I mentioned I was worried about being slow, and he told me to just keep moving. So, that's what I did....one foot in front of the other, with Becca behind me, we made it up the hill.
I paused at the aid station to try to cure the acid problem along with the nausea that had started to pop up. One of the volunteers suggested Coke, but I already was working on some Mountain Dew. Then I heard my name being called, and behind me was my friend and fellow AIDS Marathon Coach, Toby. So many friendly faces at just the right time. I told him I was nauseous, and he told me to keep at it, and that it would pass.
And it did, as I made my way up to Matt Davis, I started to feel a lot better. Becca and I jogged the out and back where we could (lots of jumping out of the way of oncoming traffic), making our way to McKinnon Gulch - the first hard time cutoff....and I was still ahead of the sweepers. Then...ouch! Sharp, stabbing, pain in the back of my thigh....if had been an inch higher, it would have been my ass. Who gets stung by something in their ass? Me. Of course. Guess. I can cross getting stung by a bee off my bucket list. Great....hopefully this doesn't cause too much of an issue. But at least I can concentrate on that pain rather than my hip flexor that had started to ache way too early. I paused for a moment to pull whatever sharp object had impaled me out of my leg. Becca asked if my hamstring was ok. I told it was, but something had stung me. Could have been her opportunity to chase down our friend from earlier. Somewhere between getting stung and the aid station, I lost Becca. The people at the aid station there were great. Handed me a cup of hot broth, a welcome change from the PB&J I had been eating.
As I made my way back, I was surprised that there were people behind me. I wished them all good luck as I jogged by. I ran a bit with another guy who had run the race the past two years, but hadn't been able to finish. He, like me, was very excited to ahead of the sweepers and on pace to finish with time to spare. We jogged together for a bit before he took off. Unfortunately, I came up on him with the sweeper....he'd fallen and split his knee on a rock. He desperately wanted to continue, but the sweeper seemed to think otherwise.
After that, I made my way down the longest descent ever into Stinson Beach. It was technical, I was skittish, but I was feeling good. It felt like hours, but I got down to a flat section and my friend Mark was running up to meet me. Some volunteers greeted me by what I think was the fire station and sent me along my way to the aid station where Ksenya was waiting to run with me. She helped me refill my pack and I grabbed a sandwich (it was only peanut butter and hard to eat, so I dumped the rest of that quickly....).
We made our way up Dipsea to Cardiac, a mere 2.3 miles, but 2.3 tough climbing miles. But, I actually ran some of it. Big change from Brian dragging me up that hill during my first 50k. I don't remember a ton of it, but I'm pretty sure I was crying at some point and then there was a ladder on Steep Ravine. It wasn't good. But yesterday, yesterday was great. According to Strava, I even had a PR going up that hill.
And, then I got to the second pass at Cardiac and it all fell apart. The acid-refluxy crap was back, along with some nausea and dizziness. Going down in to Muir Woods was ok, but climbing out, not so much. I did ok until I got to Fern Trail? Lost trail? I think it was lost. Wherever I started to climb again....and then there were the stairs at Canopy View. I passed two ladies with kids in back packs, and all I could think was, please don't let me puke now.....
Once we got to Panoramic and Sun, it really went down hill. I was looking forward to not climbing anymore, as the nausea seemed to dissipate if I stopped climbing. But, since it was my lucky day, that's when the dizziness took over and the trail started moving. Good times. At that point, I realized that running wasn't going to happen, the last thing I needed was to crash and end up with some sort of lasting injury. I slowly made my way down the trail, wishing the aid station was a lot closer than it was.....everything just felt fuzzy. Ksenya told me if I was going to fall over, to make sure I fell towards the mountain rather than off the cliff....thankfully, it didn't come to that.
Somehow, Ksenya got me down to the aid station at what we thought was mile 35, and found the medic. They got me in a chair pretty quick and before I knew it I had a bag of chips, a cup of electrolytes, and a cup of water. I choked down a couple of chips while someone wrapped me in a space blanket and Ksenya loosened the ankle braces on my legs. Eventually they came all the way off and they ended up in a trash bag with all of the rest of the stuff I discarded...pack, braces...maybe gloves....I don't know. The medics took my blood pressure, which was high...and a little scary since I've never had high blood pressure....ever. She continued to keep me talking and put a hot pack on the back of my neck. I started shivering and ended up with another space blanket to wrap around my legs while we waited for transportation. I'm pretty sure I was the abominable space blanket woman....one wrapped on my shoulders and another tied around my waist like a towel.
The aid station captain lived near Tennessee Valley and offered to take a couple of us there. Since she brought me to the aid station where they took care of me, I will forgive the fact that she made a big production out of making people sit on trash bags and made sure I had a barf bag....
I don't think I realized how much trouble I was in until we got to Tennessee Valley and I was wandering around trying to find my drop bag and then wandering around with it, but didn't really know why. Ksenya had mentioned grabbing some food, but I really just wanted to get in the car....never mind we still had to hunt down the key. Ksenya got the key from Shannon, who I think was the aid station captain at TV.
Shannon took one look at me and in a matter of seconds had me on a bench with a cup of warm broth. I just wanted to hold it, she seemed more concerned that I drank it though. She started digging through my bag to find my warm clothes....asked me if I had warm pants....what warm shirts I had, etc. While asking one of the other volunteers to grab an extra space blanket. I asked her if I should just suck up the cold and change everything - new t-shirt, new hoodie, etc. She seemed to like that idea just as the shuttle showed up. So, she decided we were taking over the bus. She grabbed two volunteers and we headed on to the bus. Once we were there, she helped me pull off my wet t-shirts and swap them for the dry clothes I had in my drop bag. Yay wool hoodie. Best purchase ever.
Once that was done, she asked me what I wanted to eat. I told her I wasn't hungry, but she wasn't having that. Just proceeded to tell me the aid station menu; 'We have oranges, bananas, peanut butter & jelly....'. At that point, I realized I wasn't going to get out of eating something, so I went for the PB&J. She sent one of the volunteers she brought with her to get some PB&J and the other to get some more hot broth. I ate a couple of PB&J squares while I continued to warm up.....then she sent the volunteers for more broth and M&M's. Of course I had to eat a bunch of those too. At some point Ksenya brought my down jacket in (so glad I left that in my car after the Turkey Trot last week). Shannon handed me another cup of broth and told me I could leave once I wasn't blue anymore and asked me if I wanted to sit down. I think I went through three, maybe four cups of broth and was handed one for the road before she let me off the bus. I had on a running t-shirt, a wool hoodie, the down jacket I took to Mt. Everest last year, a wool headband, and two hoods. And the moment I stepped off the bus, I was freezing again. Luckily, it was a short walk to my car, which Ksenya had already warmed up.
We drove back over to the visitor's center and somehow convinced them to let us park in the lot there. I think Ksenya told them we were picking stuff up and I needed to get my bag and I couldn't walk very far. Anyway, worked in our favor, and we parked next to the flush toilets and didn't have to walk too far. I grabbed my stuff and headed over to the finish to wait for Brian to come in. And, despite being sick all day, he did finish :). After that, we crashed in the grass and split a beer. I was still shivering, despite adding another layer of pants to my wardrobe, so Mark gave me his down jacket to put on top of my own. And at some point, I had another space blanket added to the mix....I think that might have been Ann - thanks Ann!
In the end, I had actually gotten to mile 37, not 35....and I would have been fine with the time limits, and I did better than last year, but, just not my day. Luckily, I will be able to finish another 50 miler another day. Big thanks to Ksenya for running with me and taking care of me at the end; Mark for crewing; Dr. Hal, Dr. Wardwell, and Megan, for putting me back together so I could even get out there; and the amazing aid station volunteers.
Until next year, North Face, until next year....
We got to the start line in plenty of time, checked our drop bags, and then it was 5am and we were off. The first few miles were fine...it was just me and the mountain and a few hundred of my closest friends. As I made it up bobcat, I realized that my new watch had somehow reverted from miles back to kilometers. Awesome....so I had no idea where I was. Well, I knew where I was....I knew the trails, and I knew the two cutoff times, so I was good.
As I jogged down Rodeo, I met Becca, a woman from New York City who would stick with me until approximately mile 20. She was great....friendly....and we had a ton to talk about. She said hello to just about everyone, and listening to their conversation made the miles up Miwok and Coastal pass like nothing. At one point, we were talking about how I'd never been stung before and it would be really bad to find out I was allergic on the trail. She assured me she'd chase down the lady we met earlier with the bee sting meds. We shared the journey through Pirate's Cove, and she celebrated with me when I realized I had made through Pirate's cove and Muir Beach and had yet to see a sweeper.
I jogged from Muir Beach to Cardiac, before beginning the slog up the hill. At this point, two things happened - first, we were joined by a lot of 50k runners, so I wondered if I'd see any of my friends that were running that distance, and second, I had some weird acid-refluxy thing going on. Apparently the potatoes and Mt. Dew I'd had at Tennessee Valley and Muir Beach hadn't solved that problem as I had hoped. Ugh...well....onward and upward, I suppose.
Thanks to Becca, Heather Cutoff passed pretty quickly (and there wasn't any out and back traffic like last year). We got to Coastal, and while there were places I had planned on running, I realized it wasn't going to happen with the acid issues going on. Oh well....I was still right where I wanted to be pace-wise, so I wasn't worried. Just sick of climbing. Thankfully Becca was still on my heels and chatting with everyone....then, it happened, I recognized a voice. Yay! A friendly face at just the right time.
My friend, Liz, had come up behind us. She was looking great running up the hill, and had I felt better, I would have tried to tag on and run up the hill with her. She mentioned her boyfriend wasn't too far behind, so I kept an eye out for him and that took my mind off the horrible feeling for awhile. He passed by shortly after, I mentioned I was worried about being slow, and he told me to just keep moving. So, that's what I did....one foot in front of the other, with Becca behind me, we made it up the hill.
I paused at the aid station to try to cure the acid problem along with the nausea that had started to pop up. One of the volunteers suggested Coke, but I already was working on some Mountain Dew. Then I heard my name being called, and behind me was my friend and fellow AIDS Marathon Coach, Toby. So many friendly faces at just the right time. I told him I was nauseous, and he told me to keep at it, and that it would pass.
