All for fun! Shannon

Last weekend was all about fun.  On Saturday (8-14-10), I headed to Napa with 3 of my friends to play golf at the Chardonnay Golf Course.  What a beautiful course!  Played 18 holes, not so good, but I still had a great time.  After playing we went into Napa for dinner. I didn't behave with my eating, but again, I had fun!  We got home really late which made it very hard for me to get ready for the next day.

From Left to Right, Shannon, Julie, Liz, and Patti

I can't remember the hole this was, but this was our view from the tee box down to the green.  Par 3 and we all hit the green - YEAH

The vineyards - a regular view for us on the course

Sunday (8-15-10) was all about the Tahoe Flume trail.  What a beautiful trail.  I had never been up there, so I had no idea what to expect.

I met up at 7a with Susan Booher in EDH.  We headed up 50 and made great time.  We ended up at the Spooner trailhead at just about 9a.  Pam was there waiting along with a few other FTRs.  As we all got ready, more awesome FTRs showed up.  We ended with a nice size group.

Our clue from Sue Boo to continue on this path

We took off and started with a nice downhill decent, however, that was short lived and we proceeded to hike uphill for 4.5 miles until we hit Marlette Lake.  This lake is absolutely gorgeous.  We hung out there for a bit.  Chatting and snacking.  Pam also decided to give our newest gadget a try - the Steripen.  It works great, because it's been a week and we're still alive - yeah.

As we started off again, I noticed a few guys out in the water in float tubes fishing.  So asked if they had had any luck.  One guy said he had caught too many to count. Now I know all about fish stories, I'm married to a fisherman.  So asked him if he was serious and he said he was.  (The truly neat thing about this is that the only way to the lake is to hike or bike.  They hiked in their float tubes on their bikes using a baby trailer to hold all their gear).  So as we continued on, sure enough you could see the fish in the water.  Huge trout.  Beautiful.

We soon hit the actual Flume Trail.  We had decided that we would only go out for time versus distance today, so we actually only went about a 1/4 of a mile on the Flume, but it was gorgeous.  I definately want to go back.

Of course on the way back, I really slowed down.  So I am able to see more of nature, of course, and saw this cute little guy chomping away on a nut.

And of course all of the beautiful wildflowers.

It was a beautiful day for an awesome hike/run.

And as usual, here are my beautiful toes after the run.  Aren't they gorgeous?  They sure do tell a story.

Til next time, stay dirty!

To see all the pics from the Tahoe Flume run click HERE.

Training runs continue! Shannon

Last Sunday, 8-8-10, I gathered up some of my favorite running buddies, who were available, and we headed out to do 14 miles (7 out, 7 back) out on the trails that I'll be running during the Sierra Endurance Marathon at the end of September.  I decided I wanted to run a part of the trail that I've only been on once before, so we met up at Rattlesnake Bar and headed toward Auburn.

I met up with my awesome Trail Turtle Buddy, Pam, and Mindy, Nancy, Patty, and Patty's hubby Ed, who I have renamed "Super Ed" for his rattlesnake wrestling abilities (keep reading).

The day couldn't be better for a run.  We started at Rattlesnake Bar which is a different starting point for us, typically this is our turnaround point for when we start at Twin Rocks, so it was kind of cool to do something different.  The first thing Ed pointed out to us was the BIG kitty paw prints on the trails, looking awfully fresh.  However, the prints were leading in the opposite direction from the way we were headed, so we figured she had gone down for water early in the morning.  That's our story and we're sticking to it.

Rattlesnake Bar is the start of where Folsom lake leads into the American River, which was flowing beautifully. 

Shortly into our run, Nancy took a spill, but popped up with only scrapped up elbows, thankfully.  Along the trails the blackberries are ripe and perfect for picking, so that's what we did.

From left to right - Nancy, Pam, Mindy, & Patty

Then as we're all enjoying the trail, chatting, having a good time, without a care in the world, Ed stops us in our tracks!  There is a big ole rattlesnake on the trail, standing guard, not wanting to move.  HHHHMMMMM, we're only a few miles into our run, we can't just turn around now, but there is no way around this wascally wattlesnake.  So Super Ed takes a branch and attempts to get it to move off the trail.  It started to work. The snake slithered toward the downslope side of the trail (this is good) but then it stops with tail still on the trail.  HHHHMMMM, so Super Ed keeps attempting with the branch, nada.  So he tosses water on the tail having heard this is a good way to get them to move.  Yeah, Mr. Rattlensake didn't like that too much and the tail started a rattlin!  I've never seen a rattlesnake rattle it's rattler in person before nor have I ever heard it before in person.  Pretty cool stuff! Of course my grandmother would disagree with my interpretation of a rattlesnake being cool, but that's another story.

So Super Ed went back to the branch and managed to get the bugger slither down the side of the hill while still making his (snake) music. (Pam attempted to get a video of the action, but you can't hear the snake, and most of what you see is Ed's tush). Once Ed felt it had gone far enough down, he walked past, then Patty followed, and then the rattling got louder which spooked Patty.  Ed stopped dead his tracks and Patty started pushing him.  It was all quite comical, but at the same time very serious.

Ed decided it would be best if we stepped up the side of the hill as best as we could as far away from the snake as possible.  So we did as we were instructed and moved on our merry little way.  You rock Super Ed!

Patty and Super Ed
with Nancy and Mindy in the background

We continued our run, with no more rattlesnake wrestling needed, but more berries needed to be picked.  So that's what we did.

From left to right - Nancy, Pam, Patty, & Mindy
HHHHMM they're almost in the same exact order as earlier.

