Summer Summary

It's raining in Truckee!! Hallelujah. (Okay, it was raining when I started this post. That was last weekend. But the sentiment is the same.)

I'm not just grateful for rain because of this insidious drought, but also because of that nasty King Fire. The smoke in Tahoe has been stifling the last two weeks, and folks down the hill have had to evacuate. 

Fall feels a bit in the air, and with that happy fact, I am reminded to make my usual summer wrap-up post. I may be a complete bloggging slacker, but at least I have my traditions.

Unfortunately, the short summary for this summer goes like this:

It was completely shitty.

An accurate and succinct summary, if a bit lacking on details. But truthfully, I'm tired of giving the details. 

Last weekend, my husband and I visited with some friends we hadn't seen in four or five months. I came straight out and told the wife in the couple that I was tired of updating people on the upsetting events of my life, so could we just skip the "What's been happening in your life?" question? 

She replied, "Let's just talk about trail running!"

Now that is a good friend.

So for this post, I'm going to skip all the shitty parts. I can't ignore them, but I guess I don't have to relive them here. Instead, I thought I would take this opportunity to focus on all the awesome parts of this summer.

Because you know what? Even among all the challenges - the feelings of betrayal, the injustices, the immense grief - there were still some pretty awesome things that happened this summer. Reminding myself of these things is one good way of dealing with the challenges - keeping perspective, and realizing that even a shit sandwich doesn't taste as bad when you're sitting by a mountain lake with a cocktail in hand. (Okay, I'm sorry, I will stop swearing now. Terribly embarrassing, my crassness.)

So. Awesome parts of this summer, in chronological order:



Hangin' at Western States


For the first time in several years, I was neither volunteer, runner, nor pacer. I thoroughly enjoyed geeking out as a fan.

Gary Gellin nears the top of the Escarpment.

And the finish line especially. Always a social, and very emotional place to spend time.

The Trent girls await the leader at Placer High.

See what I mean about emotions? (Pictured: Rob Krar)

More emotions! Yay! (Pictured: Max King)

Fourth of July!

The fourth is always awesome in Truckee, and this year was no different. Good friends, perfect weather, parades, swimming, barbecues, bike rides, tubing down the river. Fun!

The Dream Team at the Truckee Parade.

Family Visits

Fishing day with the boys!

Game time: "I am a Pig." "I am a Camel." (Not the most flattering pic, but certainly the funniest!)

TRT 50K

Due to the fact that I spent most of June and the first part of July injured, I dropped down from the 50M distance I'd signed up for and ran the 50K (actually 55K) at TRT for the first time since 2003. Oh wow! I think I like the 50K. No Diamond Peak climb, and it's over so fast! Plus, I won. Total bonus.

And I will tell you that staying up all night to volunteer at the Tunnel Creek AS is much easier with only 55K on your legs vs. 50M. Just as much fun though!

Pre-race with the RD

TRT 173

It seems like a lot of my adventures involve the Tahoe Rim Trail, but this one was truly unique. Five runners, four days, and 173 miles of jaw-dropping scenery. 

I don't want to say too much about this one, since I SWEAR I AM GOING TO WRITE A REAL POST ABOUT IT. I promise. I am.

But the summary is that it kind of turned out to be the gem of the summer. Two of our really big challenges were already upon me and my husband, and a third was just hitting the fan when this adventure began. I didn't know if I should even be out there on the trail for so many reasons, but it turned out to be the best decision I could have made.

I am massively grateful for the friends who put in all of the work to plan this adventure and who turned out to be amazing people with whom to share the trail!

173 Miles that looked something like this

Triumphant at the end of our journey: Me, Chris, Tyler, Curt, and Joe. (And Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.)

A New Kitchen

This is another one that I am not going to give all the details on because I really want to do a full post with before and after pictures. There was quite a process, and it looks amazing, but of course, it's still not done. (Started in April, why would we be done by October?) As soon as the back splash and trim are in, there will be lots of pictures! Pinky swear.

Here's Andrew on concrete day. This doesn't show you anything about our kitchen, does it? But just wait until you see the killer concrete counter tops he made me!!

Other Adventures

Of course there were plenty of beautiful trail miles shared with friends, (several times getting caught out in hail and lightning), and other "daily" adventures. In completely non-chronological order:


Hoover Wilderness and Yosemite with Jamie:

Jamie

Happy in the mountains

Alpine lake in the Hoover Wilderness

Running near home:

Castle Peak, Donner Summit

Desolation Wilderness with Betsy

Aloha Lake/Desolation Wilderness with Jamie and Caren

Jason's wedding with the college track crew (no running involved).

I know this was mostly a post in pictures. I don't have a lot of words these days. Honestly though, I'm hoping to find some. I miss writing.

Last summer, my sister declared it to be The Summer of Joy. We did so many wonderful things with family, knowing that with my mom's ALS diagnosis, it would be the last summer with her in good health. It truly was wonderful - three full months of family time up and down the coast.

This one was declared The Summer of Sadness. Aptly named, and thankfully in the rearview mirror.

My sister has already declared next summer to be The Summer of Healing. I'm assuming that means more family trips, and I'm all for that! In fact, I'm pretty much ready for summer right now.

The Squaw Valley Mountain Run

The Squaw Valley Mountain Run is a Tahoe tradition. Starting a the base of the ski resort in Squaw Valley, it climbs 3.6 miles to a finish line at High Camp. This, the event's 33rd running, had all the elements of a classic summer day in the mountains.

First, in case you aren't sure what Squaw Valley is all about, there are plenty of reminders:

And also this:

But you don't have to be an Olympian or an ultrarunner to participate in the Mountain Run. Among the nearly six hundred participants you'll find serious athletes as well as families planning to hike the course. 

