The Long, Long Trail

The proposal.

Over my winter break in December, Mary had asked me if I wanted to join her on a 270, 11 day fast packing trip across the length of Vermont on The Long Trail. I naively agreed.

The Views!!

I had not done much research and just assumed it would be a cool training trip for CCC in terms of testing nutrition, time on my feet and having a pack on. I would use every piece of gear I needed for CCC. I had been to Vermont twice before to pace her and a friend in the VT100 mile race. I thought, it's just hiking, how hard could it be?

Starting the journey

Being 20 years old, training harder than I ever had, I was thinking I could pretty much do anything; 270 miles in 11 days would not be a problem. I did not think much about the trip until I finished school mid June and all of a sudden I was to fly out in 6 days. Mary had been texting me all week telling me everything I should and probably needed.  Hmm, the list was more extensive than I thought, which led to many last minute trips to REI and SFRC. Even to Jorge's doorstep a half hour before I was to leave to borrow a sleeping pad!

I flew to Vermont Saturday night on a red-eye, planning to have most of Sunday to relax and get ready for the trek. Unfortunately, due to a United fiasco I was delayed and spent all of Sunday in the Newark airport. I arrived in Vermont at midnight. Obviously I was not going to start at the Canadian border with Mary at 6 am the next morning, so I would meet her later in the evening.

Climbing up a ladder in Devil's Gulch

One of the shelter's we slept in!

I arrived on the trail to meet Mary for the last 5 miles of the night. I had my borrowed pack all set to go and ate a quick on the go dinner before we set off. My energy was high and my excitement uncontrollable (despite carrying a 30lb pack!) I hopped and skipped and pranced through the gorgeous greenery and chatting wildly with enthusiasm. Mary had already done 18 miles so she was not as keen to be jumping about.  That evening I had my first taste of what was to come. We hiked two miles an hour, impossibly slow compared to even a tired day while running. We climbed up steep hills with no switchbacks and hiked down equally steep descents.  We arrived to the shelter we were to camp at and quickly set up our sleeping bags. We wanted to get as much shut eye as possible before a long, big day.  The shelters are scattered along the trail and often have fantastic views of the landscape you ordinarily cannot see through the dense forest. A trickling brook nearby supplied our water for the next day.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place

Yup.

Going to sleep was very interesting that night. We heard little mice crawling about and had to rearrange and hang our food several times. Mary and I ended up sharing a bunk to quell our nighttime fears.  Before shutting my eyes I caught sight of a flashing light in the corner of the cabin. I frantically told mary that I was going crazy already and was scared. Turns, out, I had just seen my first firefly. I had a restless night and was woken up around 3 am by two hikers coming in for the night.

Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun

GREEN!

In the morning we awoke to a gorgeous sunrise, ate a quick breakfast and were on our way! The best idea I had was to put my instant espresso into a Salomon soft flask and slowly sip all day; it was wonderfully welcomed. The hours go by so slowly but also so fast it is incredible. Every time we got to a shelter we stopped to consult the map and eat a quick snack. We hiked through several different types of forests. We would be traipsing through ferns up to our waists and sloshing through some thick mud. It was unclear whether the mud was thick enough to support our weight or if we would sink down into it.  The trees changed from aspens to birch to everything in between.  We climbed several steep uphills and struggled down the descents, 1000' per mile sometimes for 3 or more miles. It was tricky because a lot of the trail seemed to not be a trail at all; the only way it seemed to exist was purely by the hikers coming through. The trail was never smooth or easy. It was always hopping over the mud, balancing on the logs that were sometimes laid down, or literally rock climbing up or lowering yourself down. I felt like it was a game of the ultimate trust fall every time we descended as we had to grab ahold of the rocks, roots and trees to go down or pull yourself up.  Devil's Gulch was kind of crazy. We had to climb up a ladder, go "bouldering", and walk across slick, treacherous wet rock. I am more surprised than proud that I did not take any tumbles that day. After 10 hours of hiking, we met Mary's husband Mark at the road crossing.  He took our packs, refilled our water bottles and fed our ravenous stomachs with some food.  I ate some salami, Fritos chips, french fries and maybe something else. It was incredibly delicious.  We would then hike the next 6 miles without our packs and only water bottles to meet him again.

Starting again at Sunset.

Peaked.

