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The Journey Back to Western States

In 2025, I planned to pace my good friend Jeff Gould at his first Western States. He ended up super sick with bronchitis and had to withdraw less than 48 hours before the race. Fortunately, the next person on the waitlist (Rusty) had proactively jumped on a plane from the U.K. and was able to use his spot in the race. Since I was now free, I joined my husband Steve and volunteered at Peachstone Aid Station. And we hostedRead more
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A big dose of Heaven: TRT104, 2021

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
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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
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Tahoe Rim Trail 100 2016

Thrilled to have my sister Lynette (aka Net or Netty) fly out from Michigan to crew for me at the 2016 Tahoe Rim Trail 100, I excitedly drove my “new” 1983 VW Westfalia down to the airport in Reno Wednesday to pick her up. This would be the ultimate crew-mobile! Within 20 minutes of getting Net from the airport though… Lynette, Avian, Beverly and I got to take our first ride in a tow truck. The driver gave me his card,Read more
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Lone Pine, Mt. Whitney, Onion Valley – Girls Weekend

A group of 13 amazing women, 12 from Truckee and 1 from Hong Kong, gathered at the Lone Pine Campground on Friday, June 12, to celebrate our lovely friend Angela’s 40th year of life. We trickled in throughout the evening, setting up camp, and preparing our gear, for the upcoming adventure on Mt. Whitney. The hike on the Mt. Whitney Trail is about 22 mi out-and-back, with an elevation gain of over 6,100 feet, from a starting elevation of 8,360′Read more
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Silver State 50M race report

Preparation About 6 weeks ago, frustrated with nagging injuries that had really diminished the joy I get from running, I hired a coach, Meghan, to help me get on track. When I first saw the plan, which included three 3-mile days per week, I was disappointed. Doesn’t she know I need to run at least 6 miles in the morning to be “normal”? This was very different from my current non-plan, of running whatever I felt like, whenever I had the time. ButRead more
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Robinson Flat to Michigan Bluff

Bright and early Saturday morning, Gretchen and I drove to Auburn, to meet Chaz and our friend Bill, who had generously agreed to drive us out to Robinson Flat, so we could do a one-way run on the Western States trail. We had left a car in Foresthill, which was about 34 miles down the trail, using the route we took (with a little add-on). Bill left us at the trailhead, and we began our journey, first stop was theRead more
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Summit Canyon-Donner Pass-Tinker Knob- Coldstream Canyon

My kids have been away on vacation for two weeks, and each day apart the ache in my heart (and lately my stomach) increases. The pain is almost overwhelming, and the only thing I thought would make me feel better was a long trail run. Or, as long as I could handle, coming off of a 50 mile race last weekend. Perhaps I wasn’t quite ready yet. We started at the Summit canyon trailhead near the bottom of old HwyRead more