And it did, as I made my way up to Matt Davis, I started to feel a lot better. Becca and I jogged the out and back where we could (lots of jumping out of the way of oncoming traffic), making our way to McKinnon Gulch - the first hard time cutoff....and I was still ahead of the sweepers. Then...ouch! Sharp, stabbing, pain in the back of my thigh....if had been an inch higher, it would have been my ass. Who gets stung by something in their ass? Me. Of course. Guess. I can cross getting stung by a bee off my bucket list. Great....hopefully this doesn't cause too much of an issue. But at least I can concentrate on that pain rather than my hip flexor that had started to ache way too early. I paused for a moment to pull whatever sharp object had impaled me out of my leg. Becca asked if my hamstring was ok. I told it was, but something had stung me. Could have been her opportunity to chase down our friend from earlier. Somewhere between getting stung and the aid station, I lost Becca. The people at the aid station there were great. Handed me a cup of hot broth, a welcome change from the PB&J I had been eating.
As I made my way back, I was surprised that there were people behind me. I wished them all good luck as I jogged by. I ran a bit with another guy who had run the race the past two years, but hadn't been able to finish. He, like me, was very excited to ahead of the sweepers and on pace to finish with time to spare. We jogged together for a bit before he took off. Unfortunately, I came up on him with the sweeper....he'd fallen and split his knee on a rock. He desperately wanted to continue, but the sweeper seemed to think otherwise.
After that, I made my way down the longest descent ever into Stinson Beach. It was technical, I was skittish, but I was feeling good. It felt like hours, but I got down to a flat section and my friend Mark was running up to meet me. Some volunteers greeted me by what I think was the fire station and sent me along my way to the aid station where Ksenya was waiting to run with me. She helped me refill my pack and I grabbed a sandwich (it was only peanut butter and hard to eat, so I dumped the rest of that quickly....).
We made our way up Dipsea to Cardiac, a mere 2.3 miles, but 2.3 tough climbing miles. But, I actually ran some of it. Big change from Brian dragging me up that hill during my first 50k. I don't remember a ton of it, but I'm pretty sure I was crying at some point and then there was a ladder on Steep Ravine. It wasn't good. But yesterday, yesterday was great. According to Strava, I even had a PR going up that hill.
And, then I got to the second pass at Cardiac and it all fell apart. The acid-refluxy crap was back, along with some nausea and dizziness. Going down in to Muir Woods was ok, but climbing out, not so much. I did ok until I got to Fern Trail? Lost trail? I think it was lost. Wherever I started to climb again....and then there were the stairs at Canopy View. I passed two ladies with kids in back packs, and all I could think was, please don't let me puke now.....
Once we got to Panoramic and Sun, it really went down hill. I was looking forward to not climbing anymore, as the nausea seemed to dissipate if I stopped climbing. But, since it was my lucky day, that's when the dizziness took over and the trail started moving. Good times. At that point, I realized that running wasn't going to happen, the last thing I needed was to crash and end up with some sort of lasting injury. I slowly made my way down the trail, wishing the aid station was a lot closer than it was.....everything just felt fuzzy. Ksenya told me if I was going to fall over, to make sure I fell towards the mountain rather than off the cliff....thankfully, it didn't come to that.
Somehow, Ksenya got me down to the aid station at what we thought was mile 35, and found the medic. They got me in a chair pretty quick and before I knew it I had a bag of chips, a cup of electrolytes, and a cup of water. I choked down a couple of chips while someone wrapped me in a space blanket and Ksenya loosened the ankle braces on my legs. Eventually they came all the way off and they ended up in a trash bag with all of the rest of the stuff I discarded...pack, braces...maybe gloves....I don't know. The medics took my blood pressure, which was high...and a little scary since I've never had high blood pressure....ever. She continued to keep me talking and put a hot pack on the back of my neck. I started shivering and ended up with another space blanket to wrap around my legs while we waited for transportation. I'm pretty sure I was the abominable space blanket woman....one wrapped on my shoulders and another tied around my waist like a towel.
The aid station captain lived near Tennessee Valley and offered to take a couple of us there. Since she brought me to the aid station where they took care of me, I will forgive the fact that she made a big production out of making people sit on trash bags and made sure I had a barf bag....
I don't think I realized how much trouble I was in until we got to Tennessee Valley and I was wandering around trying to find my drop bag and then wandering around with it, but didn't really know why. Ksenya had mentioned grabbing some food, but I really just wanted to get in the car....never mind we still had to hunt down the key. Ksenya got the key from Shannon, who I think was the aid station captain at TV.
Shannon took one look at me and in a matter of seconds had me on a bench with a cup of warm broth. I just wanted to hold it, she seemed more concerned that I drank it though. She started digging through my bag to find my warm clothes....asked me if I had warm pants....what warm shirts I had, etc. While asking one of the other volunteers to grab an extra space blanket. I asked her if I should just suck up the cold and change everything - new t-shirt, new hoodie, etc. She seemed to like that idea just as the shuttle showed up. So, she decided we were taking over the bus. She grabbed two volunteers and we headed on to the bus. Once we were there, she helped me pull off my wet t-shirts and swap them for the dry clothes I had in my drop bag. Yay wool hoodie. Best purchase ever.
Once that was done, she asked me what I wanted to eat. I told her I wasn't hungry, but she wasn't having that. Just proceeded to tell me the aid station menu; 'We have oranges, bananas, peanut butter & jelly....'. At that point, I realized I wasn't going to get out of eating something, so I went for the PB&J. She sent one of the volunteers she brought with her to get some PB&J and the other to get some more hot broth. I ate a couple of PB&J squares while I continued to warm up.....then she sent the volunteers for more broth and M&M's. Of course I had to eat a bunch of those too. At some point Ksenya brought my down jacket in (so glad I left that in my car after the Turkey Trot last week). Shannon handed me another cup of broth and told me I could leave once I wasn't blue anymore and asked me if I wanted to sit down. I think I went through three, maybe four cups of broth and was handed one for the road before she let me off the bus. I had on a running t-shirt, a wool hoodie, the down jacket I took to Mt. Everest last year, a wool headband, and two hoods. And the moment I stepped off the bus, I was freezing again. Luckily, it was a short walk to my car, which Ksenya had already warmed up.
We drove back over to the visitor's center and somehow convinced them to let us park in the lot there. I think Ksenya told them we were picking stuff up and I needed to get my bag and I couldn't walk very far. Anyway, worked in our favor, and we parked next to the flush toilets and didn't have to walk too far. I grabbed my stuff and headed over to the finish to wait for Brian to come in. And, despite being sick all day, he did finish :). After that, we crashed in the grass and split a beer. I was still shivering, despite adding another layer of pants to my wardrobe, so Mark gave me his down jacket to put on top of my own. And at some point, I had another space blanket added to the mix....I think that might have been Ann - thanks Ann!
In the end, I had actually gotten to mile 37, not 35....and I would have been fine with the time limits, and I did better than last year, but, just not my day. Luckily, I will be able to finish another 50 miler another day. Big thanks to Ksenya for running with me and taking care of me at the end; Mark for crewing; Dr. Hal, Dr. Wardwell, and Megan, for putting me back together so I could even get out there; and the amazing aid station volunteers.
Until next year, North Face, until next year....
Sunday, October 25, 2015
30 Miles + a Coyote = Typical Saturday
Good news! Despite the injuries and being sick all week, I can still bang out 30 miles. Bad news...I have to find 20 more in six weeks. Yikes!! North Face.
I had somewhat planned out my day....park in Tennessee Valley and do a loop towards Rodeo Valley and then a loop in Pirates Cove and some junk miles in TV before, during, and after. And of course, hit my car as an aid station each time I passed. I will say, Slimer makes a great aid station.
I briefly contemplated stopping at my car after getting back down from Coyote Ridge, but decided against it. I had just about four miles to go...silly to stop now. And I knew I didn't really need to take off my super cool ankle braces. So, I continued down Rhubarb Trail and back for an additional mile and then headed on a three mile out and back to the beach. I was surprised at how much I was able to run. It was flat, but still....
And, just when I thought I'd been on the most uninteresting, uneventful run, I met mile 28.5. I was on my way back to my car from a three mile out and back to the beach. Really junk miles, but at that point, who's counting. Anyway, I decided I should jog a bit, because, well, I felt like I could, so why not? So, I'm jogging along, excited I'm only a mile and a half from the car and what do I see down the trail...Mr. Coyote. He's hard to see in the photo, but if you look down the trail on the left, he's there. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the phone to magnify and take the photo before he started RUNNING AT ME. Yes, your typically skittish coyote decided to run at me, rather than in the bushes. I was caught somewhere between....'I am at mile 28.5 of a 30 mile run and you are between me and the finish line' and 'holy crap, what do I do if he gets to me. I don't have it in me to fight a coyote at mile 28.5'. Luckily, after charging a few feet down the trail, he jumped off into the surrounding brush.
After my coyote sighting, the rest of my run was uneventful. I passed by a man I had passed on my way out, and he said, 'you did it'....I looked at him and said, '30 miles...damn right, I did'. I'm sure he thought I had just run out to the beach and back (4 miles) or something. The look on his face was priceless. He was like, really?? You ran 30 miles today? Yup...yup, I did.
Now to find those other 20......
I had somewhat planned out my day....park in Tennessee Valley and do a loop towards Rodeo Valley and then a loop in Pirates Cove and some junk miles in TV before, during, and after. And of course, hit my car as an aid station each time I passed. I will say, Slimer makes a great aid station.
I started with a loop out and back to the beach, pretty uneventful, but probably should have put on the ankle braces. Oh well...gotta get stronger somehow. I returned to my aid station to restock before heading up Marincello. And to the lady who felt the need to stalk me for my parking spot. First, I gave zero indication I was leaving....Second, you can always ask....and Third, try the one in front of me..or behind me...or on the other side of the road. There's plenty, I promise. But, I do hope you enjoyed watching me get ready to run.
Anyway....so I headed up Marincello, took that over to SCA, past the steps I tripped down, down Coastal, and out to Bunker Dr. I really like Coastal....nice, gentle, down hill, very little to trip on. Then I spent about a mile trying to get on Rodeo....due to trail construction, all the entrances had changed. I never found the right way to get on the trail, but I did find the trail blazed by all of those before me who must have gotten annoyed trying to figure out the routing. One jump around a fence and I was on my way. Going up Rodeo was tougher than I remember, but not too bad. I was well within the pace I'd like to main for the race, even though today was all about getting the miles in.