Mary taking it all in

Mary's feet were killing her and starting to blister; ours both had been wet all day, so I'm sure mine were starting to blister as well.  At that road crossing, I felt fine and eager to continue into the night. However, as soon as we started, I started to feel the fatigue and weight of the previous 10 hours. I wandered like a zombie behind Mary. I felt as though I had tunnel vision, only seeing where her feet meandered around the trail.  I felt somewhere between drunk and sleepwalking. I wasn't very talkative and my feet started to really kill me. They were so sore and tired! I stumbled along the trail not caring if I stepped in mud or hit a brach with my arm. After 12 hours and 47 minutes we reached mark again at the next road crossing. He picked us up and took us back to their camp, as we were very close by, for the night. I don't even remember falling asleep.

Top of the World

The next morning we awoke to a classic Vermont downpour. We gathered a light pack of just necessary food and water as we would see Mark again that evening, We started hiking up the road and soon came to a river crossing. Knowing we would get our feet wet all day we just hiked through it, not caring. the trail continued up and up, we soon found ourselves bushwacking up a flowing river. We did not doubt it was the trail as the trail was ridiculously crazy, but we did not see the white vertical rectangles painted on trees along the way for quite some time.  We were soon frantic and turned around. We found the trail again and saw where we had made a wrong turn. However, we lost an hour and a half and added 3ish miles of hiking! It was so disheartening and just added mental discomfort to the bleary day.  The trail of course, wasn't any different from what we had been doing off trail, but it was harder.  We hiked up and down waterfalls. The rocks were wet and water oftentimes flowed over them in small rivers.  It was tough, even with a light pack, to haul yourself up and over the obstacles.  Going down was even worse as it was uncertain every time you put your body weight down over one foot if it would be supported or slip out from under you. We were also paranoid looking for the white blazes indicating we were not lost.  You would start to wonder, "has it been too long? where could we have gotten off course? We are definitely lost!", but then moments later one would appear.  The previous day was filled with talking and stories and occasionally singing. Today, there was nothing. We hiked in near silence, concentrating on our footing and finding the trail, but I think it was also due to exhaustion.  Hours came and went. The rain continued on. A small respite from the unforgiving trail was a short hike up a downhill ski run. Haha! that is a break!  Mary accurately described the trail as "The trail that keeps on giving!"Soon (9 hours later), we met Mark on the road. We were tired, wet, hungry and mentally drained. We decided that after 18 miles in the pouring rain and over that crazy, course, we were done. We would not attempt to ascend and descend the highest peak in Vermont: Mt Mansfield, which loomed before us through the fog.  We went home to a welcomed hot shower and food and rest.

I would not continue with Mary the next day as my feet were killing me and I was so exhausted. I did not want to push myself over the edge before CCC. Mary had a tough day climbing Mt Mansfield in the clouds and crazy rocks at the top. I soon joined her the next evening. I even took a shakeout run on Thursday up the mountain behind Lake Elmore. Thursday night we had some pizza and then hiked straight up a ski mountain, of course not on the groomed open downhill, but on the technical side trail. We had to climb ladders drilled into the rock faces because it was so steep.  We finally reached Stark's nest, a warming hut, on top of Mad River Glen ski slope. We woke up to another lovely sunrise and went on our way. This time, our day was cheerfully welcomed.  It is hard to describe in more detail the days and the trail, but it was more hours and hours. I soon grew weary and my feet started to hurt.  The hours and miles dragged by and we began to feel desperate; where was this shelter we were staying at? We eventually reached it, ate, and fell fast asleep, sorta. At Skyline Lodge, there were several other hikers, both for the night and through hikers, so it was a tight squeeze and not much sleep amongst the snorers.  In the morning we packed up quickly and started hiking. Mark would meet us 5.5 miles at the next road crossing and I would end my journey and he would hike with Mary for the rest of the day and night. Mary ended her journey the next day because her quad and knees were killing her.  The words I have for describing this trail and adventure are as follows: deceptive, rugged, rural, relentless, beautiful, degrading, giving, green, fun, technical, and interesting.

Done.

And Done.

It's hard to think that you couldn't finish something. It's much easier to mentally make yourself feel better about losing in a race. Okay, maybe I didn't have their experience, didn't know the course, didn't put the miles they did. But to lose to a trail is a whole other story. It's a bit disappointing knowing you didn't have it in you to complete a goal or to even keep up with Mary. It is incredibly humbling to have to stop because your body just cannot handle the terrain and the long hours. Even though I am 20, I have a long way to go; I am not indestructible nor immortal.

chicken nuggets anyone?

This past week, after TLT, I have resumed running and enjoyed Vermont with Mary and her family. We went to Shelburne farms, hung out by the lake, and I even raced a 5:50 mile road race in Montpelier an hour after eating at Ben & Jerry's (very lactose intolerant...)

5:50 ain't too shabby!

Big thanks to Mary & her amazing family for inviting and taking care of me on this awesome adventure. Also thanks to my family for supporting me in my crazy ideas of fun... Onwards to CCC!

