We Have "Weather"!!

Living in southern California means pretty good weather all year round.  Maybe some cooler weather, a little rain and snow. 
But, it seems the Chimera brought a weather pattern that is wetter than the previous year.
So...this south Orange County gal has had to learn to love to run in the rain!  and mud!!!
Brrrrr!!
Running in the wet hasn't been so bad.  Once ya get going it's very nice to be cool.  But the trails...
All the nice trails are closed! 
I understand we need to let nature heal herself. 
I just can't wait to get back and listen to all the froggies!

What's Up?

Oh, by the way...did I mention my name was picked for WS100 2010?
But, sadly, I will not be running this wonderful race.  I did not qualify.  My 2 attempts at 100 milers were failed ones.  My 2 50 miler times were both greater than 11 hours.  I'd thrown in my name into the WS lottery pot before JJ100.  After not finishing, I'd gotten an email from the lottery folks asking if I'd like to enter my qualifying run at this time.  I had to let them know that I did not qualify and to take my name out of the pool.  So, on the morning of the lottery, I'm at work, and I can hear my blackberry making all kinds of noise.  It's busy so I ignore it all until I get home.  Imagine my surprise to see several texts and emails congratulating me on getting into Western States!  I knew there was a mistake, but still....my first time entered, I'm the second name picked...I didn't know whether to laugh or cry !!!! Soon after, I got an email from the lottery guy confirming there was an error.  Boo....Maybe next year?
Which brings me to this post...What's up for next year?
This is my list...and it is all subject to change.
1.  Transrockies-we are officially signed up.
2. Miwok-no i didn't get picked, but I will help Rick out if he wants it.
3. Coyote 2 moons-looks like fun?
4.Way too Cool
5. SD 100-unfinished business
6. LD50-my first 50 this year, will try to run it for time next year
7. PCT 50
8. Death Ride-a bike ride!
9. Quad Dipsea-gotta practice running stairs for next year
10  ?? open to suggestions!
E-Rod...got any idea's??

The Mighty Chimera

We'd been watching the weather forecasts all week. A couple of storms were due in the week of the Chimera 100K/M race. Maybe the Wednesday before and maybe the Saturday of the race. Wednesday was overcast but no rain, looks like the storm stayed north. What about Saturday? Could we be lucky and skirt that storm too? Friday was cold and cloudy. I decided I'd better be a little proactive and get some warmer running gear. My North Face Summit series jacket would work-seemed to be warm enough on Whitney, but I needed some running pants. Got an online deal for some NF rain pants. That would have to be enough...maybe it won't rain that much...

Packing up my drop bag, more like a drop suitcase, I put in a complete change of clothing, a waterproof shell and matching pants. These were just in case items, I was figuring the storm to hit in the evening, and clean dry clothes would be a big pick me up at mile 44.

We arrived at Blue Jay campground at 0530, and discovered the race start was pushed back to 0630. We relaxed a bit, chatted with other runners and tried to get a glimpse of Karl Melzer.

At 0630 we took off down the first 9 mile loop. Narrow singletrack, rocky and rooty. The first couple of miles were great fun, bombing the downhills. But then came the mud and uphills. At least the weather was cooperating! A bit of drizzle, but pretty warm-good running temp. We get back to Blue Jay to stock up on essentials, then head out to the main divide. The majority of the next 50+ miles were to be on the main divide road, a short downhill on the motorway and maple springs trail.

As we head out to the trabuco trailhead aid station the weather takes a dump. It is now pouring rain. Along with the wind the rain feels like hail hitting my face. Temperatures are dropping. And we are climbing...and climbing....and climbing...The Trabuco Trailhead aid station was manned by many familiar trailheadz. Steve Harvey, the RD made sure his runners would be well taken care of. Hot soup/drinks at all the aid stations. Heaven!

Next stop, trabuco peak aid station...