Once I got to the top of Rodeo, I decided to explore a bit....kind of tough now since I know the headlands pretty well. But, regardless, I decided to take Oakwood...or maybe it was Oak Valley, back down to TV. I didn't think I had been on that trail before, but quickly learned that I had. Except, I had climbed up it, rather than run down. The first part of it wasn't too bad - nice, easy jog down. Similar to running down Coastal. Then I got to the rocks and the steep and the gravel. Good times....well....not really. I went down once and then gave up and crab walked down the next part. I'm done taking chances.
Got down, got back to slimer.....mile 16. More than halfway. Re-stocked, refueled, swapped the sweaty tank for a dry t-shirt, and I was off to Pirates Cove.
Now, Pirates Cove was more treacherous than I remember it. Maybe it never recovered from North Face last year, maybe I'm just afraid of falling. I'm pretty sure I was crawling through parts where Kenya and I used to jog last year....somehow, I will have to find a way to get over this trail fear. As I made my way down to the scary stairs, I did have to stop and pause, and admire the beauty of where I was running. I was also really looking forward to getting on the far less steep single track you can see in the distance.
I followed the single track past the bridge I crashed out on during this run, and noticed the edge where my foot slipped had been patched. The single track leads up a bit and then out to a fire road and down into Muir Beach. The descent into Muir Beach wasn't as bad as I remember (now if I could just get over my fear of every other descent....), though I did have to navigate around a group of four and a dog that managed to somehow take up the entire fire road. Really, people?!
I got down into Muir Beach and could smell people grilling....mmmm....grilling. At mile 22ish, I was really wishing I was coming up on the BBQ and beer that was at the finish line last weekend. But, no such luck. I stopped at the picnic table to grab a snack - afraid for a minute all I had to eat was the Margherita Pizza Cliff/food/whatever it is, but found a cookie and some GU I didn't realize I had. The Margherita Pizza thing will live to save me another day.....
After a brief snack break, I headed up Middle Green Gulch - North Face goes all the way up Coyote Ridge, which is steeper, but Middle Green Gulch is longer, and I was really looking for the miles. Going up that was....a challenge. I was tired, but I guess I'm supposed to be at mile 24, 25, etc. It was long, but looking back on it, not that long and soon I was at Coyote Ridge. Just had to clear the top part of that, and I'd be in for a nice descent into Tennessee Valley.
The last push up Coyote Ridge wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be, so I guess that's a good thing. The descent is another story. The first part was fine, easy fire roads....but Miwok cut-off, that I used to love, terrified me for some reason. Again, I used to run down most of this....why am I so afraid?? I've really only taken two noteworthy falls, despite running out there how many times?
On the up side, the sun was starting to set, making for some really nice colors in the sky. On the downside, I turned off my watch and forgot to turn it back on. Ooops. Definitely ran more than 30 miles....
I briefly contemplated stopping at my car after getting back down from Coyote Ridge, but decided against it. I had just about four miles to go...silly to stop now. And I knew I didn't really need to take off my super cool ankle braces. So, I continued down Rhubarb Trail and back for an additional mile and then headed on a three mile out and back to the beach. I was surprised at how much I was able to run. It was flat, but still....
And, just when I thought I'd been on the most uninteresting, uneventful run, I met mile 28.5. I was on my way back to my car from a three mile out and back to the beach. Really junk miles, but at that point, who's counting. Anyway, I decided I should jog a bit, because, well, I felt like I could, so why not? So, I'm jogging along, excited I'm only a mile and a half from the car and what do I see down the trail...Mr. Coyote. He's hard to see in the photo, but if you look down the trail on the left, he's there. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the phone to magnify and take the photo before he started RUNNING AT ME. Yes, your typically skittish coyote decided to run at me, rather than in the bushes. I was caught somewhere between....'I am at mile 28.5 of a 30 mile run and you are between me and the finish line' and 'holy crap, what do I do if he gets to me. I don't have it in me to fight a coyote at mile 28.5'. Luckily, after charging a few feet down the trail, he jumped off into the surrounding brush.
After my coyote sighting, the rest of my run was uneventful. I passed by a man I had passed on my way out, and he said, 'you did it'....I looked at him and said, '30 miles...damn right, I did'. I'm sure he thought I had just run out to the beach and back (4 miles) or something. The look on his face was priceless. He was like, really?? You ran 30 miles today? Yup...yup, I did.
Now to find those other 20......
Monday, October 19, 2015
Coyote Ridge - Take Two
It's my one-year anniversary with Coastal Trails....sort of. This weekend is the Coyote Ridge race - the first race I did with Coastal last year (read all about it here!). It was so much fun, I never left. This year, I spent Saturday marking a good chunk of the course and Sunday working the race and sweeping the course.
Since I'm pretending I'm going to train for the North Face 50, I wanted to get a run in prior to marking. I made sure to check on sweeping for Sunday before deciding on the additional mileage - I didn't need a forty plus mile work out over two days....well, I do, but unfortunately I'm not ready for that. Glad I checked, since the plan was for me to sweep the nearly 15-mile pink loop. That meant a four mile pre-run, rather than a fourteen mile pre-run.
I got to Tennessee Valley in plenty of time to get in a four miler, but you never know, so I took off up Marincello as quickly as I could. My trip up Marincello was pretty good...it had been a long time since I'd been up it, so it was like reuniting with an old friend. I did notice there were random colored ribbons tied to wooden stakes throughout the trail....trail maintenance of some sort, I think. Nothing I could do about it, but something that I thought could cause confusion, so I took a picture and made a mental note to let Wendell know when I met him a few hours later.
Before I knew it, I was at the top. Sort of. I planned to do Marincello - Miwok - Old Springs, coincidentally the yellow loop for the race tomorrow. And, the top of Marincello, is the top of that hill, but there's still a little more up before you hit the airport surveillance thing-a-ma-bob and head down to Miwok to Old Springs. Since I was at the top, I was definitely in the fog or rain or whatever had started. Luckily, I only tried to fall twice on the way down. Thankfully, I decided I was going to be the cool girl on the trail with two ankle braces, so I didn't hurt anything.
Once I hit Miwok, I jogged down until I got to the nastily steep part....and it was wet....lucky me. After almost slipping a second time, I decided to gently walk down the hill. Ugh...when did I become so chicken on these hills.
I'm a big fan of Old Springs, so once I hit that trail, I was definitely up for a jog. It felt great....a little scary, but great. Again, why am I so chicken....ugh. I jogged down Old Springs and then wanted to get in four miles, so did a little bit on Rhubarb trail until I hit my four and then walked back to slimer. At that point, the rain had started (or the fog descended into the valley....never can tell here), so I moved him into the main parking lot (rain starts and everyone takes off, haha - my day had just begun) to wait for Wendell and Lynnard. As I was hiding from the elements, I made the decision to completely change into my long sleeved shirt - I was wet, sweaty, and cold. Not a good recipe for marking in the rain. I decided to risk the heat later on.
Wendell arrived and showed me what I'd be doing....not only marking from Tennessee Valley to Point Bonita, but also taking a second trip to the airport surveillance thing-a-ma-bob and Old Springs to mark the yellow only portion of the course. And then back up the crazy descent. What a good time I was in for.....well, I definitely needed the miles. I let him know about the random markings due to the construction and I was off.
Heading up Marincello a second time was nearly as painless as the first. For some reason, it's the one hill in the headlands I can walk up like I own it. Every time. It was also nice to be headed uphill in the cold, wet weather that had developed. It was pretty windy at the top, so I was worried about my pink 'go straight' sign and my yellow 'go right' signs. By the time I had finished placing the yellow, the pink one had blown away.....so, I tied it to the tree branches instead. A little sooner than I wanted it, but at least it would be there for the runners.
Off I was to mark the yellow, knowing both the trip down and the trip up would be an adventure. Down because, well, I'm afraid of everything and it was wet. And up because, well, it's steep. I only briefly questioned myself....not sure why...I know these trails and I've been up there tons of times. Around the airport thing I went (different than I went before!), and down to Old Springs. And then back up.....on my way up, I ran into a couple hiking that asked me if I was taking all the signs down. Nope...putting them up. The race is tomorrow.
Getting back to Marincello, I realized that my yellow 'right' and yellow 'straight' signs had blown over. So, I had to be creative and find bushes to tie them to. Not ideal, but at least they'd be there for the runners. Once that I was done, I buried the yellow ribbons in my bag and headed off to mark the pink to Point Bonita.
Then, the rain stopped...and once it did...the beauty of the headlands came out....nothing like fall in the bay area.
Overall, the pink loop was uneventful.....I mean, it passed through the place on SCA where I busted my good ankle a few weeks ago and the place where I ran out of ribbon while marking Golden Gate, of course, not to be outdone by the turn I missed when I ran Coyote Ridge last year.....but, all that considered, pretty uneventful. I blew up the turn I missed last year....hopefully no one misses it this year, headed up the road towards Point Bonita, passed the place I ran out of ribbons this summer, and spotted Slimer in the distance. I made it. Haha.....11.5 miles later, 15.5 on the day, and I was heading home. Ready for a shower and some food.....But, I did capture this photo before I headed out....the beauty of a golden gate sunset is second to none...
Since I've been dealing with one injury after another (and then my foot turning blue), I've been good and followed Dr. Hal's orders over the past few weeks and run on the flat, predictable trails of Woodside. I've been home for about an hour and a half and I'm definitely feeling the hills from today. Oh, the cramping that's threatening. I hate being out of shape....ugh. I feel like I ran 30 miles, not 15. And to think I actually felt fine after 17 miles of flat.....
Sunday brought an early morning - we were up and at Muir Beach before the sun. Thank God for headlamps, haha. The day started with me trying, and failing, to open the gate to the parking lot. Luckily, Brian was with me and knew how to open it...or was strong enough to open it...or something like that.
I helped unload and then set up and worked registration - there were a decent amount of people registering day of, which kept us busy. Lots of questions about bag checks and parking too.
After a short stint at the start/finish helping with registration, I headed out to the Point Bonita aid station - of course it would be the one I never made it to...haha. I got there, and wow....the view was amazing. It pretty much put the views from Saturday to shame....the city behind the bridge, as the sun came up. Always gorgeous....always breathtaking....no matter how many times I see it, or from what vantage point. I mean, really, the picture doesn't even do it justice.
