Tahoe Rim Trail - FTR rocked the Rim!!

TRT 50K was the final long race/run in my plan this year. I began to get alittle concerned about completing this ever since my heel began to bother me weeks ago. On the last 20 miler before the race, I suffered intense heel pain 15 miles in and barely squeaked out the last 5. I finally decided to go see Steve Long, chiropractor (and fellow FTRr) who worked on my back, hips and heel. I also got weekly massages from Shannon at Massage Heights. The heel started settling down a bit and I felt nice and loose; ready to run 32 miles. It didn't hurt that I was also off work for 4 weeks prior to this race.  These last weeks have been emotionally draining; my practice which I worked hard to build, closed, and I found myself unemployed. I was blessed to be hired on by the VA. But there was alot of sadness over losing my patients and my staff. Running for me these past few weeks has been much needed therapy.  This race was sort of a mark of new things in my life, and I was viewing it as a metaphor as to how the next phase of my life would go - I was nervous.

Diane and I headed up Friday afternoon and got into Carson City where we hooked up with the rest of the FTR group for dinner.

We had a blast! Lots of laughing, even without any alcohol :) Got to meet Trish's other half, Aaron (loved his sense of humor!) and their new addition, CeCe - such a cutie pie! After a great dinner, we headed back to get to bed early - wake up time was 3:45 am, ugh!  Fortunately I slept well and we headed down to the lobby to meet up with our posse.  Mike G took this pic of us. He was supposed to run but hurt his back a week before. It was so nice to see him get up early with us to see us off!



We piled onto the bus and headed for Spooner Lake. We were all giddy with excitement, taking lots of pictures in the bus.

We met up with a few more people at the start, used the facilities and found a place to drop our bags. Posed for a few more pics, then headed down to the start.

(trish anticipating the pain ahead!)

 The sun was just rising and we started out. The weather was absolutely perfect; alittle chilly and breezy. My goal was to take the start nice and easy, which I did. The altitude didn't seem to be bothering me at all.  I settled into the back of the pack where I feel most comfortable.  Kym and I partnered up and took our time. The trail was beautiful from start to finish. We felt good heading into the first aid station where we saw Dave (Kym's husband) coming back. He was running just a short distance.

(Dave took this pic of us early on)

We moved quickly through the aid stations which were about 6 miles apart. The volunteers and food were first rate.

We began the climb up to Marlette Peak and the view took my breath away.  The pics don't do it justice!

The run down the other side was incredibly fun.  We were doing pretty well when we came up to Tunnel Creek the first time. Then we hit the Red House Loop which consisted of a very steep down hill, long flats, then a constant, unrelenting climb back up.

That took alot out of us. We came into Tunnel Creek the 2nd time and saw Diane sitting with ice on her knee. She had to drop due to knee problems. That was disappointing and I thought for a minute that I might drop cuz my heel was absolutely killing me. But Kym and I fueled up, said our goodbyes to Diane, and we soldiered on. More climbing ahead.

We took a video during this part of the trail

Kym was not feeling good and started to slow a bit. I put in my Mp3 headphones and cranked up the music. At the top of the climb, I got a 2nd wind and tore down the trail into Hobart with Coldplay's  Viva La Vida blaring in my ears. While I was getting my 2nd wind, Kym started to feel sick. She was eyeing the Jameson at the Hobart aid station, but only posed with it (didn't drink any :)

(she was feeling alittle like this wilted flower)

 She started to suffer quite a bit after leaving Hobart and had to take it easy. It was tough not running on some of that singletrack, but there was no way I could leave her feeling that way. She pushed on even though she felt like crap and had to throw up three times! She's a stud...I think I would've quit had I felt that bad.

The climb up to Snow Valley Peak was amazing....again my breath was taken away. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of this trail. 

We got to the top about 3:15pm and quickly started heading down. The trail was gorgeous, but rocky so running it consistently was tough. Once down alittle farther into the trees, we were able to run a bit more.  Kym slowed again and I continued running. The trail was smooth, fast, and switched back and forth through the trees. I was told it was 5 miles from Snow Valley Peak to the final aid station, but it felt alot longer. I stopped a minute to make sure I was going the right way and a 100 mile runner came up and assured me I was going the right way. He had run it last year and said this part always seemed to go on and on. He and I ran together until the next aid station. When I got to the bottom, Dave (Kym's husband) was waiting to run her in, so I went ahead and sprinted the last 2 miles to the finish. I was greeted by my dear friend, Maureen. She had moved up to Nevada 2 years prior and had introduced me to hiking the Sierras. I finished in 11:27, woo hoo!! I was so happy to have completed this race and felt great at the end.  I met up with Diane and Sue Boo at the end. Kym came in just a few minutes after me. I'm so proud of us! This was one epic run, although I hiked most of it :) I initially said I wouldn't do it again next year, but never say never....I'm already dreaming about doing it again!

And I started the new job today.....so far so good!