Sharing the beauty of running Lake Tahoe & Truckee, California
Both kids popped out of bed raring to go see super-blood-blue-lunar-eclipse at 4:30am this morning. Their enthusiasm faded as quickly as the moonlight.
We parked at the top of the neighborhood and headed out on well-packed snow toward a Donner Lake viewpoint. Complaints started within minutes of the actual exercise.
“I’m chafing,” reported Alex.
by Helen 2 Comments
October 21, 2017, was the rainiest day in Portland, Oregon, in over 65 years. I had tried all week to convince my sister Martha to adjust her birthday plans accordingly. We are cut from the same teflon cloth, so I should have known she would stick with her plan to hike all 50k (31+ miles) of the Wildwood Trail in Forest Park.
If you are an ultra runner, you may not realize this, but hiking with (adult) family is fun! I am making this distinction because hiking with kids may be rewarding, but not necessarily fun.
Yesterday my husband Javier, along with at least a dozen fellow Donner Party Mountain Runners, ran the Overlook 50k. It was a rare opportunity for me to simply be a participant in an ultrarunning event just down the hill.
Usually I am racing or volunteering. The luxury of crewing my husband and several dear friends, then hanging out (on fresh legs) at the finish to greet all, was not lost on me.
by Helen 13 Comments
Feed the Furnace. See the Elephant.
I imagined a scene of flames. Flames within flames created an image: ears of an elephant out of the swirling orange and red inferno, then tusks and a trunk rooted on four legs.
And then I fell asleep. Tomorrow I would seek the elephant at the IMTUF 105-mile trail race. The phrase “seeing the elephant” was widely used in the late 1800’s in reference to gaining experience of the world at a significant cost (click here to read more about seeing elephants.)
by Helen 7 Comments
Follow me at IMTUF 2017: https://share.garmin.com/HelenJavier
The phrase “seeing the elephant” was widely used in late 1800s America throughout the Civil War, Gold Rush, and Westward Expansion in reference to gaining experience of the world at a significant cost.
We are now advanced on our trip about 200 miles and in all this trip I have not seen the ‘Elephant.’ I am told, however, that he is ahead, and if I live, I am determined to see him.
by Helen 3 Comments
As co-Race Director, this year’s Castle Peak 100k for me was all about the course and the community, as perfectly summed up in our new tagline: “All Altitude. No Attitude.”
Creating a signature ultramarathon was one of the driving forces behind the 2014 founding of our non-profit running club, the Donner Party Mountain Runners (DPMR). The club provides the business structure, guidance, and community backing needed to produce such an ambitious event.
by Helen 5 Comments
It’s 8am on Sunday and I’m going back to bed. This is not the taper I had planned for Bryce 100.
On Thursday (8 days pre-race,) I had a great run up “The Animal.” I ran hard, but not all-out, and it was still 10% faster than my previous best effort. Unfortunately, this climb really aggravated my on-going achilles/ankle/foot issues. I’d take a few days off.
“Close the computer at 6am,” I told myself, “get that mobility workout done before the kids need to wake up.” Instead, it was 6:33am before I finally sent the last email and quickly changed into workout shorts.
The mobility workout is part of a 90-day distance trail runner’s injury prevention workshop at our community gym (Performance Training Center). The workout calls for running through the sequence twice.
by Helen 4 Comments
[Note: often I write a personal race recap for my coach. It is not meant for public consumption. And yet, I somehow feel compelled to share this raw bit with you, Dear Reader.]
These are notes just for you.
Yesterday I had to work hard to stamp out the negative thoughts. Those chest muscles really hurt so that I wasn’t able to enjoy time with the family. Then I made the mistake of looking at the Mt. Tam race from November and realized that I am 5 pounds heavier than November. And I worked really hard that day. And it seemed like it was going to be alot hotter today.
by Helen 2 Comments
If you are a runner living in or regularly visiting the Tahoe region, then you know that the winter of 2017 has been, well, arduous, to say the least. While the record levels of snow make for a beautiful winter wonderland, the incessant storms have also made it challenging to keep any kind of training schedule.
My keys to keeping up in these conditions are flexibility and gear. Flexibility applies to location, activity and timing. Investing in some simple gear will help support this flexibility.