We were the second aid station and runners were only hitting us once, so my time at the aid station was pretty short lived and passed quickly. The runners were all in good spirits and many stopped to say hello and let us know how their run was going. I spent a few minutes talking to one guy about the Umstead 100, a race he had run before and I hope to run someday. A couple of them had questions about the course, and it was nice to being familiar with the trails and able to answer them.
Once we had wrapped at the aid station, I packed it up in the Xterra and headed out to sweep - the journey of nearly 12 miles begins with a single step. Haha....I thought the first section would be new to me, as it was the part I missed the year before when I got lost and I don't really run much on that side of Tennessee Valley. But, I realized two things....first, I have been on those trails and second, I picked the right part of the course to lose (give me a walk up Miwok any day). Oh the hills....it goes up and up forever....past the battery....and then up some more. I vaguely remember running down the same trail during my first 50k....I think going down was just as brutal, with the added threat of falling and busting myself. To keep the hike entertaining, I stopped to take a photo of a couple with their dog and to smile at a group of hikers who were impressed with how quickly I was hiking up the hill.
Going down the other side of the trail was pretty steep, but really nothing I should have had a problem with - if I wasn't so afraid of the trails. Stupid injuries. But, I survived the descent and made it back to the Miwok junction, right where I found the course when I ran the race last year. I'm pretty sure there was a moment where I threw my arms over my head, and exclaimed, 'it's the course!'. I'm pretty sure anyone that saw me would have thought I was crazy.
This year I saw two rental mountain bikers looking at an upside-down map (oh Blazing Saddles...). I stopped and asked where they were headed. They were trying to find Tennessee Valley Road...at least it was something I could help them find. And there were two other bikers that came up on us and offered to play tour guide. I love the nice people I meet on the trails.
After that, I made my way up the steep part of Miwok for the second or third time that weekend. At that point, I'd lost count. I paused to cheer on some of the 50k runners who were on their way down. Somewhere between there and Point Bonita, probably along Coastal, I ran into another rental mountain biker looking for directions....what was with them on Sunday? But, I've been a tourist plenty of times and am happy to try to help.
I came up on the sharp left, the one I missed last year, and was happy to see that my gerry-rigged 'wrong way' sign held up. Because of the wind on Saturday, and the importance of the sign, I created a tripod for it as opposed to the two we usually use. Unfortunately, I found out later that one of the runners had missed it. I grabbed all that stuff, headed up the hill, and on to the road.
After being on the road for a bit, I wasn't sure I'd ever been so thankful to see our car....well, I feel like I say that ever time I get tired and just want to be done. But, regardless, I was thrilled to see our car - I was done! I sent Brian a text to let him know I was on my way and took off. I should have paused to take off my super cool ankle braces, but I just wanted to get back. Ouch....bad decision. As much as the braces had saved my ankles for the past twelve miles, my ankles were done with the braces. But, I really just wanted to get back down to the finish....I knew I was late and they probably needed help, and selfishly, I was hoping there was a dry race shirt I could put on. If I had thought I was cold before, I was definitely cold now.
After briefly following someone who felt the need to drive down to Muir Beach at 5 MPH (thankfully they pulled over quickly), I got back to the start/finish to find it mostly cleaned up. And, yay there were extra shirts. Hooray for a dry shirt....went a long way with feeling warm in the wind at Muir Beach. We finished loading up pretty quickly....joked about my ability to load a tent without breaking my leg....and my text about running out of ribbons (just kidding this time ;)).
Ok....after two days on the trails, I am exhausted. Until next time....
Since I'm pretending I'm going to train for the North Face 50, I wanted to get a run in prior to marking. I made sure to check on sweeping for Sunday before deciding on the additional mileage - I didn't need a forty plus mile work out over two days....well, I do, but unfortunately I'm not ready for that. Glad I checked, since the plan was for me to sweep the nearly 15-mile pink loop. That meant a four mile pre-run, rather than a fourteen mile pre-run.
I got to Tennessee Valley in plenty of time to get in a four miler, but you never know, so I took off up Marincello as quickly as I could. My trip up Marincello was pretty good...it had been a long time since I'd been up it, so it was like reuniting with an old friend. I did notice there were random colored ribbons tied to wooden stakes throughout the trail....trail maintenance of some sort, I think. Nothing I could do about it, but something that I thought could cause confusion, so I took a picture and made a mental note to let Wendell know when I met him a few hours later.
Before I knew it, I was at the top. Sort of. I planned to do Marincello - Miwok - Old Springs, coincidentally the yellow loop for the race tomorrow. And, the top of Marincello, is the top of that hill, but there's still a little more up before you hit the airport surveillance thing-a-ma-bob and head down to Miwok to Old Springs. Since I was at the top, I was definitely in the fog or rain or whatever had started. Luckily, I only tried to fall twice on the way down. Thankfully, I decided I was going to be the cool girl on the trail with two ankle braces, so I didn't hurt anything.
Once I hit Miwok, I jogged down until I got to the nastily steep part....and it was wet....lucky me. After almost slipping a second time, I decided to gently walk down the hill. Ugh...when did I become so chicken on these hills.
I'm a big fan of Old Springs, so once I hit that trail, I was definitely up for a jog. It felt great....a little scary, but great. Again, why am I so chicken....ugh. I jogged down Old Springs and then wanted to get in four miles, so did a little bit on Rhubarb trail until I hit my four and then walked back to slimer. At that point, the rain had started (or the fog descended into the valley....never can tell here), so I moved him into the main parking lot (rain starts and everyone takes off, haha - my day had just begun) to wait for Wendell and Lynnard. As I was hiding from the elements, I made the decision to completely change into my long sleeved shirt - I was wet, sweaty, and cold. Not a good recipe for marking in the rain. I decided to risk the heat later on.
Wendell arrived and showed me what I'd be doing....not only marking from Tennessee Valley to Point Bonita, but also taking a second trip to the airport surveillance thing-a-ma-bob and Old Springs to mark the yellow only portion of the course. And then back up the crazy descent. What a good time I was in for.....well, I definitely needed the miles. I let him know about the random markings due to the construction and I was off.
Heading up Marincello a second time was nearly as painless as the first. For some reason, it's the one hill in the headlands I can walk up like I own it. Every time. It was also nice to be headed uphill in the cold, wet weather that had developed. It was pretty windy at the top, so I was worried about my pink 'go straight' sign and my yellow 'go right' signs. By the time I had finished placing the yellow, the pink one had blown away.....so, I tied it to the tree branches instead. A little sooner than I wanted it, but at least it would be there for the runners.
Off I was to mark the yellow, knowing both the trip down and the trip up would be an adventure. Down because, well, I'm afraid of everything and it was wet. And up because, well, it's steep. I only briefly questioned myself....not sure why...I know these trails and I've been up there tons of times. Around the airport thing I went (different than I went before!), and down to Old Springs. And then back up.....on my way up, I ran into a couple hiking that asked me if I was taking all the signs down. Nope...putting them up. The race is tomorrow.
Getting back to Marincello, I realized that my yellow 'right' and yellow 'straight' signs had blown over. So, I had to be creative and find bushes to tie them to. Not ideal, but at least they'd be there for the runners. Once that I was done, I buried the yellow ribbons in my bag and headed off to mark the pink to Point Bonita.
Then, the rain stopped...and once it did...the beauty of the headlands came out....nothing like fall in the bay area.
Overall, the pink loop was uneventful.....I mean, it passed through the place on SCA where I busted my good ankle a few weeks ago and the place where I ran out of ribbon while marking Golden Gate, of course, not to be outdone by the turn I missed when I ran Coyote Ridge last year.....but, all that considered, pretty uneventful. I blew up the turn I missed last year....hopefully no one misses it this year, headed up the road towards Point Bonita, passed the place I ran out of ribbons this summer, and spotted Slimer in the distance. I made it. Haha.....11.5 miles later, 15.5 on the day, and I was heading home. Ready for a shower and some food.....But, I did capture this photo before I headed out....the beauty of a golden gate sunset is second to none...
Since I've been dealing with one injury after another (and then my foot turning blue), I've been good and followed Dr. Hal's orders over the past few weeks and run on the flat, predictable trails of Woodside. I've been home for about an hour and a half and I'm definitely feeling the hills from today. Oh, the cramping that's threatening. I hate being out of shape....ugh. I feel like I ran 30 miles, not 15. And to think I actually felt fine after 17 miles of flat.....
Sunday brought an early morning - we were up and at Muir Beach before the sun. Thank God for headlamps, haha. The day started with me trying, and failing, to open the gate to the parking lot. Luckily, Brian was with me and knew how to open it...or was strong enough to open it...or something like that.
I helped unload and then set up and worked registration - there were a decent amount of people registering day of, which kept us busy. Lots of questions about bag checks and parking too.
After a short stint at the start/finish helping with registration, I headed out to the Point Bonita aid station - of course it would be the one I never made it to...haha. I got there, and wow....the view was amazing. It pretty much put the views from Saturday to shame....the city behind the bridge, as the sun came up. Always gorgeous....always breathtaking....no matter how many times I see it, or from what vantage point. I mean, really, the picture doesn't even do it justice.
We were the second aid station and runners were only hitting us once, so my time at the aid station was pretty short lived and passed quickly. The runners were all in good spirits and many stopped to say hello and let us know how their run was going. I spent a few minutes talking to one guy about the Umstead 100, a race he had run before and I hope to run someday. A couple of them had questions about the course, and it was nice to being familiar with the trails and able to answer them.
Once we had wrapped at the aid station, I packed it up in the Xterra and headed out to sweep - the journey of nearly 12 miles begins with a single step. Haha....I thought the first section would be new to me, as it was the part I missed the year before when I got lost and I don't really run much on that side of Tennessee Valley. But, I realized two things....first, I have been on those trails and second, I picked the right part of the course to lose (give me a walk up Miwok any day). Oh the hills....it goes up and up forever....past the battery....and then up some more. I vaguely remember running down the same trail during my first 50k....I think going down was just as brutal, with the added threat of falling and busting myself. To keep the hike entertaining, I stopped to take a photo of a couple with their dog and to smile at a group of hikers who were impressed with how quickly I was hiking up the hill.
