John Muir Ran Here

(12-15 Jul, 2010)
Actually John Muir, conservationist and founder of the Sierra Club, neither ran in the mountains nor even approved of hiking. Albert Palmer in A Parable of Sauntering quoted John Muir as saying,

Hiking - I don't like either the word or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains - not hike! Do you know the origin of that word 'saunter?' It's a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going, they would reply, "A la sainte terre,' 'To the Holy Land.' And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not 'hike' through them.

My mentor, John Muir, would not approve of my mindless running through our wilderness areas so on this trip, near Mammoth Lakes, CA I spent time sauntering with my wife, Cara. Sometimes I like to slow down and take time to appreciate all that nature has to offer. This post is actually out of order, as I was acclimating to the altitude by camping at 8800 ft elev. in preparation for my Tahoe 100 mile run. I’ve finally found time to write about our adventures and to share some photos.

Tahoe Rim Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run Race Report

Other race reports: Sultonic, Gretchen, Davy, Scott, Joy

(17-18 Jul, 2010)
When I arrive at the staging area for my first attempt at running a 100 mile mountain trail race, the event staff is all dressed in bathrobes, curlers in hair. Even race director, David Cotter has curlers in his beard. I can’t blame them it’s only 4:15am, but this is going to be an adventure to remember. I mill around a bit and meet a few other runners; Jose and his buddy from the bay area and Ben and his crew from Oregon. After nervously waiting for a while, we all toe the line and wait for the countdown.

I’m wearing my headlamp as we start out past Spooner Lake. We follow a dirt road that takes us through the park until we reach a single track trail. Let the climbing begin from 7000 ft to almost 9000 in about 7 miles. After the first 4, we run down and get nice views of Marlette Lake, just one of many that we will see on this beautiful course. After rounding the lake we continue up and I’m feeling great. I’ve just seen the first sunrise of my journey.

A Glimpse of Heaven, A Taste of Hell

Update: Follow my progress here on 17-18 July. I'm #558. Tahoe Rim 100 Miler webcast.

Quite frankly, I’m Scared. What does it take to run 100 miles non-stop in the Sierra Nevada? I will find out in a little more than a week. Do I have what it takes to keep going on tired, sore, lifeless legs? What about the sleep deprivation that some say brings on hallucinations at night? How much fluid will I need to keep from getting dehydrated? All these questions will be answered soon, because this is my first attempt at finishing this distance.