Tahoe Rim Trail 100 Race

The three weeks between Western States and TRT went okay. We went out paddle boarding, did a couple of swims, some easy spins on the bike, and maybe 4 or 5 runs. My first "run" after WS lasted about 20 minutes and it felt like I was carrying an elephant on my back.  Uuugg, I wasn't sure this was going to go well.  My longest run ended up being about 10 miles. Ryan and I picked a new for us trail that starts in Meeks Bay and heads towards Desolation Wilderness. The trail passes a bunch of granite lined lakes and was quite stunning. Next time we'll explore a bit further.

Crag Lake

The week before the race I was feeling weak and puny. I went to a hot yoga sessions that I left about 20 minutes in because I was feeling dizzy, my vision went grey, and I almost passed out. Not sure if it was the heat, the new meds, or just simply my body recovering from running 100 miles.

The day before the race we headed down to Carson City for packet pick up. It was over 100 degrees.  Another hot day!! Boy can I pick them. After Western States I was looking forward to a cool day in the high Sierra. Because Ryan was running the 50 miler I didn't really have a crew or pacers like at WS.  He did tell me he might run the last 20 miles with me. The real bonus was his parents were going to be waiting at mile 30 for both of us to come through. We packed up a small cooler with 2 ice water covered towels for when we came through. With no real crew or pacers I stressed about what to pack in drop bags and where to leave them. In the end I packed up 2 drop bags. One I left at Tunnel Creek and the other at the start/finish at mile 50.  We passed through Tunnel Creek 6 times on the 100 miler, I left all kinds of gear there for whatever the day and night and next day would have in store. My other drop bag I left at the start/finish where I would be coming through at mile 50. My plan was to change shoes, socks, and put on my pack with my lights. Because I haven't done this course before and wasn't sure how my legs would feel I didn't know how long I'd be out there. I figured and hoped that I'd at least make 50 miles before it got dark and would need lights.

With the 100 miler starting at 5am and the 50 miler starting at 6am Ryan got stuck getting up super early with me and driving to the start. He got the new van all set up and built a bed in the back the week before and we got the mattress and sheets the day before after packet pick up down in Carson City. His plan was to get a couple hours sleep after finishing his race and before meeting up with me at mile 80.

It was still dark at the start and I decided to carry my small headlamp. It's not the brightest and I don't like running at night with it, but I'd only need it for about 45 minutes. I was surprised to see people start without a headlamp. The first mile or so is on a fire road with fairly even footing, but after that we turn left onto a single track. I felt good on the first climb. It was still nice and cool outside and I wanted to enjoy this as long as I could. Feeling good and the cool temps lasted until about Tunnel Creek. The first time we get to there we make a right hand turn towards Red House (6800') and run straight down towards the Carson Valley losing about 1500' of elevation. As we dropped towards the valley I could feel the heat rising up from the valley and I settled in for what would be a hot day. I still felt okay by the time I got to TC and made the right hand turn towards Mt. Rose. From there we follow the Tahoe Rim Trail until we get to the Tyrolean downhill where we bomb down a 2000ft descent to Diamond Peak. From TC to Diamond Peak I started cooking. I managed to run out of fluids and gels and started getting dizzy. I slowed down and tried to minimize the damage. By the time I got to DP and Ryan's parents with the heaven sent icy towel I was seeing spots. I decided to take my time at the aid station and eat and drink everything I could. I probably spent 15 minutes there trying to cool off and put down some calories. Normally I don't drink Mountain Dew, but this ended up being my go to drink. I reluctantly left the DP oasis and started up the 2000 ft in 2 mile sand hill climb. Yep, I was looking forward to doing this again on round 2. I took the climb slow and stopped every couple minutes to catch my breath and catch the view. It is really stunning and if I was going to be suffering I was going to enjoy it. Although the climb is mostly in full sun exposure there were a couple lone trees and I would stop and sit in the shade when I could. On one of these stops near the top I could see Ryan climbing. He quickly caught up and we chatted briefly shared a quick kiss and he power walked away. Once at the top of the climb the trail basically follows the TRT all the way back to the start finish. The views are stunning and I spent most of the rest of this loop walking the climbs and jogging the descents. I still felt like I was overheating and slightly dizzy, but it wasn't getting any worse. At the end of the 50 mile loop Ryan, his parents, and Merick were waiting for me. I sat down and while Ryan changed my socks and shoes Merick and the parents kept my hands full of food and drink. I put on my vest with my 2 headlamps and had Ryan pull out the jacket and gloves.  I was definitely not going to be needing them between now and DP. It was still hot hot hot. Ryan let me know that he finished the 50 in a 9:30 PR for him and was 1st masters!  He also let me know that he was done and wouldn't be running the last 20 miles with me. I was actually enjoying the solitude and was looking forward to the next 50. When I left the aid station I noticed that I was finally feeling better, and I was excited for the sun to go away. I started the next climb and actually felt good and alternated running and walking. I just hoped that this feeling would last.  My goal at this point was to make it through the descent to Red House before it got dark. It was a steep rocky descent and I wanted to get this done before the lights went out. I made it through Red House and mostly back up to TC before the sun went down. Once the sun went down the course was magic. There was a full moon out reflecting off the lake and it while it was still hot it was much better. I ran the descent towards DP much faster than the first lap and was treated to Ryan and Merick waiting for me. I had him add the jacket some arm warmers just in case I might need them and quickly moved on. Round 2 on the sand hill was worse and better than round 1. Better because the sun was down and it was much cooler, but worse because my legs were much more tired. I kept is slow and steady up this climb but the miles were adding up (80 miles). I wasn't sure I would be able to start running again at the top of the climb. At the top I did the walk to fake jog to finally really jogging thing that you do when you're legs are cooked and don't really want to work. After a while they started turning over and it felt okay to be running again. After stopping at TC (85 miles) for the 6th and last time I looked at my watch and knew I was going to be really close to getting in under 24 hours. I was still feeling fairly good and was just making sure I stayed on top of my nutrition and kept moving. The climb up to Snow Valley Peak (9214') was stunning. At this point the moon was lower in the sky and orange. It was one of the most memorable views I've ever had, but I still just wanted to be done. There was only one 7 mile descent between me and the finish and I had just under 90 minutes to get it done to beat the 24hr mark. The descent lasted forever and I was starting to hurt at this point. I couldn't just fly on the descent. I moved as best as I could but when I was at the turn about 2 miles from the finish I could see I was just going to miss the time. I finished in 24:04 and was completely happy with it!!! I thought I'd be bummed at missing a sub 24, but I was stoked with how well I rallied on lap 2 and how hard I pushed on the final descent.