Going down the other side of the trail was pretty steep, but really nothing I should have had a problem with - if I wasn't so afraid of the trails. Stupid injuries. But, I survived the descent and made it back to the Miwok junction, right where I found the course when I ran the race last year. I'm pretty sure there was a moment where I threw my arms over my head, and exclaimed, 'it's the course!'. I'm pretty sure anyone that saw me would have thought I was crazy.
This year I saw two rental mountain bikers looking at an upside-down map (oh Blazing Saddles...). I stopped and asked where they were headed. They were trying to find Tennessee Valley Road...at least it was something I could help them find. And there were two other bikers that came up on us and offered to play tour guide. I love the nice people I meet on the trails.
After that, I made my way up the steep part of Miwok for the second or third time that weekend. At that point, I'd lost count. I paused to cheer on some of the 50k runners who were on their way down. Somewhere between there and Point Bonita, probably along Coastal, I ran into another rental mountain biker looking for directions....what was with them on Sunday? But, I've been a tourist plenty of times and am happy to try to help.
I came up on the sharp left, the one I missed last year, and was happy to see that my gerry-rigged 'wrong way' sign held up. Because of the wind on Saturday, and the importance of the sign, I created a tripod for it as opposed to the two we usually use. Unfortunately, I found out later that one of the runners had missed it. I grabbed all that stuff, headed up the hill, and on to the road.
After being on the road for a bit, I wasn't sure I'd ever been so thankful to see our car....well, I feel like I say that ever time I get tired and just want to be done. But, regardless, I was thrilled to see our car - I was done! I sent Brian a text to let him know I was on my way and took off. I should have paused to take off my super cool ankle braces, but I just wanted to get back. Ouch....bad decision. As much as the braces had saved my ankles for the past twelve miles, my ankles were done with the braces. But, I really just wanted to get back down to the finish....I knew I was late and they probably needed help, and selfishly, I was hoping there was a dry race shirt I could put on. If I had thought I was cold before, I was definitely cold now.
After briefly following someone who felt the need to drive down to Muir Beach at 5 MPH (thankfully they pulled over quickly), I got back to the start/finish to find it mostly cleaned up. And, yay there were extra shirts. Hooray for a dry shirt....went a long way with feeling warm in the wind at Muir Beach. We finished loading up pretty quickly....joked about my ability to load a tent without breaking my leg....and my text about running out of ribbons (just kidding this time ;)).
Ok....after two days on the trails, I am exhausted. Until next time....
Friday, October 16, 2015
Slimer's Back!
So, best email ever today.....'your car will be ready after 3pm'. YAY! That only took six weeks. Poor car, but at least I have it back now. And it's clean and washed and kind of smells like ammonia, but at least I know it's clean. haha.
As much of a pain as this whole thing was in the beginning - getting the car into a shop, dealing with the deductible, dealing with the cost of the rental, dealing with the insurance, etc., etc. Once it was all worked out, it really was fairly easy to deal with (despite feeling like it was much, much longer than six weeks). The insurance waived the deductible and eventually decided they would pick up the cost of the rental (rather than continuing to encourage me to pursue the other guy legally)....I'm guessing it probably had something to do with both me and the other driver having the same insurance, so in essence I'd have been going after them. With his license, business card, and his voice on my original call to the insurance company. Yeah...probably better to pick up the cost of the rental than fight an airtight case....haha.
It was perfect timing too, since the satellite radio subscription ran out while I was driving home last night....way to renew, enterprise. When I got to Enterprise this afternoon, I literally parked the car in the middle of the driveway....I wasn't sure where else to go with it in the garage....gotta love downtown San Francisco. The people at Enterprise were great....the same guy that rented the car helped me turn it back in. He gave me a bottle of water and helped load my stuff into the van that would take me around the block to German Motors. Though, I will admit, I'm a little sad that the guy with the full gold grille wasn't my shuttle driver today.
I got to German Motors and was welcomed by the receptionist. She grabbed my file and let me know they were still bringing the car around. However, she did ask me for the deductible. I let her know that it was being waived, and got ready to pull out the slew of emails and voicemails stating that was the case. She went to check with Rachel, the person I had been dealing with over the past month and a half. I waited and held off on signing anything. She came back out and told me I could sign it, the deductible was something else, and Rachel would be right out.
While all of this was going on, some other guy came up looking for a pair of glasses or something that had been left in his car. It sounded like his car was totaled (not fun...for a bit, I thought that might be the case with mine), as he was getting a new one. The receptionist gave him his glasses and was working on a plan to get him into his car to get whatever else he needed when Rachel came out of her office. It was great to see her, they were waiving the deductible, and she went to make sure my car was being pulled around.
The receptionist came back and asked what happened with the deductible and I told her it was being waived. Glasses dude decided at this moment to mutter, 'must be nice', under his breath....REALLY?! Ok, I don't know why you're here....you don't know why I'm here....you don't know what I've been through, so keep your mouth shut. Luckily, Rachel came back at that moment and walked me out to slimer, all green and shinny as the day I bought him. Yay! It's my car. She told me she'd miss it being in the shop...it was always the brightest one there, so she always knew where it was. haha.
A quick check of the trunk and walk around, and I was off. Big thanks to Rachel and German Motors for keeping me updated and getting Slimer up and running again. Later than I thought, but Mr. Passat and I had a good time commuting. I'll miss the carefree commute....I could get in anywhere...everyone cares more about their Tesla, Audi, Mercedes, than I did about my RENTAL CAR. Oh commute adventures....but that is another story....
And Slimer is back! And we have an adventure to go on tomorrow :).
Fixed the ankle....got the car back...life is moving in the right direction. Here's to the rest of the month and coming out stronger than I went in. And really, as crazy as the past month has been....looking back today and realizing how much I've learned. That's what's really crazy.
Until next time, over and out.....
As much of a pain as this whole thing was in the beginning - getting the car into a shop, dealing with the deductible, dealing with the cost of the rental, dealing with the insurance, etc., etc. Once it was all worked out, it really was fairly easy to deal with (despite feeling like it was much, much longer than six weeks). The insurance waived the deductible and eventually decided they would pick up the cost of the rental (rather than continuing to encourage me to pursue the other guy legally)....I'm guessing it probably had something to do with both me and the other driver having the same insurance, so in essence I'd have been going after them. With his license, business card, and his voice on my original call to the insurance company. Yeah...probably better to pick up the cost of the rental than fight an airtight case....haha.
It was perfect timing too, since the satellite radio subscription ran out while I was driving home last night....way to renew, enterprise. When I got to Enterprise this afternoon, I literally parked the car in the middle of the driveway....I wasn't sure where else to go with it in the garage....gotta love downtown San Francisco. The people at Enterprise were great....the same guy that rented the car helped me turn it back in. He gave me a bottle of water and helped load my stuff into the van that would take me around the block to German Motors. Though, I will admit, I'm a little sad that the guy with the full gold grille wasn't my shuttle driver today.
I got to German Motors and was welcomed by the receptionist. She grabbed my file and let me know they were still bringing the car around. However, she did ask me for the deductible. I let her know that it was being waived, and got ready to pull out the slew of emails and voicemails stating that was the case. She went to check with Rachel, the person I had been dealing with over the past month and a half. I waited and held off on signing anything. She came back out and told me I could sign it, the deductible was something else, and Rachel would be right out.
While all of this was going on, some other guy came up looking for a pair of glasses or something that had been left in his car. It sounded like his car was totaled (not fun...for a bit, I thought that might be the case with mine), as he was getting a new one. The receptionist gave him his glasses and was working on a plan to get him into his car to get whatever else he needed when Rachel came out of her office. It was great to see her, they were waiving the deductible, and she went to make sure my car was being pulled around.
The receptionist came back and asked what happened with the deductible and I told her it was being waived. Glasses dude decided at this moment to mutter, 'must be nice', under his breath....REALLY?! Ok, I don't know why you're here....you don't know why I'm here....you don't know what I've been through, so keep your mouth shut. Luckily, Rachel came back at that moment and walked me out to slimer, all green and shinny as the day I bought him. Yay! It's my car. She told me she'd miss it being in the shop...it was always the brightest one there, so she always knew where it was. haha.
A quick check of the trunk and walk around, and I was off. Big thanks to Rachel and German Motors for keeping me updated and getting Slimer up and running again. Later than I thought, but Mr. Passat and I had a good time commuting. I'll miss the carefree commute....I could get in anywhere...everyone cares more about their Tesla, Audi, Mercedes, than I did about my RENTAL CAR. Oh commute adventures....but that is another story....
And Slimer is back! And we have an adventure to go on tomorrow :).
Fixed the ankle....got the car back...life is moving in the right direction. Here's to the rest of the month and coming out stronger than I went in. And really, as crazy as the past month has been....looking back today and realizing how much I've learned. That's what's really crazy.
Until next time, over and out.....
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Escape from San Francisco
This past weekend, Brian and I escaped from San Francisco (and Fleet Week) to Susanville, home of Lassen National Forest and the famed Bizz Johnson Trail. I was heading up to work the Coastal Trails races on Saturday and Sunday, and Brian was going to help on Saturday and run the 50k on Sunday. Our Anniversary was Monday, so an adventure, a race, and some trails seemed like the perfect thing for us to do.
In an attempt to miss traffic, we headed out early Friday afternoon. After sitting in traffic getting out of the city and enjoying some delicious fast food at Carl's Junior, we made it to Red Bluff - pretty much the last large town before heading into Lassen.
The first part of the park/Rt. 36 was a trip through volcanic rock. It was pretty cool and the sun was just starting to set, which resulted in some picturesque views. I was able to catch the below just as the sun was setting......the photo doesn't really do the view justice.
But, despite the neighbors busting into their room at two am and waking us up with the noise, it ended up being fine. We survived our three nights there and it wasn't nearly as bad as the place in Rohnert Park a few years ago. I mean, it didn't smell like smoke to the point that we couldn't stay there and there weren't drug dealers waiting for rooms when we left.
Saturday morning started bright and early with check-in for the Express Half Marathon. Even earlier for us since we didn't really know where we were and needed to get coffee/tea before getting where we needed to be (the awesome hotel also didn't have a coffee maker....what hotel doesn't have a coffee maker??). We had to be at the train depot at 6:15....so naturally we left the hotel at 5:15. We were five minutes away....from both the depot and the Starbucks. Only us.....
