Last weekend I completed my sixth Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Run 100-miler. The race’s tagline is “A glimpse of Heaven, a taste of Hell.” The average elevation of the course was 7800′ and took place on mostly single-track decomposed granite trails. This was the first year the race started and finished in Carson City, and the course changes had amounted to a longer distance (about 104 miles) with more climbing (about 20k’ gain). To prepare for the 2021 edition, IRead more
Posts filed in: running
Truckee Winter Wonderland
Our pretty little mountain town in the Sierra Nevada got buried last week, Tuesday-Thursday, as a classic atmospheric river rolled across the state. The first 24 hours, the storm was underwhelming. We were disappointed to only get about a foot of snow that first night. Weak. It snowed lightly during the day, off and on, accumulating about 6″, but nothing serious. Wednesday evening, we shoveled the decks again, just in case the storm wasn’t over. Spoiler alert – it wasRead more
TRT 100 2019 – Number 5
Stumbling and staggering up and over Snow Valley Peak, pain radiating down my legs with every step, blisters exploding underfoot like deep shards of glass, I fantasized about “getting” to drop at the next aid station – mile 93 – surely they won’t let me go on when they see my feet. Nearly 24 hours into the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 – my fifth one – all I could think about was dropping. My pacer, Javier, practically ran circles aroundRead more
Truckee 29: a scenic loop
The following photos and trail directions are from a loop I ran around Truckee on a warm September afternoon. With a start/finish in downtown Truckee, you can take advantage of free parking, easy access to breakfast/coffee at Coffeebar, and many options for finish-line food or beverages like Alibi or the Pour House. I recommend parking in the free lot on Jibboom Street (across the street from the Pour House). And now for the route… from the parking lot, head EastRead more
Western States 100
Two days before the race, Mone’ told me that Cortney, the famous pastry chef for Squaw, was super excited about all things Western States. When she heard I was doing it, she asked for my autograph. I said, tell her yes, in exchange for a piece of her red velvet cake, and Cortney replied:
“tell her if she finishes Western States I’ll bake her a whole f#$%ing cake.”Read more
Western States week
“Coach tells us a story about his dad who was running a race for 100 miles from Squaw to Auburn, and he talked about failure and what it was like to work for something and show up, and keep showing up even when it feels like the outcome you want is impossibly out of reach. Because when you keep showing up, at some point you’ll see something you never considered to be possible. And you automatically beat anyoneRead more
Robinson Flat to Drivers Flat – Western States Trail
Saturday, May 19, 2018, Gretchen and I met in Auburn at 6am to begin the chain of carpools that would get us to Robinson Flat, a campground located at mile 30.3 of the Western States 100 mile endurance run. Nearly 2 hours later, with thanks to my coach, mentor and hero Meghan Laws, and her friends Dave and Manoush, the five of us were at Robinson Flat and ready for some adventure. Meghan, Dave and Manoush were doing a loop in theRead more
Marin Ultra Challenge 50 miler 2018
In the week leading up to the Marin Ultra Challenge 50 (MUC for short), I was pretty terrified. I believe I was suffering from a mild case of TRT-PTSD, after the last race I’d entered, the TRT100, didn’t pan out so well. I went into that race feeling strong and ready, but my stomach rebelled and I spent a lot of time in a heap on the side of the trail. I’d trained consistently leading up to MUC, thanks to guidance from Coach Meghan, but after TRT, I knew that anything could happen.Read more
First big storm of 2018 – Truckee
We are on day 2 of a 3-day winter storm, the biggest storm we’ve seen since last year… so far it looks like the predictions below are going to be accurate: Last night, Bev the pup and I went out for a run, in the blizzard, in the dark, and it was ridiculously fun. Dressed properly, I stayed plenty warm for the entire 9.75 miles. The wind picked up here and there, but my Yooper Chook hat protected everything butRead more
Johnson Canyon, Truckee, CA
While driving west up Interstate 80 from Truckee, California, you may notice a beautiful canyon, just north of the Donner Lake exit, in between Truckee and Donner Pass. This canyon, at one time slated for a 200+ home development, was acquired by the Truckee Donner Land Trust in two transactions between 2006 and 2012, effectively protecting it from any future development. Until this point, the canyon was referred to as “Negro Canyon”, in reference to the African-American landowner at the base of the canyon around the turn of the century.Read more
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