Ben & Jerry's! Just had to indulge... 

The destruction.

In terms of gear used: S-Lab light jacket, Salomon Bonatti Jacket, Sense Ultra SG, 2XU calf sleeves, TNF Better than Naked Shorts, Tech T shirts, Arcteryx pack, Marmut sleeping bag, S-Lab 12 set pack, Black Diamond Z poles, Mammoth & NuGo bars, Tailwind, SFRC buff, WS100 visor, Black Diamond Headlamp, Injinji socks, Salomon long sleeve.

Best way to end the school year: Run a 50k!

Rodeo Valley Inside Trail 50k

June 8 I raced the Dipsea as a tune up for another training race, Inside Trail's Rodeo Valley 50k.  Meghan suggested mid May that I sign up for a 50k to practice racing, hydration, and etc for a faster long run.  We chose this race as it was in the Marin Headlands so I knew the trails, it had a good amount of vert, and it was easily accessible from SLO.  Unfortunately, it was the day after finals week.  Finals week was filled with studying & stress as well as the labor of moving my things into a storage locker for the summer.  Not the best pre race events, as I didn't think much about the race until 5 pm Friday night when I was driving up from SLO.

I had zero expectations for the race. I just wanted to get in a good long run of 50k distance after surviving finals week and maybe get competitive with the other women. (side note: I hadn't even looked to see who was running or what the competition was like).

My gameplan was similar to how I have approached my 50ks in the past: survive the first 15 miles and just run how I normally run for long runs. Stay on top of nutrition and hydration and sing some tune in my head or chat with others to stay calm and relaxed.  Then the second half, assess how I am doing mentally, physically and competitively and then go after it. When I get to the 15 mile mark, depending on the race, I'll fixate my goal onto something- a place, a time, or whatever.

Saturday morning raceday came. I ate my usual oatmeal and coffee with almond milk two hours before the projected 8:30 am start and arrived at the line at 8 am. I chatted with a few folks and learned where the loops went.

The Crazy Awesome Course!

The race went off and everybody started out super fast. I held back the reins and chugged up Coastal, the first major climb, at a decent pace. It was probably a little faster than I should've started out at but I let the crowd carry me.  I power walked the steep part as it would be stupid to run it and run it hard that early in a race.  On SCA and Miwok, I made an effort to not bomb the downhills to save my legs for later.  It was already hot out and getting hotter.  I had a bladder in my pack so I continually sipped on my water every so often and made sure I was taking in my gels every 40 minutes.  Every twenty minutes I would alternate with gels and salt caps.  The course took us through a small loop in Tennessee Valley and the climb up Miwok and over wolf ridge just killed me. It was the worst part of the day. I felt slow and tired and hot and exhausted.  I didn't feel like I could do well or anything. I knew quitting is never even an option for me, so I didn't quite know what to do with myself. So I just kept running.  I felt better on the rolling hills along the Coast- wow what a view! When I got back to the Tennessee Valley aid station I had a sip of coke and put some ice in my sports bra. The race had turned around for me mentally and I was feeling more energized.

I charged up the Old Springs climb feeling really good. That climb felt like nothing! We headed up the steeper climb right after to hill 88, which was tough but the wildflowers made it all worthwhile.  With sweeping views of the hills and ocean just over thick bushes of multicolored pea flowers, it was hard not to feel inspired.

Finishing the first 30k loop

At the top of Hill 88 I knew it was a rough and treacherous downhill back to the start/finish area; perfect training for unknown European trails! I took them as fast as I could- not quite dipsea status as I still had another 20k loop to do, but fast enough to feel the exhilaration and near-danger from flying over rock slides and on the edge of cliffs. When I got down to the road it was 2.5 miles left of relatively flat until the Coastal climb again.  I did not realize how much I was moving until I looked down at my watch pace- 8:30s or faster! Hmm... I felt really good at mile 18 and was dropping those times? The last 20k should be a cinch and I should not stop for anything other than water! I found out at the aid station that one of the leaders got off track of the course and there were maybe one or two other women in front of me.

The excitement that I could podium or potentially win got to me and I quickly fell into race competition mode. I was constantly looking ahead, scouring the trail for a female that I could pick off.