But, we got our coffee and tea and made it to the depot in plenty of time. Again, narrowly missing some deer, but I digress....We worked check-in for awhile before Brian headed off to an aid station and I headed off to the finish line.
It was pretty cool to be near and see signs for a trail I'd read so much about. When you run marathons for nearly ten years, it's impossible to not hear about the Bizz Johnson trail. Yes, I am a runner geek...deal with it :).
I learned how to pull results - and managed to do so all day without causing any craziness on the computer....haha. So, I spent the race pulling results, posting them, and reading out age group winners. Since the only thing worse than the sound of my own voice is the sound of my own voice on a megaphone, I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy making announcements.....However, it was actually a lot of fun. People are usually excited when they win awards, more so when they aren't expecting it. It took me back to getting my third place finish from this race in the mail. Totally unexpected, but so fun.
Once the Express Half had finished (and I'd had my fill of BBQ), I headed back up to the depot to run check-in for the rest of the day. I was surprised at how many people showed up to check in a day early - definitely helped with things the next morning. There was also some sort of chili baking competition....and festival...and I don't know what else going on in the parking lot. What I do know is that there was a very loud band (playing good music, but still very loud...probably because they were right outside the door), and people really don't know how to close a door. The amount of times we shut the door to keep the noise down (and what little AC there was inside), people just kept coming in and leaving it open....come on, were you raised in a barn?!
Saturday night was pretty low key. We tried to find an Italian restaurant, and thought we had, but unfortunately, it was closed. So we ended up at some random pizza factory or something. And recognized just about everyone in the restaurant. We'd either checked them in for the race the next day or saw them at the race that morning. I remember one lady saying, 'hi, expo people'....haha. Food wasn't the best - the Round Table pizza from the night before was better, but, oh well. Win some, lose some. And really, I was ready for bed.
Sunday morning started off similar to Saturday, but with a later trip to Starbucks - thank god. haha. We started with check-in, until Brian departed for his race, then he headed out and I stayed at the depot to continue check-in for the shorter distances, until those were ready to start.
Once the races had started, I packed up everything from check-in and the depot and headed to the finish line. First, I was glad I had the x-terra - not that my car was ever an option, but that's a whole different story. Second, I was glad I had loaded the Coastal van so many times....loading the x-terra was like a mini loading of the van....haha. But, I got it all to fit. We bid farewell to the lady at the depot, and we were off.
I spent most of my time at the finish line on Sunday like I spent Saturday....pulling results and announcing age group awards. Again, it was a lot of fun....people were in disbelief that they had placed, so it was fun being able to make their day. Brian had a great race - PR in his 50k and first in his age group. It was fun to announce his name and give him his first place medal.
I also got to take Brian on a trip in the Coastal van....always a good time. Thankfully, he's good with directions and was able to prevent me getting us lost. We did pass a car that had just hit a deer....really glad that wasn't me. We picked up all the aid station stuff at one main gathering place - I thought I was being slick and got the tables in...thinking we wouldn't have to unload them again. Of course, I forgot about the timing mats. Not that slick....apparently I haven't loaded the van enough times...haha. Once that was done, we headed back to the finish line, broke down, loaded up, and were off...until the next race.
We celebrated Brian's good run with some more Round Table pizza (what else do you eat in Susanville?), some wine, and an early bedtime. We were really excited to sleep in the next morning, but disappointed our time away had come to an end. Such a great weekend getaway.....
Overall thoughts - great trip, great race - highly recommend. I'd pick a different hotel though...or as Brian said, maybe next time we can see if we can find a worse hotel to stay at...haha....
Until then, over and out....
In an attempt to miss traffic, we headed out early Friday afternoon. After sitting in traffic getting out of the city and enjoying some delicious fast food at Carl's Junior, we made it to Red Bluff - pretty much the last large town before heading into Lassen.
The first part of the park/Rt. 36 was a trip through volcanic rock. It was pretty cool and the sun was just starting to set, which resulted in some picturesque views. I was able to catch the below just as the sun was setting......the photo doesn't really do the view justice.
The winding roads took us through several little towns and villages that seemed to be ghost towns now, but I'm sure were booming railroad towns years ago. Then the sun set and it seemed like the deer took that as their cue to come out and play....or try to get hit by cars....or both. Too many close calls. And, as Brian said - no one wins if we hit a deer....it dies and we have another busted up car. Luckily, we made it into town safely.
I had booked us at the only hotel available in town....Budget Frontier Inn, or something like that. Based on the name, I had some idea as to what I was in for, and I had fun taunting Brian with ideas around what it might be on the last leg of our trip. When we got there, I was definitely not disappointed. The outside looked as I imagined and on my attempt to check in, I found the door to the lobby locked and pressed the doorbell multiple times before someone came to let me in. Luckily, someone did eventually come and let me check in.
On the walk to our room, we noticed at least one door that looked like someone had tried to kick it in...luckily, ours was in tact...or so we thought (we did find out later that side paneling left something to be desired). We did have a door to an adjoining room that didn't lock...awesome. Luckily, during our years of traveling to cheerleading competitions and staying in sketchy hotels, my mother taught me well. I just took the table and pushed it against the door - at least it would slow them down.
Amongst other things, we also didn't have a remote....where is there a TV without a remote? Brian tried to find it and then I took a shot at it. No dice....but I did find this guy. Any ideas on what it is? Creepy Sponge Bob? Sponge Bob on drugs?
But, despite the neighbors busting into their room at two am and waking us up with the noise, it ended up being fine. We survived our three nights there and it wasn't nearly as bad as the place in Rohnert Park a few years ago. I mean, it didn't smell like smoke to the point that we couldn't stay there and there weren't drug dealers waiting for rooms when we left.
Saturday morning started bright and early with check-in for the Express Half Marathon. Even earlier for us since we didn't really know where we were and needed to get coffee/tea before getting where we needed to be (the awesome hotel also didn't have a coffee maker....what hotel doesn't have a coffee maker??). We had to be at the train depot at 6:15....so naturally we left the hotel at 5:15. We were five minutes away....from both the depot and the Starbucks. Only us.....
But, we got our coffee and tea and made it to the depot in plenty of time. Again, narrowly missing some deer, but I digress....We worked check-in for awhile before Brian headed off to an aid station and I headed off to the finish line.
It was pretty cool to be near and see signs for a trail I'd read so much about. When you run marathons for nearly ten years, it's impossible to not hear about the Bizz Johnson trail. Yes, I am a runner geek...deal with it :).
I learned how to pull results - and managed to do so all day without causing any craziness on the computer....haha. So, I spent the race pulling results, posting them, and reading out age group winners. Since the only thing worse than the sound of my own voice is the sound of my own voice on a megaphone, I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy making announcements.....However, it was actually a lot of fun. People are usually excited when they win awards, more so when they aren't expecting it. It took me back to getting my third place finish from this race in the mail. Totally unexpected, but so fun.
Once the Express Half had finished (and I'd had my fill of BBQ), I headed back up to the depot to run check-in for the rest of the day. I was surprised at how many people showed up to check in a day early - definitely helped with things the next morning. There was also some sort of chili baking competition....and festival...and I don't know what else going on in the parking lot. What I do know is that there was a very loud band (playing good music, but still very loud...probably because they were right outside the door), and people really don't know how to close a door. The amount of times we shut the door to keep the noise down (and what little AC there was inside), people just kept coming in and leaving it open....come on, were you raised in a barn?!
Saturday night was pretty low key. We tried to find an Italian restaurant, and thought we had, but unfortunately, it was closed. So we ended up at some random pizza factory or something. And recognized just about everyone in the restaurant. We'd either checked them in for the race the next day or saw them at the race that morning. I remember one lady saying, 'hi, expo people'....haha. Food wasn't the best - the Round Table pizza from the night before was better, but, oh well. Win some, lose some. And really, I was ready for bed.
Sunday morning started off similar to Saturday, but with a later trip to Starbucks - thank god. haha. We started with check-in, until Brian departed for his race, then he headed out and I stayed at the depot to continue check-in for the shorter distances, until those were ready to start.
Once the races had started, I packed up everything from check-in and the depot and headed to the finish line. First, I was glad I had the x-terra - not that my car was ever an option, but that's a whole different story. Second, I was glad I had loaded the Coastal van so many times....loading the x-terra was like a mini loading of the van....haha. But, I got it all to fit. We bid farewell to the lady at the depot, and we were off.
I spent most of my time at the finish line on Sunday like I spent Saturday....pulling results and announcing age group awards. Again, it was a lot of fun....people were in disbelief that they had placed, so it was fun being able to make their day. Brian had a great race - PR in his 50k and first in his age group. It was fun to announce his name and give him his first place medal.
I also got to take Brian on a trip in the Coastal van....always a good time. Thankfully, he's good with directions and was able to prevent me getting us lost. We did pass a car that had just hit a deer....really glad that wasn't me. We picked up all the aid station stuff at one main gathering place - I thought I was being slick and got the tables in...thinking we wouldn't have to unload them again. Of course, I forgot about the timing mats. Not that slick....apparently I haven't loaded the van enough times...haha. Once that was done, we headed back to the finish line, broke down, loaded up, and were off...until the next race.
We celebrated Brian's good run with some more Round Table pizza (what else do you eat in Susanville?), some wine, and an early bedtime. We were really excited to sleep in the next morning, but disappointed our time away had come to an end. Such a great weekend getaway.....
Overall thoughts - great trip, great race - highly recommend. I'd pick a different hotel though...or as Brian said, maybe next time we can see if we can find a worse hotel to stay at...haha....
Until then, over and out....
Friday, September 25, 2015
Tahoe Getaway
Great friends + the great outdoors = an amazing weekend. Despite Tahoe being so close to San Francisco, Brian and I haven't been there in years....I think the last time we were there was for the Tahoe Marathon/Half Marathon. The one where I don't remember the last two miles....I mean, there are photos of me looking pretty green near the end, so I got there somehow. Anyway, I digress....
Brian and I haven't been to Tahoe in years, so we were really excited when our friends Sean and Chiara invited us on a weekend away. I was a little worried about getting out of work to get up there in any sort of reasonable time, but it actually wasn't as big of an issue as I thought it might be. Traffic was....bay area traffic, but wasn't as terrible as I thought it might be. After grabbing a bite at one of the sketchiest, slowest Wendy's I've ever been to and a dark drive down some winding roads, we arrived at about 11:30. Enjoyed some celebratory beers before settling into some bunkbeds. So tired.....