Above Marlette and Tahoe

All in all a great day(s) for both of us. Ryan had a PR run and then crewed the last 50 miles. I finished my second 100 of the summer and ended up finishing 14th overall and 2nd woman. It was a really hot day and night and the finish rate was 59%. Thanks to the race organizers for putting on a great event, the amazing volunteers, Merick, Ron and Gail, and Ryan for all their help.

A New Normal?

It's been a busy spring and summer, but not in my usual busy summer way. Ryan and I have been playing in the mountains, but not nearly as much as usual or as much as we want. It's been an amazing but challenging year. We've had some major life changed in the past year with getting married, new jobs, and moving up to Tahoe.

The biggest struggle for me has been working night shift. I now know how extremely lucky I was as a new grad getting a day shift position right out of school.  I've always been a morning person and embraced early morning masters swim and going to bed at 830pm.  My secret talent used to be sleeping. I would sleep a solid 8+ hours a night and take naps in the afternoon.  Moving up to Tahoe meant working from 7pm to 730am. What I've found over the last 7 months of working night is that I am definitely not meant for night shift. I felt horrible all the time. Imagine getting on a plane and flying halfway around the world and switching time zones by 12 hours every 4 days. Then imagine not really getting the crap sleep that you do on an airplane. It felt like I was getting a series of 20 minute naps instead of really getting into deep sleep. We tried everything to get better sleep from blackout blinds, white noise machines, melatonin, valerian, and finally benadryl. None of it was working. I couldn't sleep during the day or night. To top it off I started gaining weight like crazy despite starting to train for Western States. I probably only swam a handful of times this spring and summer, but I did keep running. Ryan was getting more into ultra running and had signed up for his first 50 miler. I had a minor setback in February to March with an ankle sprain that left me sidelined for 4 weeks, but by April I was running pain free again. I kept plugging along with training for Western States, but I was feeling increasingly fatigued and the weight gain continued. I was up 25 pounds from December. It was frustrating. We were running about 60-80 miles a week and eating healthy. About a year ago Ryan and I switched to a plant based diet.  We eat vegan at home and cook most of our own meals, but fudge the rules a bit when traveling or dinner with family.

May 18th was a turning point. I was signed up to race the Silver State 50 miler in Reno. It is a fun former hometown course that I have always really enjoyed. I started the race excited, but I just never felt right. I had no energy and wasn't enjoying the day at all. At about 25ish miles in I sat down on the side of the trail and all I wanted to do is take a nap. The great thing about trail runs is getting off the course once I knew I was pulling the plug. I walked most of the last 8 miles just to get to the aid station where Ryan was waiting for me. I was really heartbroken about dropping, but I just had nothing in me anymore. We drove straight from the race to the clinic to see if we could get labs drawn to find out what was happening.  About a week later I got the call that I needed to get in to see a doctor because of abnormal thyroid levels. BOOO!! My TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) levels were elevated meaning my thyroid wasn't working like it was supposed to. I'm not sure if night shift was the trigger for my thyroid meltdown, but it sure didn't help. I'm not a big fan of taking medication, but I knew I couldn't go on feeling like I had for the past 6 months. I was depressed, emotional, and felt a bit like I was going crazy. After talking with the doctor I started taking synthroid for my thyroid and sleeping medicine so that I actually get some rest.

So here I am 6 weeks into taking medication and while I don't feel 100% I do feel like I'm digging out from under this avalanche that hit me. With the sleeping meds I'm able to get 6 hours of solid sleep. Yes, it's not ideal for me, but it's much better than not sleeping at all. Amazingly the weight is coming off with no extra effort (10 pounds in 6 weeks). My moods have been more stable and I'm feeling much more like myself. I get labs redrawn next week to make sure my TSH level is where it needs to be and to adjust my synthroid dose.

I ended up surviving Western States (more on that later) and am getting ready to run Tahoe Rim Trail 100 this weekend. I'm not sure how my legs are going to feel, but it is so exciting to start feeling normal again. Thanks Ryan for being the best husband and being my rock as we went through all this.

family run time on the rim trail

 Yosemite trip, 50 miles in 3 days