a glimpse of heaven, a taste of hell... - Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Runs

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. Lao Tsu


OK, it's just going to be 50 miles, but that single step thing still holds true. I've been working towards this event for awhile now and feel strangely ready for it. Not that I should be surprised - Matt is awesome and he knows what he's doing. Sure, I may have looked with wide eyes at the time and mileage I was putting in (my high week was 64 miles - I've never come close to that before - but somehow, my body always responded well when called upon. Of course I had the occasional bad run, but I could usually attribute that to a combination of high temps & humidity, poor nutrition that day, and maybe some lack of sleep the night before. (that's definitely the #1 thing I need to work on!)

I'm heading out last minute this time, arriving in Reno at noon on Friday. (Last year for the Leadville100, I was at 7000' for 8 days, then got up to 10k' the day before. In general I felt good on the course there, but did have some late race breathing problems... cause still unknown). TRT stays between 6000' and 9000', so nothing quite as severe, but it should still be a big factor in my success. Our total elevation gain will be just under 10k' so stout but not impossible. I think one of the big unknowns is how the sandy areas will affect my feet. Bringing some duct tape just in case :) Kathy, Natalie, Wendi, Jamie, Chad, Kris, Randy, Brenda & Lee are all going, so we should have a great time. Unfortunately Jaclyn has 2 torn ligaments and has to sit this one out. (stay off your feet & get better!!) After the race I'll be hitting Steamboat for some R&R before heading back east.

Check out the course description here, with a link to the map.

A couple of thanks to folks integral to my prep:
• the best coach around, Matt Hart
• Rock/Creek Outfitters, for their support of our team.
• my magical massage therapist Christian at Body Wisdom
• to all my friends keeping me company on the trail
• to Rebecca & Dreama for watching Ollie & Lenny while I'm gone!!
• (and to my bikes for not hating me while i've ignored them :)

I'll try to post something in regards to my survival soon!

the tour divide

if you want epic, look no further. this race is a beast. it starts in gorgeous banff, alberta and finishes just yonder - in antelope wells, new mexico (right on the mexico/us border). once completed, athletes will have ridden nearly 3000 miles and climbed the equivalent of almost 3 mount everests.

who would want to do such a thing? actually, many people... last year, fellow southern adventure racer artie olson did it, finishing second in 21 days & 13 hrs. this year, a friend from leadville, ccannon shockley, is out therer. his last SPOT checkin was at silver city, nm... he's getting close!

anyways, check out the site - esp the blog area... there's call ins from the racers and a few pictures scattered about. pretty amazing.

no, i do not want to be out there myself! :)