I got up Saturday morning to a group of friends preparing breakfast (I knew better than to jump in and touch anything ;))....it was as if we'd all known each other for years, rather than just met the night before. And the food was delicious.....no one was going to go hungry on this trip.
After breakfast, I decided I needed to explore - busted foot and all. Brian went out on a run, I swapped the ankle brace from my left foot to my right, and off I went. It started out simple enough...planned on two miles out and two miles back....staying in a simple straight path - out and back. Of course, I wasn't planning on finding a trail. Cause when I find a trail....I wonder where it goes. And I have to find out. I mean, I have Strava, and it will route me back, right?
The trail was great....pretty flat, through some gorgeous trees, I even found some trail race markers....and then it ended. So, I ended up on the road....which was fine, I had a fine time exploring the nearby neighborhood. Other than not really knowing where I was....typical me....haha. Thankfully, I had Strava going and was able to route myself back.
Once I got un-lost and got back from my walk, we headed out to Camp Richardson to meet the rest of the group. If you go to Camp Richardson, make sure you bring cash for parking....or stop at the general store once you get there, but before you pull in. I think we had $4 on us...oops. Luckily, it was an easily solvable problem and I was able to pick up some snacks at the store too. No keep Tahoe blue sticker though.
The plan for the day was to rent kayaks and head over to Emerald Bay. Since Sean and Chiara had decided to go for a double kayak, I decided Brian and I would do the same (he was parking the car)....I mean, who wouldn't want to spend the day in a kayak with me. haha. Our new friend Anna took a single kayak and the rest of the group went the stand-up paddle board route.
And, what a great day....good friends....cold beer....an adventure on the water...on a beautiful day. Of course, I ended up with a new running pants tan line and flip flop tan line, because, well, why wouldn't I....haha.
Saturday night, we hung out at the house and made good use of the BBQ, the hot tub, and the sauna. We all brought our own food, but shared everything, so dinner was a buffet of all sorts of meat and veggies and cocktails and wine. I'm not sure I ever had flank steak, but wow...it was delicious. As was the lamb and the rest of the steak I tried. Such a fun night with old friends and new friends.
I decided I need to sleep on the top bunk of the bunk beds that night. Not sure why that was a good idea....maybe it was the wine. Or that I hadn't been on bunk beds since Sarah and I went to London in 2004. Anyway, I survived the top bunk experience and even remembered I was up there the next morning. haha.....
We kicked off Sunday with yoga on the porch....what a great way to stretch out after a day of paddling on Saturday. It was a great start to a warm and gorgeous day....even if I'm less than stellar at yoga....haha. Anna was a great instructor too :).
After yoga on the porch, we decided to have a relaxing day at the beach and headed over to Falling Leaf Lake. It's another lake near lake Tahoe, but a little further up the road. And, well, we all know how good I am at relaxing. I was considering wrapping up the busted foot and shoving it in a hiking boot so I could go explore the trails around Falling Leaf Lake, but instead decided to have a second go at stand-up paddle boarding with Nathalie and Chiara. June and I had a blast when we went a couple summers ago, so I figured this would be fun too (and far less taxing on my ankle). And it was amazing. Well, once I remembered how to do it...haha.
We paddled over to a private beach, then over past some Stanford cottages, relaxing and hanging out along the way. The cold water felt great on my foot too. Sadly, our hour was over far too soon and it was time to head back. After paddling against the wind to get back to the protected beach, we just stopped and coasted in....we didnt want it to end. I had visions of riding in like a surfer, but apparently that's a bad idea.....luckily, Nathalie let me know and I scrambled to my knees just in time.
But, like all good things, our trip had to come to an end...and we had quite the drive in front of us. So, we said farewell to our new friends and jumped in the car with Sean and Chiara to head home.
Of course, despite leaving at a reasonable time, there was an accident on 50 impacting all four lanes of traffic. So we sat....and sat...and sat some more....two hours and less than two miles later, we got through it. Annoying, but not the longest trip back from Tahoe I've heard of and a small price to pay for a fabulous weekend adventuring with friends.
Until next time....over and out...
Brian and I haven't been to Tahoe in years, so we were really excited when our friends Sean and Chiara invited us on a weekend away. I was a little worried about getting out of work to get up there in any sort of reasonable time, but it actually wasn't as big of an issue as I thought it might be. Traffic was....bay area traffic, but wasn't as terrible as I thought it might be. After grabbing a bite at one of the sketchiest, slowest Wendy's I've ever been to and a dark drive down some winding roads, we arrived at about 11:30. Enjoyed some celebratory beers before settling into some bunkbeds. So tired.....
I got up Saturday morning to a group of friends preparing breakfast (I knew better than to jump in and touch anything ;))....it was as if we'd all known each other for years, rather than just met the night before. And the food was delicious.....no one was going to go hungry on this trip.
After breakfast, I decided I needed to explore - busted foot and all. Brian went out on a run, I swapped the ankle brace from my left foot to my right, and off I went. It started out simple enough...planned on two miles out and two miles back....staying in a simple straight path - out and back. Of course, I wasn't planning on finding a trail. Cause when I find a trail....I wonder where it goes. And I have to find out. I mean, I have Strava, and it will route me back, right?
The trail was great....pretty flat, through some gorgeous trees, I even found some trail race markers....and then it ended. So, I ended up on the road....which was fine, I had a fine time exploring the nearby neighborhood. Other than not really knowing where I was....typical me....haha. Thankfully, I had Strava going and was able to route myself back.
Once I got un-lost and got back from my walk, we headed out to Camp Richardson to meet the rest of the group. If you go to Camp Richardson, make sure you bring cash for parking....or stop at the general store once you get there, but before you pull in. I think we had $4 on us...oops. Luckily, it was an easily solvable problem and I was able to pick up some snacks at the store too. No keep Tahoe blue sticker though.
The plan for the day was to rent kayaks and head over to Emerald Bay. Since Sean and Chiara had decided to go for a double kayak, I decided Brian and I would do the same (he was parking the car)....I mean, who wouldn't want to spend the day in a kayak with me. haha. Our new friend Anna took a single kayak and the rest of the group went the stand-up paddle board route.
And, what a great day....good friends....cold beer....an adventure on the water...on a beautiful day. Of course, I ended up with a new running pants tan line and flip flop tan line, because, well, why wouldn't I....haha.
Saturday night, we hung out at the house and made good use of the BBQ, the hot tub, and the sauna. We all brought our own food, but shared everything, so dinner was a buffet of all sorts of meat and veggies and cocktails and wine. I'm not sure I ever had flank steak, but wow...it was delicious. As was the lamb and the rest of the steak I tried. Such a fun night with old friends and new friends.
I decided I need to sleep on the top bunk of the bunk beds that night. Not sure why that was a good idea....maybe it was the wine. Or that I hadn't been on bunk beds since Sarah and I went to London in 2004. Anyway, I survived the top bunk experience and even remembered I was up there the next morning. haha.....
We kicked off Sunday with yoga on the porch....what a great way to stretch out after a day of paddling on Saturday. It was a great start to a warm and gorgeous day....even if I'm less than stellar at yoga....haha. Anna was a great instructor too :).
After yoga on the porch, we decided to have a relaxing day at the beach and headed over to Falling Leaf Lake. It's another lake near lake Tahoe, but a little further up the road. And, well, we all know how good I am at relaxing. I was considering wrapping up the busted foot and shoving it in a hiking boot so I could go explore the trails around Falling Leaf Lake, but instead decided to have a second go at stand-up paddle boarding with Nathalie and Chiara. June and I had a blast when we went a couple summers ago, so I figured this would be fun too (and far less taxing on my ankle). And it was amazing. Well, once I remembered how to do it...haha.
We paddled over to a private beach, then over past some Stanford cottages, relaxing and hanging out along the way. The cold water felt great on my foot too. Sadly, our hour was over far too soon and it was time to head back. After paddling against the wind to get back to the protected beach, we just stopped and coasted in....we didnt want it to end. I had visions of riding in like a surfer, but apparently that's a bad idea.....luckily, Nathalie let me know and I scrambled to my knees just in time.
But, like all good things, our trip had to come to an end...and we had quite the drive in front of us. So, we said farewell to our new friends and jumped in the car with Sean and Chiara to head home.
Of course, despite leaving at a reasonable time, there was an accident on 50 impacting all four lanes of traffic. So we sat....and sat...and sat some more....two hours and less than two miles later, we got through it. Annoying, but not the longest trip back from Tahoe I've heard of and a small price to pay for a fabulous weekend adventuring with friends.
Until next time....over and out...
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Open Letter to Viansa
Wow...three posts in three days - if I have any blog followers, I'm sure you're loving this...anyway, the point of writing, we went to Sonoma, we were expecting certain things and they failed. Big time. So, my first open letter.
To long/didn't read (TLDR): Corner 103 is amazing. Go there. Avoid Viansa.
Viansa is the second winery off the 121/Arnold Drive. It's on several wine bus/wine tours. Its been fabulous. I won't lie...it's been a huge part of my life, but recently, and not so recently, its been different. I thought it might get back to 'the good old days', but, I realized today that wasn't the case. I'll forever be thankful for the friends I've made there, but, as I've learned in the recent past, sometimes knowing when to let go is just as important as knowing how long to hold on....
Viansa is the second winery off the 121/Arnold Drive. It's on several wine bus/wine tours. Its been fabulous. I won't lie...it's been a huge part of my life, but recently, and not so recently, its been different. I thought it might get back to 'the good old days', but, I realized today that wasn't the case. I'll forever be thankful for the friends I've made there, but, as I've learned in the recent past, sometimes knowing when to let go is just as important as knowing how long to hold on....
Below is the email I sent to Viansa - our home away from home for several years...where we met some great friends, and more than that, where we re-discovered 'us'. It's a great email, but a sad email where I canceled my wine club membership after 8+ years....
Hello!
I updated my information this afternoon, but would actually like to cancel my membership. Like most of America, I'm a busy person, but feel compelled to tell you why.
My husband and I have been members for nearly ten years and for the most part, we've enjoyed every minute. Between us spending time at Viansa to work on our marriage to a surprise 30th birthday party - you've been a big part in our lives.
