Western States Training Run Day 2

Training has started for the Tahoe Rim Trail 50k and first on the agenda was the WS Training run (20 miles) from Foresthill to Rucky Chucky. Carpooled up with Marc and Maria and headed to the Foresthill Elementary School where we hooked up with some friends:

Shannon and I met up and we were off. The day was gorgeous, but definitely warming up quickly so the armwarmers got chucked pretty early. I was alittle worried about the legs since I cycled 25 miles the day before. However, I did have a great massage after my ride which worked out alot of kinks.  A few weeks prior, we ran 16.5 miles, starting at Michigan Bluff and running to Devils Thumb and Deadwood canyon, then back. This involved some hillacious climbs and long descents. I knew this run would be MUCH easier and it was :) We ran down beautiful singletrack, paralleling the river.

 

The trail was mostly gentle downhills, with some steep uphills thrown in for fun. This one was an exposed dirt road that seemed to never end. Shannon's hip flexors were rebelling so I told her to walk backward for a bit.

Here we are at the top of this horrible hill

Our first aid station actually was before this climb and was star studded. I made TT take a picture with us:

We crossed a few streams, but the one just before our final aid station was like an oasis. I spent quite a bit of time in the water. Ice baths are really underrated!

I lost Shannon just prior to the Rucky Chucky aid station.  This aid station was at mile 15.5 and headed by Ken, fellow FTRer. I ate lots of potatoes, chips, water, and anything else I could stuff in my face. I knew we had a brutal 3 mile climb to the top and wanted to fill the tank before that. I love aid stations!

At the start of the final climb, I hooked up with a gal from Seattle who had run the prior days' run and was pacing her friend for WS. She kept me company up that terrible hill. At the top we headed onto a beautiful singletrack and although I was completely exhausted, I started to run and actually felt better.The trail leveled off and passed through a beautiful high meadow

We also passed this boarded up house/barn...out in the middle of nowhere.

 

I finished in about 5 hrs 20 minutes. Got to the finish and downed a hotdog and coke, hopped on the bus and headed back. I worried about Shannon; I didn't know how she'd do on that last terrible climb. But she pushed through and finished. She again shows her metal!