Of course, in these parts, Olympians and ultrarunners are likely present as well. Here's Joe, just two weeks after an awesome finish at the Tahoe Rim Trail 100:

The hardest part about this course is that I forget how hard it is. 3.6 miles doesn't sound very far, but after about 20 minutes, running uphill starts to get pretty painful. I'm an ultrarunner - I'm used to hiking the uphills!

I'd been running in second since about a half mile into the race, and the first place woman was slowly inching away from me. I'd been biding my time, hoping she would come back to me, but not long after the two mile mark, I realized it was not to be.

I was ready to slow down and settle for second when I turned a switchback and took the opportunity to see what was going on below. Dang! There was a pack of about four women right behind me. Slowing down would mean settling for more like sixth. Okay, fine. No slowing down.

The final uphill push seems to get even steeper, but it's pretty awesome to reach your finish line at the top of a mountain.

Volunteers hand you an official SVMR pint glass and usher you toward the keg. It's not a bad idea to take a diversion past the food and water table first, but that's up to you.

The rest of the morning can be spent hanging out with friends, eating, drinking, listening to music, and cheering for runners still streaming across the line.

Jorge Maravilla and Ross McMahan at the Salomon tent

JoAnne and Andy: your illustrious Tunnel Creek AS medical team!

Truckee friends: Brittney and Angela

If beer before 10:00 A.M. isn't your thing, you can also take the opportunity to lengthen your run by heading out on the PCT or Western States trails. Angela, Brittney and I skipped the tram ride down and took a mellow warm-down by running the course in reverse - much easier in that direction!

If you're ever in northern California on the first Saturday in August, I recommend not missing the Squaw Valley Mountain Run!

Complete Results

Sierra Sun Article

Thy Eternal Summer, Part II

Winter has arrived. Absolutely and without question. She made her presence abruptly known when, from one weekend to the next, we traded our shorts and tanks on long runs for tights and gloves.

The photographic evidence from Saturday's long run on the Emigrant Trail in Truckee, where it was a speed-inspiring 17 degrees Fahrenheit:

Pre-run Smiles.

The Perfect Amount of Snow

Mid-run Frosty Hair

Sunshine peeks through.

Post-run Happy Glow

I enjoyed last year's summer tribute so much, that I thought I'd make it a tradition. Here's a look back, photo-style, at some beautiful moments of summer:

The Miwok 100K. This was my best race of the season. One of my best races ever. I had fun, felt strong and relaxed, paced myself perfectly, and finished faster than I thought I could. Bliss.

Me and my 5-year-old nephew, as photographed by his 7-year-old brother, during our family gathering in Yosemite. To me, this shot captures a lot of the awesomeness of this annual summertime reunion.

Western States finishline at about 9:30 A.M. Sunday morning, June 26. Eating breakfast and watching runners finish was easily the best part of the race.

Post-Western States high-fives with Brett Rivers before the awards ceremony. The Placer High School track was just a good place to be that Sunday. Good feelings all around, good friends, good community.

Betsy leads me down the trail from Virginus Pass in the last five miles of my crazy-but-awesome experience pacing her at the Hardrock 100.

At the finishline of the TRT 100 with Donald after an awesome 50 miles of pacing.

Andrew and I canoed the Carson River in July. Two days, no portaging, camping at hot springs. Wilderness whitewater love!

Silver-buckle bluegrass boogie with the Dead Winter Carpenters.

Desolation Wilderness. Any photo tour of summer would be incomplete without a shot of our favorite running terrain.

For now, I'm snuggled up by the wood stove looking forward to some snowy backcountry adventures for the next few months. It's a good time to be dreaming and planning races for next spring and summer, and remembering the best of this one.

What were your favorite races and adventures of this summer?

Thy Eternal Summer

With this weekend's heavy rain, it finally feels like summer may be coming to an end. It's been a warm fall in the mountains, providing a perfect venue for long weekend runs in the high-country. This Saturday's run on the PCT however was graced with a severe burst of winter.

Jamie makes her way from the Sierra crest, down the Granite Chief Trail, towards Squaw Valley.

Although I know it's not quite the last hurrah for high-country running, it seems like a pleasant time to look back upon the last several months. Most of these photos are from non-running days, ones that were just as much a part of my favorite season as the long trail runs. The summer may be fading, but the memories will keep me smiling until long after the snow melts.

An empty beach at Pt. Reyes

With Jamie at Pucker Point, Memorial Day Weekend training run.

An aptly named Mist Trail

Wedding on Donner Summit

Unhappy feet at the end of 100 miles. Oddly, I have yet to lace-up those Salomons since that day. Still, a small price to pay for an awesome race.

Moonrise from the summit of Lembert Dome, Tuolumne Meadows.

Running with the dogs, Lamoile Canyon, Ruby Mountains, Nevada.

Cap wants up front on the road trip. I swear this is not how we pack our dogs for a trip - they had plenty of space in back. Cap just had to worm his way up to us!

With Joel, controlling the awesomest ever wave machine, Minnesota Museum of Science. This is one of the coolest places I've ever been, and a must-stop whenever we visit the twin cities.

You can adjust the height and angle of the sea floor in five different places, plus wave strength and wave frequency. It's no wonder I'm fighting an 11-year-old boy for the controls.

Gus provides endless entertainment by repeatedly launching off the dock into a Minnesota lake.

Evening paddle on Lake Pokegama, Grand Rapids, MN

Another wedding, another tux.

Swimming in Donner Lake. This could be any one of several dozen afternoons spent swimming from the docks - an activity that, to me, sums up summer in Truckee.