We loved the staff, they always made us feel at home. When Lloyd owned the place, we never felt like anything less than one of his own. Kelly was always amazing...coming to see her was like seeing an old friend. It never mattered if it had been a week or a month, she always treated us as if it was only yesterday.
Today, I arrived at the winery for the members party and it felt cold and corporate - the very thing I try to escape on the weekends. I entered the tasting room and recognized no one. I asked someone about Kelly, and was told, 'she don't work here no more'. Quoted. Not even proper grammar.
I don't fault the employee, it's not her fault. But, I do fault the winery. It's become the corporation I wish to escape on the weekends, and while I can't bring back the old days, I can take my money there.
I'll look back fondly on my Viansa days, and at the same time realize that we all move on. We'll move on as well - we're loyal to Lloyd, Kelly, and the rest of that crew, but we're done with Viansa.
Please let me know if you need additional information from me in order to cancel my membership immediately.
Thank you,
Kim
Saturday, September 12, 2015
It's All Fun and Games 'til You Fall Down the Stairs....
Two posts in two days, this must be some sort of new record....
But, you know, there's never a dull moment and since I'm confined to the couch for awhile (again), I thought I might as well write about it.
The day started out normal enough....enjoyed sleeping in, confirmed that I could keep the rental car while they take a mont to repair Slimer (still waiting to find out who pays for that one...), made plans with a friend to go run...typical Saturday.
Brian and I headed over to the parking lot on the other side of the bridge to meet our friend Ann and run the ninja loop. I'd heard plenty about the ninja loop, but had never actually run it (this will be important later). As soon as we got there, we realized there were a lot of people heading up the trail....apparently we chose the same day as the Headlands 100 (and 50 and 75 and marathon). Go figure, I never run from over there. We decided to share the trails, everyone was pretty spread out, and we'd be turning off their course shortly.
So, up the hill we went. I ran into one of the guys I see a lot at the Coastal races - (running the 100 mile, of course!). I wished him luck and continued along my way up the hill. I'd forgotten how long that hill actually was. And then I came to a 'T'.....hmmmm.....wish I knew the trails that made up the ninja loop. I'm slow, so of course Brian and Ann were ahead of me. haha. I remembered when we were chatting about the trails, someone mentioned SCA. The sign said SCA was to the right, so I took a guess and off I went.
Of course, I quickly realized I either made a wrong decision or was way behind. I figured it was the former, and luckily had cell service, so sent off a quick text to let Brian and Ann know I'd see them back at the car in a few hours. I continued to follow along the race course, getting asked direction at some point. Really? You're going to ask me? haha....I did have the course map on my phone, but another runner came along that knew the course, so they were all set.
At that point, I googled a map of the ninja loop and realized I was pretty much doing a reverse ninja loop. I decided to eliminate the portion that drops in to Tennessee Valley so I could make it back to the car before everyone left. I stayed high and then took Miwok down into Rodeo Valley....from there, I headed over to Rodeo Valley trail and eventually back up to SCA trail (one of my favorites!). SCA would eventually take me back over to the parking lot and back to the car.
And I love running on SCA....it's not really uphill, it's not really downhill....very rolling. And the views, the views are spectacular. It was everything I had missed about running and more. I was also back on the race course, so was having fun cheering on the runners as they passed....of course a good number of them told me what a good job I was doing too....haha. I, of course, didn't have a bib, but didn't have time to explain, so smiled, waved, wished them luck, and went with it.
I ran a lot of SCA....so great!! And then came to some stairs pretty close to where SCA would meet the trail to go back to the bridge. I've marked this area twice, run it far more than that....I KNOW to watch my footing. I usually walk it...because, well, falling down the stairs would suck. A LOT. Today, I ran them. Maybe because I could...maybe because I want to get over my fear of the technical terrain. I don't know. I remember thinking it would really suck to fall here and I should be careful. And then....
Trip...SNAP.
Oh...well....ouch. That wasn't supposed to happen. I guess luckily there were ropes on the stairs that I could grab on to, so I didn't completely bust my ass. But, something snapped. My good ankle....awesome. I mean, I had the bad one in a brace. Barring anything super crazy, that one wasn't going anywhere. I just stopped for a minute....held on to the ropes in my little crouched position as I had fallen....and similar to this day, I bounced my foot up and down to make sure it still worked. Thankfully, it did. As I got up, I overheard a group of hikers talking....one of them said....'oh look...one fell....' Yup, yup, I did. Thanks for noticing. And I'm good....thanks for asking. For those who are wondering, yes, I did get up and pass them.
I sent another text to Brian and Ann....'one mile out....fell....walking in'. And that's what I did. Passed multiple hikers (really guys, the busted foot girl is passing you??). And received a lot of encouragement from passing racers. You guys rock...and I hope you all have a fabulous race! I only hope I was half as encouraging to you - especially since you may still be running now, as I sit on my couch with my foot up, enjoying some wine.
I met Brian and Ann at the parking lot and we headed for home. I mean, it all makes sense....last year, I bust my foot the weekend before we leave for Nepal....this year, I bust my foot the weekend before Tahoe. Good times.....
At this point, I don't think there's anything seriously wrong. However, I have sprained the other ankle multiple times and this feels...different. It's not crazy swollen, but the actual ankle (malleolus) is really sore to the touch and starting to bruise. It also doesn't really hurt unless I stand on it, move it, or touch it, which I remember the sprains just throbbing. Again, it's just different. I'm not sure if that means good or bad different, but I have a doctor's appointment on Monday, so will just add this to the list.
Like I said....never a dull moment....and I really just need to live in that bubble Erica suggested last weekend. But, it was a pretty amazing run before I tanked. Ugh...stupid stairs.
Thought of the day - I should have just stayed home and drank beer.
Until next time, over and out....
But, you know, there's never a dull moment and since I'm confined to the couch for awhile (again), I thought I might as well write about it.
The day started out normal enough....enjoyed sleeping in, confirmed that I could keep the rental car while they take a mont to repair Slimer (still waiting to find out who pays for that one...), made plans with a friend to go run...typical Saturday.
Brian and I headed over to the parking lot on the other side of the bridge to meet our friend Ann and run the ninja loop. I'd heard plenty about the ninja loop, but had never actually run it (this will be important later). As soon as we got there, we realized there were a lot of people heading up the trail....apparently we chose the same day as the Headlands 100 (and 50 and 75 and marathon). Go figure, I never run from over there. We decided to share the trails, everyone was pretty spread out, and we'd be turning off their course shortly.
So, up the hill we went. I ran into one of the guys I see a lot at the Coastal races - (running the 100 mile, of course!). I wished him luck and continued along my way up the hill. I'd forgotten how long that hill actually was. And then I came to a 'T'.....hmmmm.....wish I knew the trails that made up the ninja loop. I'm slow, so of course Brian and Ann were ahead of me. haha. I remembered when we were chatting about the trails, someone mentioned SCA. The sign said SCA was to the right, so I took a guess and off I went.
Of course, I quickly realized I either made a wrong decision or was way behind. I figured it was the former, and luckily had cell service, so sent off a quick text to let Brian and Ann know I'd see them back at the car in a few hours. I continued to follow along the race course, getting asked direction at some point. Really? You're going to ask me? haha....I did have the course map on my phone, but another runner came along that knew the course, so they were all set.
At that point, I googled a map of the ninja loop and realized I was pretty much doing a reverse ninja loop. I decided to eliminate the portion that drops in to Tennessee Valley so I could make it back to the car before everyone left. I stayed high and then took Miwok down into Rodeo Valley....from there, I headed over to Rodeo Valley trail and eventually back up to SCA trail (one of my favorites!). SCA would eventually take me back over to the parking lot and back to the car.
And I love running on SCA....it's not really uphill, it's not really downhill....very rolling. And the views, the views are spectacular. It was everything I had missed about running and more. I was also back on the race course, so was having fun cheering on the runners as they passed....of course a good number of them told me what a good job I was doing too....haha. I, of course, didn't have a bib, but didn't have time to explain, so smiled, waved, wished them luck, and went with it.
I ran a lot of SCA....so great!! And then came to some stairs pretty close to where SCA would meet the trail to go back to the bridge. I've marked this area twice, run it far more than that....I KNOW to watch my footing. I usually walk it...because, well, falling down the stairs would suck. A LOT. Today, I ran them. Maybe because I could...maybe because I want to get over my fear of the technical terrain. I don't know. I remember thinking it would really suck to fall here and I should be careful. And then....
Trip...SNAP.
Oh...well....ouch. That wasn't supposed to happen. I guess luckily there were ropes on the stairs that I could grab on to, so I didn't completely bust my ass. But, something snapped. My good ankle....awesome. I mean, I had the bad one in a brace. Barring anything super crazy, that one wasn't going anywhere. I just stopped for a minute....held on to the ropes in my little crouched position as I had fallen....and similar to this day, I bounced my foot up and down to make sure it still worked. Thankfully, it did. As I got up, I overheard a group of hikers talking....one of them said....'oh look...one fell....' Yup, yup, I did. Thanks for noticing. And I'm good....thanks for asking. For those who are wondering, yes, I did get up and pass them.
I sent another text to Brian and Ann....'one mile out....fell....walking in'. And that's what I did. Passed multiple hikers (really guys, the busted foot girl is passing you??). And received a lot of encouragement from passing racers. You guys rock...and I hope you all have a fabulous race! I only hope I was half as encouraging to you - especially since you may still be running now, as I sit on my couch with my foot up, enjoying some wine.
I met Brian and Ann at the parking lot and we headed for home. I mean, it all makes sense....last year, I bust my foot the weekend before we leave for Nepal....this year, I bust my foot the weekend before Tahoe. Good times.....
At this point, I don't think there's anything seriously wrong. However, I have sprained the other ankle multiple times and this feels...different. It's not crazy swollen, but the actual ankle (malleolus) is really sore to the touch and starting to bruise. It also doesn't really hurt unless I stand on it, move it, or touch it, which I remember the sprains just throbbing. Again, it's just different. I'm not sure if that means good or bad different, but I have a doctor's appointment on Monday, so will just add this to the list.
Like I said....never a dull moment....and I really just need to live in that bubble Erica suggested last weekend. But, it was a pretty amazing run before I tanked. Ugh...stupid stairs.
Thought of the day - I should have just stayed home and drank beer.
Until next time, over and out....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)