Lost Sierra 50K

Just east of the Sierra crest, about an hour north of Truckee, the tiny community of Graeagle played host to the first Lost Sierra50K Trail Run. Late September is a beautiful time for a race in the mountains, and as with most days this fall, this one turned out to be especially warm, sunny, and beautiful.

I hadn’t done any real training since before Hardrock, but I’d been getting out on the trails for a bit of fun. In spite of waning fitness, I knew I wanted to check out this new race that took place on trails I’d never seen. Am I glad I did!

Katie and Annie, bundled up and ready to be the awesome support crew.

I started out in my tank top, although most people were more protected against the chilly mountain air at that hour. I knew we'd spend the first several miles climbing and that it would warm up quickly. The challenge of being cold for 10 or 15 minutes is totally manageable when compared with the irritation of having a jacket or shirt tied around my waist until the first drop bag location.

After about a half mile of road, we moved quickly to singletrack.

The climb up Mills Peak was long, about 10 miles, but it was so gradual that I could run almost the entire way. We were in the trees the whole time, steadily gaining elevation. It was quite a nice way to begin the day.

Cruising along in the early miles. (Photo courtesy of Lost Sierra 50K)

I found myself running near this friendly runner for several miles...

She was clearly a local, and dropped information now and then about the trails, and what was coming up. I was totally unfamiliar with the area, so it was helpful to run with her. Once we hit the Mills Peak summit, she blazed the downhill and I ran on alone.

Mills Peak Fire Lookout

Spectators had been telling me I was 6th woman, but apparently some of the leaders were running the 14 mile race. Once I passed through their finish line, I suddenly found myself in third. 

Based on what I could tell of the map, it looked like a challenging course. That, coupled with the fact that I'd only been getting slower in the second half of my summer, led me to a guess of finishing between 6 and 7 hours. I felt like I was more or less on target for that, and I was having a blast!

"Free your mind and your ass will follow." Mountain bikers are so funny!

The scenery up at the higher elevations was spectacular: classic high Sierra. This also meant that the trails were quite technical, and progress was slow.

I found myself running alone for the entire second half of the race. I was thrilled to find such beautiful trails, and around every corner there was another reason to stop and snap a photo.
 

Peter Fain on his way to the 50K win.

I made the second big climb of the race, up Mt. Elwell. This climb was much shorter, but it was also steep, technical, and warm. Still, I enjoyed the hike and the solitude.

By the time I made my final descent to the finish, I was feeling pretty beat up from the terrain. My feet were sore, and I had trouble making use of the downhill. As I dropped in elevation, the temperature rose, and I was ready to find that finish line.

It appeared quite suddenly, and with little fanfare, I crossed in 6:44. Just about what I'd expected.

It turned out my friend Camille finished right behind me, and we stood around chatting a bit and sharing thoughts on the race with Annie, who'd finished sometime before I had. Eventually we all made our way to the finish festivities (Music and beer - the important things!) which were, oddly, about a ten minute walk down the road.
 

Truckee represent! Me, Camille, Annie, finishing 3rd, 4th, and 2nd respectively.

We spent an hour or so after the race kicking back on the lawn, cold Sierras in hand, listening to the band. They presented some nice schwag for age group winners, and I took home a bottle of wine for taking second. This struck me as hilarious, since Annie, who won our age group, was awarded a large Sierra. I'll take the wine over beer any day, thank you! (And it turned out to be quite a good bottle of wine, too.)

And, guess who else was there to make her racing comeback?

It's Betsy! Running strong and taking the age group win. It was awesome to run with her and see her healthy and happy.



The Lost Sierra 50K was the brainchild of Reno ultrarunner David Funk, who had been running these trails and saw the potential for a great event. (He was right!) He designed the course, and then approached the race organizers of the Downiville Classic mountain bike race, who did an awesome job of putting it together. It's also a fundraiser for the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship and the Graeagle Fire District. I can't see how they could have done a better job of pulling off a first time event.

Lost Sierra was a wonderful race on a beautiful course. It was well marked with plenty of aid stations, and friendly volunteers. A lot of Truckee and Reno locals showed up to check out the action, which gave it a great community feel. I would definitely recommend it for next year. I know I'll be back!

Wake Me up When September Ends

It’s the angle of light, more than anything I think, that speaks of autumn. The sun rests slightly lower in the sky, and I feel it. Shadows are a bit longer, even at midday, and light filters through the pine needles, lending a golden quality to the landscape. Autumn, for some reason, makes me feel sentimental and a tad melancholy.

The traditional symbolism for this season about change, and death, and such, is, in some ways, the opposite for me. Being a teacher, every autumn is the start of something new. It holds all the hope and promise of a blank page. Anything is possible.

This year, that particular sentiment is going to be helpful. I am teaching Writing and Literature to grades 5-8, and there is a lot going on in my department! Needless to say, my own writing exploits will be minimal.

But check out my new classroom!

It's gigantic. And beautiful. With huge windows. And when I stand at the front of the room teaching and look out those huge windows, I get to watch the cows peacefully grazing in the pastures.

 

Cows are very soothing to a frazzled teacher.

This fuzzy brown girl is in a pasture all her own, and she likes to come over to the fence nearest me in the afternoons, snuffling the grass and chewing contentedly. She's adorable.

I had to stop class in the middle of a lesson yesterday morning so we could observe this huge hawk perched on a light post just outside the window as well. (Sorry, no picture for that one.) I swear we do more than just look at cows and birds in my class though!

Books in my classroom library:

It's going to be a full year. I'm pretty excited for it, even while a bit anxious.

And, like any good crazy ultrarunner, I have still managed to scrape out a few running adventures.