I must say, for all the cold and wind and rain...this run was a true adventure. We had a great time slogging thru the mud. Dodging falling rocks. I'd long ago given up skirting the puddles. My montrail mountain masochists seemed to be made for this type of punishment.
We finally arrive at the trabuco peak aid station. Those poor volunteers had their hands full. Their tent was barely standing, and they seemed as wet as the runners. Yet they were still there offering help, food and water. After a brief stop we headed up again, to Santiago Peak.
We'd been out on the trail for 6.5-7 hours. The last 4 in pouring rain. Running the downhills allowed me to warm up, but the slow hikes uphill were hard, you feel the cold. In my mind I just wanted to get to the Maple springs AS to get some dry clothes and waterproof clothing. So I was counting down the miles. Finally we make the peak AS. As soon as we enter the tent the Kristen the Ham operator in charge of the AS tells us the race has been called. The conditions are too dangerous now. The trabuco peak aid station has completely blown away leaving runners having to navigate 9 miles unaided. The roads are washing out and people are getting hypothermic.
We have the option to continue on 5 more miles to the Maple springs AS, or wait it out until the rescue vehicle can haul us out. The tent is filling fast, the wind is howling and snow is falling. We all are trying to make the best of a seriously crazy situation.
After an hour a rescue vehicle arrives, a young man with a SUV who volunteered to drive the 13miles in crazy weather to pick up standed crazy runners! We are packed into the Exterra, dirty, wet and muddy, slipping and sliding over the main divide. Great fun!!! All part of the adventure!! Over an hour later we finally pull in to Blue Jay campground. We thank our driver and head over to warm up on hot homemade delicous soup.

Total miles...about 23. Would I do this again next year...absolutely!!

Still Running Along

I haven't posted since September! Time flies much too quickly. This year has flown by at a supersonic pace.
Let's see, much has happened since we summited Mt. Whitney. I had to take a few weeks off from running to let my ankle heal. That was very hard. And it was even harder to start running again. Javelina Jundred, my second attempt to run 100 miles, was Oct. 31, so my goal was to get my ankle healthy enough to run that race. By the end of September I could hobble thru a 5 mile run. 2 weeks before JJ we shuffled through a 19 mile flat road run...that would be our long run. Rick's heels were bothering him and my ankle was still weak, but getting stronger. The JJ course is sandy and mostly flat, so our hope was to make the most of this "easy" trail run.
It was a 100 mile Halloween party! Runners in costume and families with their kids filled the start area and campground.
Now the JJ course feels very flat. Especially the first loop when your legs are fresh. But it is actually about 6-7 miles of slight uphill, and then back to the start with a slight downhill. So pace is critical. Most runners burn out starting at an all out run and having nothing left by the 5th loop. We completed the first loop in 3.5 hours. Very easy, a good mellow pace. 2nd loop was a little slower, but the temps were going up too, about 3.75 hours. Loop 3 was hot. Staying hydrated was our big concern. Alot of people were not looking good. We finished in 4.25 hours. Now, loop 4 was started at dusk. Hot, tired and undertrained we fell way off pace. We both had ugly painful blisters. People looked like the walking dead...these were the ones without costumes! We both were considering dropping at the 100K mark-the end of the 4th loop, but hadn't yet spoke our minds. At the last aid station before the start/finish line we sat, drinking hot coffee and taking IB. I was exhausted and my feet were killing me. After about 30 min. we gathered whatever strength we had left and headed out to finish. Kris B. runs past us, looking absolutely marvelous! She say's she's gotten her second wind and flies by! Her bewildered pacer trailing behind... The coffee and IB kick in, suddenly both Rick and I feel pretty good and we chase after Kris. It was a good last couple of miles. We arrive at the campground somewhere around 4.75 hours. Nearly 5 hours to complete the 4th loop. We would have to complete the next 36 miles in less than 12 hours. Our feet were toast. So we accepted the 100k belt buckle and offically dropped.
Considering we didn't train for this, I think we did pretty well.
Rick and I had an extra day to enjoy Scottsdale before heading back to the OC.

Quad Dipsea-This race is run the Saturday after Thanksgiving. 2 up and backs along the Dipsea trail in northern CA. Beautiful views, a hill named "Cardiac" and 600+ stair steps make this a memorable run for all those who attempt it. Rick's run this about 10 times, when he asked me if I'd like to run with him this year I was thrilled that he felt that I could finish this tough race. I am not much of a hill runner...