I didn't see the next woman until we were heading down Marincello around mile 21. Boy was it hard not to run screaming down the hill to get in front of her. I knew that if I did, I might not have the legs to stay in front of her and potentially get whoever else was in front of us.  I raced through the aid station, getting ice in the sportsbra again and filling up my 16 oz soft flask, which was faster than my empty bladder.  I had caught up to her at the aid station and took off up Old Springs before she finished filling her pack.  I kept a steady effort up and up and up to hill 88, occasionally looking over my shoulder to gauge how far back she was.  Going down hill I knew I could turn a corner to get myself out of her sight and make her think I was way farther ahead than I actually was.  A somewhat bad thought I had too was that she was much older than I was and I could most definitely go screaming down the hill no problem, while she might have some trouble with footing or the impact on her quads.  So I took off, flying faster and faster downhill, not looking uphill for fear of falling, all the while running scared thinking she was on my tail.  I got to the bottom at the aid station and asked what place I was in. The woman who took the course wrong was in front of me and had probably already finished but I was in "second"!! I looked up and couldn't see her on the trail so I knew I had secured a considerable gap over her.  I did not know how much time I would have since I could not see up the trail very far.  With two miles left I ran as hard as I could on the flats to the finish. I sprinted my heart out fueled by the idea of possibly winning (by default somewhat). I was so excited I was grinning ear to ear.  I rounded the corner to see my Dad and grandparents waiting for me and the cheers of the other runners at the finish.

You can't see it but I had been grinning the last four miles...

Wow. So exhilarating! I ran 5:27 and earned second place female and 14th overall.  The woman who "won" had run the course incorrectly. She did the full pink loop first and then the pink and orange loop.  They gave her the first place win though instead of me.  She also ended up beating me by just over an hour. Even though I have no idea what kind of pace she runs at and what she is capable of, I cannot help but doubt she even ran the full course.  She had explained to me trail by trail the course two minutes before the start- how could she have missed the tennessee valley loop unless on purpose? I am not bitter she took the win from me, just questionable. I had heard she wasn't the most gracious racer at aid stations and with the race director after she had made the mistake, so I assume she needed the title more than I did.  Afterall, it is just a local trail race that happens almost every weekend. There were no high stakes or press or anything.  I had never placed better than top 5 in a race before, so taking second was definitely awesome.  I am super excited for what's to come and my recovery since the race was very quick- I am itching to get in more miles! It is so hard to hold back the reins sometimes!

Happy to be done!

Another Dipsea in the Books

I seem to have some sort of subconscious streak of signing up for races the weekend before finals week every quarter, so naturally, a trip up to a Bay for the Dipsea cost valuable time in terms of studying for my 7 am Ochem final on Monday.

Liz Gill & I at the start acting Touristy!

I love the Dipsea. It's a fabulous race that really celebrates the community and the trails. I have done it every year the past four years. This year I had finally earned my invitational spot; I was allowed to bypass the ridiculous entry lottery.

Since I had a race a 50k the next weekend, I did not want to push the pace- my only goal was to earn invitational status again by placing in the top 450.  The morning of the race I met up with a friend Liz Gill at the start and we warmed up and chatted with the other racers.

The race started off fast as I was in the biggest, fastest woman's group of the invitational section. I power hiked the stairs two at a time as I always did and just kept running uphill. I didn't stop running and just kept passing people. I kept steady, not wanting to push too hard.

Cresting cardiac and seeing everybody and all my friends got me super jazzed up. if I was already smiling, I was grinning then.

Up Up and Up!

The volunteers and cheerleaders at the top pushed me to run faster and "gun" it down towards Stinson. I didn't want to injure myself on the stairs so I took them one at a time while being as cautious as possible.  Several runners went down hard in front of me and it looked pretty grim.

That is the one thing that I do not understand. Unless all it takes to get a black shirt or invitational status is to red line it Mill Valley to Stinson, why be so aggressive? In years past, including this one, I have been shoved aside into the bushes countless times or nearly mauled by people running their hearts out and doing anything / everything to get ahead of me.  Maybe because I am never truly competitive in this race or have another one coming up that I am not so aggressive, but I do not see the point in sacrificing the next 3 weeks-6 months in one bad turn or fall from wanting to be 234th instead of 236th.

Top of Cardiac! What a relief to start downhill!

  

With that being said, I arrived in Stinson beach, healthy, smiling, and happy with a good hard effort. I ran my way to 274th place in a time of 1:14. Considering that my PR was set last year at 1:13 in the fog and felt like a redlining effort, and this was a tempo effort in the heat, I think it was a great indicator to how much I have grown as a runner and the strength I have acquired from ultra running. I am also pleased that even with all the miles, I can still maintain my speed. Last year I had PRed in the 5K and done a lot of road and track races leading up to the dipsea. A part of me is curious as to what I can do with a 5k or mile on the track, but I know that is not something worth going after, as trail running and long distances are my true passion and newlyfound strengths.

My very supportive mom

My Best friend & best "crew" cheering me on at the finish