I finally made it back to the Bay to Bliss (aka The Emerald Bay Trail Run). This year, instead of running this point-to-point 7.5 mile trail race along Lake Tahoe, then running from the finish back to the start (like I did in 2009), I did it in reverse. I arrived at the finish just before dawn to run through an incredible lakeshore sunrise to the starting line. This is definitely the way to do it!

 

I met a few friends at the start, like Dave and Turi:

And Meghan!

Best finish line ever ...

I also had the pleasure last week of playing trail angel for the baddest assest southbounder on the PCT - ultrarunning's own Leslie!

 She is now somewhere loving up the High Sierra. Go Leslie!!

And speaking of High Sierra, my last big adventure of the year was 37 miles of it with Jamie, Caren, and Clare. We got our butts kicked but our hearts filled running through Yosemite and the Ansel Adams Wilderness this past Sunday. (More to come on this one in an upcoming post, I hope!)

Sometimes just getting started is the hardest part. Yes, I love the potential of a fresh start. But the anxieties of September are the same ones from childhood. So many questions to be answered. 

Once the gun goes off and you're five miles into the race, warmed-up and smiling, all those anxieties just seem to melt away.

I'm looking forward to the fall colors and cool days of October.

Top Ten Favorite Songs of All Time

Do you ever get so entangled with an idea that you can’t wrap your brain around it enough to convey it as something coherent? And then, as you’re pondering it, it grows, sprouting new, related ideas, like a Hydra that even Hercules (or Percy Jackson) couldn’t tame.

It happens to me with the regulariuty of Old Faithful – ideas simmering beneath the crust of my skull to eventually spout upwards, a huge mess for the world to see. Except, you know, not nearly as impressive as a geyser.

I’ve been pondering, for years now, I’d say, the interconnectedness of language, music, and movement – how they are all forms of communication that weave our human souls together. And one day, hopefully soon, I am going to bring together all these thoughts, all the scribblings scattered through different notebooks, and the bookmarked articles on the internet, and the literary quotes and song lyrics, and put them all together into something coherent and meaningful. I swear, I will.

But not today.

This post is a bit of a tangent, born from my larger ideas about music. This post is pure fun.

In a separate, but slightly related, part of my brain from all these thoughts about language, and connection, and blah, blah, blah, I have been doing another sort of pondering. For several years now, I have been trying to come up with a list of my Top Ten Favorite Songs of All Time.

In an effort to impress Jack Black in High Fidelity, I have really tried to be exclusive with my list. I have tried only to include songs which have stood the test of time, ones that make me pause in the frozen food aisle of the grocery store when I hear them, smile, and go, “ahhh.” Songs that tug at my heart strings.

Still, the list isn’t perfect. I’m sure there are songs I’ve forgotten. It’s a work in progress, as is life. But I thought I'd go ahead and share it with you. To this point, here’s what I’ve got, (in order, yes):

1. Bad – U2         I don’t even know what to say about this song. Haunting. Passionate. To me, it speaks of trying to let go of an obsession. It’s the battle of the human soul with itself. It makes me crumple inside – but in kind of a good way. It’s the very best from a band which could easily fill out this entire top ten list.

2. Into the Mystic – Van Morrison            Sometimes this one actually ranks as number one (when I feel a little less haunted). I want my gypsy soul to be rocked. Don’t you?

3. Clare de Lune – Claude Debussy           Heart wrenchingly beautiful. I’ll discuss this one at greater length if ever I get around to the topic of motion/movement and expression. With no lyrics, it may not actually qualify as a song, but who cares. It’s my list.

4. Imagine – John Lennon            I won’t bother analyzing this one for you. Just listen to the lyrics. I love and adore every word. Cliché and idealistic? Maybe. But in my view – perfect.

5. Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town – Pearl Jam         The haunting beauty of Eddie Vedder’s voice is part of what makes so many Pearl Jam songs find their way into your soul. This one does it exceptionally well, and touches on the beauty (pain?) of perspective – “I change by not changing at all.”

6. Running to Stand Still – U2     It kind of freaks me out that I connect so well with songs about heroin addiction, but maybe it’s just a U2 thing. They used to sing about that a lot. And after all this time, I still love them. A lot.

7. Ramble On – Led Zeppelin       I like a lot of songs in the “rambling” genre, and I like a lot of Led Zeppelin tunes. The combination puts this one on the list, for sure. It rocks, and “My freedom I hold dear.”

8. Cocoon – Jack Johnson             For all the many, many Jack Johnson songs that I adore, it kind of surprises me that this is the one that stands out. I’m not totally sure why. I just know that if it pops up on a playlist, or on Pandora, I always reach out to turn up the volume and sing a passionate, off-key accompaniment.

9.  Girl, I Wanna Lay You Down – ALO     This is the most recent song on the list, and so I hesitate to say it’s really “stood the test of time” yet. Still, it makes me melt. I’m pretty sure it has something to do with an ALO show I went to several years ago. Have you ever been front row center when Zach Gill sang this song? I have, and I swear to you, he was looking directly at me while he sang. True story! I relive that experience every time I hear this one. So, … yeah.

10. This slot I really just have to leave open. Did you know I’m not great with commitment or closure? I feel like I need to keep this last spot flexible in case the best song ever comes along. Right now it’s a battle between Summer of ’69 – Bryan Adams (high school and college memories), Across the Universe – The Beatles (part of the whole language/connection thing – “Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup”), and Say Goodbye – Dave Matthews (just indescribably sexy). At the moment, Say Goodbye is in the lead, big time.

So, there you have it. A bit of my heart in music. And now it’s your turn, friends. Please tell me some (or all!) of the songs that would be on your all time top ten list! I'm sure it will make me want to change my list. What makes you turn up the volume, or cry, or dance around the living room like a maniac?