There is a "generous" 8 hour cutoff for this 28 mile race, and we used pretty much the whole time to finish. But, we took alot of pictures...too many great views to let slip away, and chatted with some great people, Catra Corbett, Ann Trason and her husband Carl, and Errol the rocket Jones. Life is too short, gotta stop to smell the ocean air and meet some wonderful runners along the way. After crossing the finish line, we had grilled sausage and some bean soup (beer was long gone) and headed home.

Next up...Chimera 100K Dec. 12.

The Mt. Whitney Day Hike

February 2009 we put in for the Mt. Whitney lottery again. The beginning of April arrived, but not the notice of getting picked for a permit. I think it was getting to be the middle of April when the familiar large envelope showed up in my mailbox. We were in, amazing!!! More amazing, it was for the Labor Day weekend! I assumed a large party dropped and we got their spot. Whatever the reason, we were going!!!

Matt, Glenn(a fellow runner and blogger), Octavio and his son Sebastion, myself and Rick were the lucky six given a chance to summit. Matt and I summited last year on a 3 day hike. Rick wanted to dayhike it, the others were going to pack it.

As always, time flew. I trained for and ran 3 ultra's and a marathon. My right ankle was sore and running was still painful less than a week before our trip. But I could hike and a trekking pole helped.

Two days before we were to leave for Lone Pine, Octavio got hold of Matt and told him they would not be able to make the trip. Sebastion was trying out for high school water polo and this was "hell week". The coach was not permitting anyone trying out to take a leave. It's all about being dedicated...So, Thursday Sept. 3rd Matt and I left for Lone Pine to pick up the permit for the remaining party of 4. The final agenda for the weekend...Matt and Glenn to backpack, Rick and I to dayhike.

Rick and Glenn arrived separately between 2300 and midnite (don't quite remember the time, i was sound asleep!). We had set up the tent at the thru-hikers campground at the portal. Rick and I planned to leave around 0400. The others approx. 7. I awoke at 0320, and wandered off to find Rick's car to wake him up. We got on the trail at 0440 using headlamps and moonlight to navigate. We made steady progress, passed Outpost camp and reached Trail Camp at about 0815. I needed to refill my hydration pack, and Rick got some cute Marmot pictures


The trail until Outpost camp is quite beautiful. Tall pines and numerous stream crossing. Maybe one of these day's I'll pack this part of the trail again, camp out near mirror lake. I wonder if fishing is allowed?

Beyond trail camp starts the 99 switchbacks. Somewhere beyond the cables, maybe 20 switchbacks to the top it started to hail, but quickly stopped. Then it started again, a steady stream of BB sized fluffy hail. There was thunder too! We ducked under some rocks to try to wait out the storm. Should we continue to turn back?! I fished out my rain shell, dusted off the hail pellets and sat in a puddle. No more than 5 minutes later the hail eased up and we started up the trail again. Rick spoke to a few coming down the trail...one hiker said the metal in the hat vibrated during the thunderstorms...yikes!

Up and up we climbed. I was feeling the altitude by the time we reached Trail Crest, and for me, it was slow going. Rick looked as healthy and chipper as always, leading the way.


I was at the point where I could take a few steps before having to stop and gasp for air! I could see the summit hut, Rick about 50 yards ahead...RUNNING up the mountain! At 14,500 feet he could still run!!!!

Robo Rick running at 14,500ft up Whitney

Well, kind, patient readers...yes we did summit! We took pictures...the only way to have your picture taken on the top of Mt. Whitney is to climb it....savored the views and committed the moment to memory.

We ate a bit, took a few more pictures and decided it was time to get off the mountain before the next set of dark clouds passed over.

Going down should be easier than going up. Unless one twists their ankle on a rock 400 yards from the top......
And it hurt so badly I couldn't put any weight on it. Sitting down on a boulder, we fished out the Kinesio "magic" tape and plastered it over my ankle. It was enough to get us going again. Carefully and slowly we walked down 11 miles. We met up with Glenn and Matt at Trail camp, they fortified us with hot coffee and we continued on. At outpost camp we put on the headlamps and know we are almost done, 3.6 miles to go.

