7,742 Feet

The number in the title of my post represents my total elevation gain from 3 consecutive "runs" in the last week. A new record for me by a landslide.

Run #1 was a Tam summit with Travis (~2,493ft of elevation gain). In advance of our redeye flight to New Hampshire, we decided to get up early (5:30am) and go for it. A few months back, we established a "couple goal" of achieving 10 Tam summits together before our wedding. This was #5, so we're halfway there! 

I have a love-hate relationship with Tam Summits. We go up the most direct route - from downtown Mill Valley, up one of the many charming hidden staircases, onto Tamalpais Ave, then onto Summit Ave, and finally, straight up the Temelpa Trail. Everything through Summit Ave is run-able, but Temelpa Trail (for me) is only run-able in the very beginning and once you get to the switchbacks near the top. The rest is too steep and rocky.

Running up Mt. Tam is a lesson in patience as I get frustrated by having to walk and falling behind Travis. It's a lesson in pushing through intense leg pain and crazy hard breathing. I have to remind myself that it's OK to hurt. I'm a "comfort-zone runner" and am really trying to work on that in order to improve my race times. And finally, it's incredibly awesome and worth the horrible wake-up to be standing on Top of Mt. Tam with Travis, watching the sunrise and enjoying some peace before a busy day.

Sunrise over Temelpa Trail on Mt. Tam

Run #2 was a short little run in Jackson, NH (~961ft of elevation gain). There for a wedding, we were straight off a redeye and a 4 hour drive, but instead of hopping straight into bed at the cute BnB, (which we realllllllly wanted to do), we decided to first stretch our legs.

I used the Strava app to explore some local routes and thought I had this great loop figured out, but turns out, I missed the very first turn and got us "lost." Instead we did a 5.2 mile out and back run along a forested country road. I didn't think much of the initial ascent, but the road just kept going up for about half a mile. Travis waited for me at the top of the road and we proceeded together down, down, down..a little over a mile of steep downhill. WTF! I thought I was in for an easy/flat/chill run, but when I realized we were lost, we had to turn back around and go right back up that mile-long hill. 

It was hot and humid and we were drenched in sweat the entire time. Once I got over the mental block I have about unexpected hilly runs, I was able to appreciate the fact that we were getting an awesome workout over 5 miles. (Aforementioned mental block = the second I see an unexpected hill, I immediately slow my pace waaaaay down to a pathetic jog in anticipation of having to work harder to get my butt up the hill instead of maintaining or charging). Anyway, mental hill blocks aside, who doesn't love New England in the summer???

Covered bridge in Jackson, NH (taken from car, not run)

Run #3 was an experience. Up and down Mt. Washington (~4,288ft of elevation gain), which is part of the Presidential mountain range. I hesitate to call this a "run," but I'm leaving it as is because we busted our butts up this thing. We parked at the Pinkham Notch Visitors Center and took the Tuckerman Ravine trail.

Embarking on this adventure was a bold move for all parties involved: me, Travis, Adam, and Jake. We were hungover from the rehearsal dinner and afterparty. And we had a very finite amount of time that we could devote to this activity before we had to be ready for the wedding. And that amount of time was significantly less than the shorter end of the range of time they say you should give yourself to climb up (4-5 hours) and down (3-4 hours).

There is not a ton of elevation gain over the first 1.5-2 miles of the trail, so we were able to jog this part. My first impression of the trail was how crowded it was...a total zoo of families, teenage camp groups, etc. Every few steps we were yelling "excuse me," or "on your left." Once beyond the hut/water stop around mile 2, the crowds thinned out a bit and the real climb began, i.e., the part where you can no longer run. 

Lil' pond along Tuckerman

On the second half of the climb, my GPS watch said I was going 40 minutes/mile. That's how steep and rocky the climb was. There were still a lot of people on the single track trail and we kept getting stuck behind them. But that just gave me more time to take pictures and check out the insane views; I seriously forgot how beautiful the New Hampshire wilderness is. At this point, I was by myself. Travis and Adam were going for the Strava 'King of the Mountain' record and Jake was a ways in front of me too. 

The last part of the climb is basically a free-for-all up this crazy rock field. But finally, I arrived at the (crowded) summit (which you can drive to as well) and searched for my group. Travis/Adam made it to the top in something ridiculous like LESS than 1:30. It took me about 1:45. Because we made it up so fast, we took our time admiring the views and even waited in line for the obligatory picture with the summit sign.

Obligatory group photo at the summit / Adam making weird faces

Capturing the scenery

We made it back down to our car in less than 1:30. Total time up and down was a little over 3 hours for me, and less than 3 hours for the guys. We were all pretty psyched and proud of ourselves. After a quick stop for celebratory sandwiches, chips, and ginormous beers, it was time to get ready for the wedding.

We clean up nicely :)

And that ended our spree of crazy elevation gains. As I write this, my legs are STILL sore from all of the climbing. But each run was incredible and so worth the mental/physical struggle. The best part for me was sharing all of these experiences with my future husband! (And achieving the women's course record up Mt. Washington on Strava...nevermind the fact that I am the sole woman on that segment).

Best weekend EVA!

