Ultra Running - Get out and enjoy the Beauty of the World

 

It really doesn’t matter how fast or slow you run. Just getting out in nature, experiencing new places, and meeting new people makes trail running worth every last mile. Here are a few pics from the Tahoe Rim trail 55K last July. It was a very long and slow day for me. Still, the beauty and experience are something that I will never forget.

 

The Tahoe Rim Trail 55K Endurance Run takes place on high-elevation alpine and sub-alpine forest single-track trails and dirt roads in the Carson Spur of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The event is located on the east side of Lake Tahoe. All distances begin and end at the Western Nevada College in Carson City, Nevada, which is at 4,888 feet. The highest point of the event is just below the 9,214-foot Snow Valley Peak (which also provides one of the best views on the course). The low point of the alpine portion of the course is at the bottom of the, now “infamous”, Red House Loop (A Taste of Hell) at approximately 6800 feet. The course is marked with highly visible fluorescent orange flagging with a highly reflective tip.

 

My Current training is going well. I feel good about my chances of meeting my first running goal of 2023 next weekend!

Goal 1, 2023 on the way to Ultra 100 – My first small goal is to complete the 11-mile trail race Running the Rose in Tyler Texas on January 28. I will measure success by simply completing the 11 miles with a secondary target of finishing in under 2 hours and 15 minutes. This race winds through amazing East Texas pine forests among 100-foot-tall trees. The single-track trail runs along rolling hills and through some root-filled and pine needle-carpeted trails that climb about 1,000 feet over 11 miles. My current base milage is at about 30 miles per week and I regularly run long runs of 8+ miles

 

I am determined to complete another 100-mile trail race before the end of this year. The last time I was in shape to truly have a chance to run 100 miles was in 2019. My one and only 100-mile finish was at the Rocky Racoon 100 in 2017 at the age of 48.