We both agree that someone must have added a mile or two of trail while we were on the summit. Those last few miles took hours. Following Rick, I watched him dance off the rocks marvelling at the lightness of his steps. Yep, i was feeling it, tired, sore...but deep down, it was an adventure, kinda like when I was in middle school and hiked the grand canyon in a day...a little overwhelming but there is the satisfaction that we did it.

I love my life
and I look forward
to whatever is next

Run Along...Now

I've been neglecting my blog. I can't believe my last post was my race recap of the SD 100! I'd started an entry about a training run/adventure for the Mt. Disappointment 50 miler, but never got around to finishing it. One of these days I'd like to post it, as a teaser let's just say it involved SAR, a couple of helicopters, a bear and 34 miles.
This pic is of my two trail running friends who shared the adventure with me, on one of the AC trails.

I completed Mt. Disappointment, my first solo ultra. Rick, my TH and best running buddy decided to let his Achilles mend and dropped from the race. His heels have been painful for quite a while and it was a good decision to give them a rest. While I miss him on the trails, I am learning the importance of letting the body recover.

A pretty view from the Mt. Dis course.

Mt. Dis was an amazing run. It started out with miles of downhill, first asphalt then dirt. It has some beautiful trails, tree covered with soft brown dirt. With the fires raging in that area, I'm sure some of the course is gone and I am grateful for being able to run it and enjoy it.
It was a tough race, the last 20 miles included 2 really "painful" hills. One seemingly endless one almost completely exposed in the heat. The last hill finishes the course, while not in the sun it is about 3 miles of steep climb and switchbacks.

I learned I could mentally and physically complete 50 miles without the TH, but I missed him.

The Bulldog 50K was 2 weeks after Mt. Dis. Quite a few runners were doing both races, so a spur of the moment decision had me signed up for the 50K.
The first 15 mile loop felt awful. I was sore and tired. It felt like it took the entire first loop to warm up. By the second loop, my legs were feeling much better-but the heat was ramping up. What started out as a cramp about .10 of a mile from the finish, just after the final downhill ended up hobbling me, I limped the final stretch and across the finish line. I'd met my goal time of under 7 hours, but 2 weeks later I'm still limping.

So, from the SD 100 to the present, I've still been running along the trails, dodging the snakes and the critters. And trying to find a balance between home, work, love and pounding out the miles.

Next up...Mt. Whitney in a day!