This past week/weekend was 4th of July and because I work for such a lovely company, we were granted off on Friday, July 5th at last minute.  My weekend is dubbed the "best weekend eva" because I did exactly what I enjoy in near-perfect ratios.

We had a crazy fun day at Stinson Beach on the 4th. The picture below pretty much sums that up. Lots of beers and laughs.

Travy on top of a mound of girlzzzzz

Then, I'm going to pretend that the next day didn't happen because that was a "recovery" day.

So, now we've fast-forwarded to Saturday. Travy and I woke up around 8, watched the ladies Wimbledon final over Ezekial sprouted toast with almond butter, coffee, and a smoothie. Then, we set out for TV valley where we ran 12-13 beautiful (foggy) miles. We started out together, but I can't hang with him on the hills, and it doesn't bother me in the least bit anymore when he goes ahead. In fact, I kind of like rolling along at my own pace - running how I feel. Saturday night was spent in Alameda because I had a wedding dress fitting and convinced my handsome man to come along for the ride (i.e., drive me). But that was ok with him because we got to enjoy an amazing dinner at Burma Superstar. Drooling just thinking about that rainbow salad.

OK, so now it's Sunday funday (you f*cking f*$ks)!! And I'm trying not to think about the fact that my 4 day weekend is winding down. Travy and I have another perfect morning, almost identically mirroring Saturday except we watched the men's Wimbledon final instead (yay Murray!) Then it was time to pull out the (new) map and plan our adventure.

Map of Mt Tam and our written instructions for the day

13 miles perfectly mapped out around Mt. Tam. It didn't go anywhere near as we planned, but we still managed to circumnavigate Tam and run 13 miles despite unintentionally ending up near Lake Lagunitas with very little water left in our bottles. PERFECT!

We parked by Mt Home Inn on Panoramic Highway and naturally, we were STARVING after that run. So we decided to give the Mt. Home Inn restaurant a try. And it was a homerun. Coffee, beer, po-boy (for Travis), and bratwurst (for me)...and we were happy as clams on the wooden deck looking out over Mill Valley.

Cheers from Mt. Home Inn!

Food in our bellies, we decided to check out the nearby German Tourist Club, which is only open to the public 10 times a year.  As I reminded Travis, that's less than once a month!!!! We hiked about a mile and a half to reach it and it was a total scene but so worth the little trek. We split a $20 pitcher of Trumer Pilsner and sat on the steps basking in the sun and taking in the scene below.

Scene

That pretty much concluded the most wonderful day. We drove home (I had to drive after losing a Wimbledon-based bet) and watched the Real World Portland and Naked and Afraid, our two fav shows right now, obvi.

Sad to see the weekend go, but thankful for so many awesome trail adventures. 

Enroute to the top of Tam (#latergram)

23.5 hours of craziness at the WS100

For the second year in a row, Travis and I helped pace/crew Topher Gaylord at the Western States 100, a 100-mile footrace from the base of Squaw Valley in Tahoe to Auburn, CA. Last year I paced Topher for 16 miles from Foresthill to Green Gate; this year Travis paced Topher for 30 miles from Foresthill to Highway 49. Last year Topher dropped out at Green Gate after spending hours puking and dry heaving. This year, despite record high temps reaching over 100 degrees, Topher battled nausea and gutted his way to the finish, earning his 7th Western States silver belt buckle.

Topher's belt buckle collection pre-WS 2013

Kim and I spent all day chasing Topher from aid station to aid station. It's mostly a waiting game - arriving at each aid station and sitting for what can amount to several hours before your runner appears from out of nowhere on the trail. When your runner arrives, you wave them down and then spend the next 5-10 minutes (or ideally less time) frantically helping them ingest calories, drink fluids, change clothes/shoes, and cool off! Then, after you've seen your runner out of the aid station, as Jay-z would say: "it's onto the next, onto the next one..."

As a crew member, you experience the same elements as your runner and often the same emotions (frustration, confusion, disorientation, hunger, sleepiness, etc.). Crewing for someone running the #ws100 is exhausting, yet so ridiculously rewarding. I got chills as Topher stepped up onto the track at Placer High with his crew in tow and was welcomed to the finish line by the stadium announcer and the cheering crowd (of 20 people or so - it was 4:30am!) 

You might be wondering what your feet look like after running 100 miles. See below.

Totally gross.

As for me, I used to think running 100 miles was crazy and that the people who chose to do something like that were literally off their rocker. And, well, I still think it's kinda crazy, but I also admire every single person that crosses the start line at 5am at the base of Squaw and attempts to cover the 100 mile course. They are "normal" people, like you and me. They love to run, adventure, and explore the great outdoors. But they also possess an incredible spirit and drive that enables them to push down barriers and achieve incredible feats.

Perhaps my favorite thing about this race is not watching the runners, but watching all of the volunteers, crew teams, pacers, spectators, etc. It is an amazing group of people that enables these runners to tow the line and reach the finish each year. The spirit of selflessness and generosity is everywhere along the course.

My parting words for this blog post:  Travis, you're next! #ws100 #2014

Travis crossing the Rucky Chucky River at 9:25pm