The most exciting creature we came upon after the snake was this cool little Preying Mantis.  I just think these little guys are awesome!

All in all this was a very successful run.  We didn't quite get in our 14 miles, it was more like 13-13.5 miles, but that was close enough for me.  I really, really appreciated everyone who came out to run with me as I train for this marathon.  As it turns out, Nancy is also training for it and Mindy is considering it.  Don't worry, I'll get her to do it - peer pressure works wonders in the trail running world ! LOL!

Me and Nancy

This weekend brings golf in Napa with my golfing peeps, and a run in Tahoe on the Flume Trail with my awesome Trail Turtle buddy, Pam, and other FTRer's.

The Trail Turtles

Have a great weekend and get dirty!

Squaw Mountain Run 2010 - Shannon

WOW! That's it! WOW!  What more can I say about climbing 2000' in 3.5 miles on an absolutely beautiful day? WOW!

It was gorgous and hard!  This was no RUN it was a hike!  But a great hike.

Mike and Julie Giomi were kind enough to let me ride along with them and we got up there really early.  So we enjoyed a Starbucks while we waited.  Eventually it became time to go get our bibs and on our way back started running into other FTRs - woo hoo.

Julie & Mike Giomi

The start

Mike, Susan Booher, and Julie at the start line

The run/hike was tough and I got left behind as usual, but I had my iPod so I was good.  I got myself into a groove and just kept plugging my way up the hill.  It took 1 hr 11 min and I came in 29th out of 36 in my Age group and 391st out of 520 - see I'm not always last :)

The hike was so worth it.  The views were spectacular and of course the prize for making it to the top was a beer mug and beer, of course!

The awesome FTR group at the top

Me with my winnings

Till the next race, here's to you!

More pics can be seen HERE

Blood Sweat Beers! Shannon

You know, life just keeps getting in the way of me keeping up in the blog world.  If it's not work, family, or playing, my computer goes on the blitz.  But here I am and here I will continue to come, even if it's only a few times a month.  I really want to do better here, but...........

Anyways, last weekend was the Blood Sweat Beers Trail Run up in Auburn.  I had originally signed up for the 10.4 miler, however, I had suffered from some kind of funky virus (swelling, joint pain & fatigue) the week leading up to the race.  So I decided it would be best to downgrade to the 5.7 miler, since I hadn't gotten in any running for a week and my legs were just jello.  I'm glad I did!

The FTR's were there in full force, we were totally representing our awesome group.  A couple of our members brought pop-up canopies, we had our FTR banner, and we took over the end of the parking lot.

(photo provided by Jenni Edge - FTR member)

I'm smack dab in the middle, sitting, white shirt

Before the race,  brothers Dan and Dennis Folk, found me and we took pics.

Dennis and Dan

Me and Dan

They were both boldly doing the 10.4 miler, their first trail race (boy were they in for a surprise - don't worry they survived, and at least Dennis is willing to do another one, forgot to ask Dan if he would - LOL).

The BSB is a tough course.  To me, it's not a true trail race because there is way too much pavement involved.

You start off on pavement for about a half a mile (downhill), then you hit a single track (up hill), then you hit the arroyo and stay along it for about a mile.  This was the prettiest part of the race, as far as I was concerned.

(photo provided by Jeffrey - FTR member)

Once you get off this you head straight down an awesome, technical switchback, another favorite of mine.  However, this race seemed to have a lot of trail running novices, and I got stuck behind several runners that don't know about moving over when you're the pokie puppy holding up the train.  Trail running is a lot like driving, if you've got more than 5 cars (runners) behind you, it's time to pull over and let 'em pass.  So I got a little discouraged not being able to do what I love most, fly down the hills.  So as soon as we came out of the steep switchback we hit a road, and I took off.  I didn't want to be anywhere near the novices as I knew we were coming to another single track that was going to go downhill again.  When I got there, I did what I love to do, I flew!!

Then WHAM you come to the bottom of that and you're now on a fireroad that starts your ascent back to the start.  You climb, and climb, and climb.  No more flying for Shannon, it was now all uphill and walking.  There isn't much left for running, but when it did flatten out or tease with a little downhill, I ran.  But with jello legs (virus) I didn't have much for the climbs.  Once I came to the top of the final, ugly hill, it flattened out to take you into the finish and I ran as fast as my tired legs would take me.

I finished in 1 hr 21 minutes, 37th out of 61 in my age group, 255th out of 341 overall.

Not to shabby for having been sick the week prior.

I grabbed some food and a beer (you get 2 for finishing - woo hoo) even though I wasn't feeling like I deserved a beer, not to mention it was only 10ish in the morning still. Wobbled over to the FTR tents and plopped in my chair.

It felt good to sit.

(photo provided by Jeffrey - FTR member)

I only drank half of mine :(

I was glad it was over!

I'm feeling much better now, thankfully.  Now it's time to gear up for the Sierra Endurance trail marathon that I will be doing at the end of September.  Here come the long runs again.

But this weekend I'm heading up to Squaw Valley to do the Squaw Mountain Run/Hike.  I'll most likely just be hiking as it's 2000 feet of climbing from start to finish (a lil over 3 miles).  I don't see much running happening tomorrow.  But a bunch of us FTRs are going, so it will be fun.

Sunday I'll get in a long run with Pam and a few other friends.  Hopefully Pam's heel holds out.  I need my trail buddy!

I'll post again after the Squaw "run" as I'm sure I'll be taking tons of pics.

You can see all the pics for BSB HERE.

Stay dirty!