Our Most EXCELLENT Adventure

In a nutshell, it was the San Diego 100 mile Endurance Run...minus a few miles. And, it was an adventure, from the very start...
Rick got in a bike ride...over a hundred miles up a mountain in a ride called the "Breathless Agony".
Right after that, the OC Marathon, and SD 100 application time.
Training runs were scheduled. A few of us squeezed into a Mini Cooper and tried to get in a night run somewhere along the SD course. We slept(?) in Jean's Mini, waiting for the other runners to arrive. It ended up being over 100 miles of driving, to run 8 miles! We trained on hills in the heat, I ran on the road, in the heat. We were training for 100 miles of hot weather!
One last long run of about 24 miles to Santiago Peak, the Monday before the race, finished up the training. We hit REI to look at headlamps, flashlights and socks. We discussed drop bags, did we need them? Cutoff times, what pace did we need to maintain to meet them? Shoes, one pair or two? What was the weather forecast? Rain?! Let's not even go there!!! What to drink, eat and carry. The list of things to do was endless.
Matt agreed to help us out by being our crew. I went over the maps with him, gave him boxes of stuff to bring down and a timeline, where to meet us and when. I think crews have a very hard and thankless job...they only get to see the runners for a short period of time and are expected to have everything ready and waiting. Not alot of time to sleep either.
Back to the weather forecast...The PCT 50 mile run, was moved to the SD100 mile course after a military helicopter crashed on the original course. Those runners, while getting to preview the 100 mile course endured high temps. One of the reason for all the hot weather training runs...
But, the forecast for the 100 mile run was cool weather. In fact as the weekend neared, the temps dropped. 75, then 73 and the final posting for Saturday was 65! With the possibility of rain. Did i ever mention I hate mud? We made some last minute clothing adjustments, threw everything in Karen's SUV(Rick's wife) and headed south to Camp Cuyamaca to the race briefing.
The race began at 0600, with very cool weather. Excitement building, we huddled at the start with the other runners. A few minutes to wish others good luck and then we were off running...for at least a mile! Then the hiking/fast walking began. The first 20 miles were mostly gradual climbs, a portion of it on the PCT. We fought against some wind, but over all made good time finishing in about 4 1/2 hours. At the Camp, we shed our long sleeves and tights, refilled bottles, added more gels to our packs and headed out to start the 30 mile loop. A quick assessment of how we felt after 20? Really strong and ready for finishing the first 50. 6 miles later, we catch up with Matt at the Paso Picacho aid station. We refill, make adjustments and continue on happily. We must have been too happy, because about 20 min. later we realized we had missed a trailmarker! After looking around for the missed marker, asking hikers if they'd seen pink ribbons and arrows, our only option was to backtrack down the hill. What we found was, 10 yards from the last AS was a well marked turn off...at least 20 pink ribbons and 10 flour arrows. How did we miss that!!!
What stands out in my memory about the 30 mile loop? Hills. Rocky hills. One section, a long downhill full of shale, we started out trying to run, but ended up walking. I twisted my ankle, probably more than once.
And the wind picked up. At the milk ranch AS, the temps dropped as the clouds rolled in and the wind blew. As i mentioned earlier, the first 20 miles we finished in 4.5 hours. The next 30 took 9. Back at Camp Cuyamaca again, the end of the first 50, our finish time about 13.5 hours. 1 hour under the cutoff. We picked up windbreakers and gel. I dug out my hiking poles. My right ankle was starting to hurt, probably from twisting it on the rocks. Heading out to rerun the 20 mile loop we felt good, strong and a bit anxious. As the last bit of sun set, the winds really kicked in. There were portions of the trail we had to stop and wait for the wind to die down other wise risk being blown off the trail. It was slow going. and cold. But in an odd and crazy way, exciting! We could see other runners in the distance with their headlamps. We were all in this adventure together! Running when we could, trying not to fall into holes or off the trail, our minds were set on just making the next aid station, where there would be familiar faces, warm food and hot coffee-courtesy of Matt. We were passing people on the 20 mile loop, and it looked like we would make the 70 mile time cutoff. My ankle was getting to be a problem, but the poles were helping. We arrived at Camp Cuyamaca, the 70 mile AS at 0212. 45 min. before the cutoff.
We were greeted by Scott the RD, he pulled us aside and quietly told us the weather conditions on the last 30 had deteriorated. There was snow, high winds and sleet by the Milk Ranch AS. If we didn't leave immediately we probably wouldn't make the final cutoff. He suggested that this would be a good time and place to drop. We did some quick calculations...9 hours for the first 30 miles loop, in daylight. could we finish the same 30 mile loop at night in horrible conditions? Plus we still needed about half an hour to tape blisters, gather more clothing, eat and refill bottles. One option was to continue on, try to make it to the next AS and see how we feel. But, I think we both felt that our goal, to finish, was no longer within our grasp. While physically we both were doing pretty good, the time it would take us to finish was just beyond the cutoff.
So at mile 70, with reservations, we dropped.
Then dirty, smelly and exhausted we climbed into the back of the SUV and took a nap. 3 hours later we woke up to sunlight and cheers. Runners were still coming in and crossing the finish line, about 20 yards away from the truck. We slowly crawled out and tenderly took our first steps. We saw a few people we knew, chatted about the run and vowed to come back next year and finish the full 100.
We drove away still smiling, we didn't finish 100 miles... but we did finish 70 feeling pretty darn good. It's not what we didn't do, it's what we did. And that will carry us on to our next race.