Holcomb Valley 33M

Happy Birthday, Dad! This race is for you!

Yesterday I ran the Holcomb Valley 33 Mile Trail Run. It was quite uneventful--which is a good thing! You don't want a lot of problems when you are trying to enjoy a good, long run! After a few lessons learned from my last few races, I wanted to make this a really good race. I did a few more long runs to prepare for this. I made sure to eat well in the days leading up to the race. I also started taking salt caps during the run, though I'm still not sure when to take them or how much to take. I just look at what the other runners are doing.

I spent the night in Big Bear, sharing a cabin with Corrinne and Lisa. There were about 10 members of the Trail Headz running either the 33 miler or the 15 miler, including, Skip, Sue, LT, Pete Vara, Jon R., Paul, Corrinne, and Lisa. While we were focusing our minds on this race, we were also thinking a lot about our fellow Trail Headz down at the SD100. This was a big race weekend for our club! So when I started my race at 7:00 a.m., my friends at SD100 were still running a race they had started at 6:00 a.m. the day before! They were in their 26th hour of running! Yikes!

So, with that perspective in mind. . .

The race began and I kept my strategy of starting out slow. I've always started out my races really fast. With all the adrenaline and excitement at the beginning of a race, I'm usually really pumped at the start, so I start out really strong. Knowing that the first section of the course would be uphill and rocky, I told myself to take it easy. Well, that wasn't too hard! Less than 2 miles into the race, almost all of the runners were already walking. As the course flattened out and people started passing me, I just told myself, "Don't worry about them! Let them go." Keeping this relaxed attitude made for an enjoyable race.

My iPod was loaded with some brand new music. I was sick of my old running mix of classic rock and 80's rap, so my friend Farrah put a bunch of electronic, trance, and house on my iPod. It was quite refreshing to have some new music. Even though this course was at elevations ranging from 6,700 to 8,000 feet, the altitude didn't seem to affect me at all. The weather was beautiful with clear sunny skies and temperatures ranging in the 60's and 70's. While there were lots of technical rocky sections, there were also plenty of very runnable, rolling, single track. The scenery was great, too! I'm used to the small dessert shrubbery we see on the Orange County trails, but up in the mountains there were lots of pine trees and views of other mountain ranges off in the distance. I even met a llama on the trail! Random! Like I said, the race was quite uneventful! I was able to think about lots of things, like my dad's birthday! He was born June 8, 1947--exactly 61 years ago! After the race, I had plans to head over to my parent's house for his birthday party. I always think about my dad whenever I am camping, hiking, or someplace up in the mountains. I give him credit for my love for the outdoors since he used to take the family camping a lot when we were kids. He is a geologist, so on road trips, he would point out extinct volcanoes off in the distance. Or, he would say, "See those lines on the side of the rocks over there? Thousands of years ago, there used to be a lake right here." And me and my brothers and sisters would look around us in amazement. He also took us to a place up in Idaho where we would look for trilobite fossils. I remember going to Meteor Crater and the Petrified Forest. At the Grand Canyon, he was like our family's very own tour guide. He liked telling us about how different types of rocks were made. And for some reason, I actually thought that was interesting. He also likes astronomy. So when camping, and the stars came out, Dad would point out the different constellations. "See those three stars over there? That's Orion's belt!" He liked to schedule campouts during the annual Perseid's meteor shower in August. I also remember waking up really early one morning in 1986 and driving out past the city lights to see Haley's Comet. He said if I live long enough, I'll get to see it again! I only hope I live that long if I can still run! Those were some great things to think about during the race. I'm so thankful for my dad and all the great memories! Thanks, Dad! I love you!

So I finished the race feeling good with a time of 7:56:29. That's a lot faster than my last two 50K's which were 2 miles shorter than this! I came blazing across the finish line, screaming, both hands in the air. . . And then I stopped, and looked around, and realized all the Trail Headz had gone home! Of course I didn't expect anyone to wait around for my slow butt to finish, but since joining the Trail Headz, I'd become used to crossing the finish line to find all my friends there, and all the high-fives, hugs, and swapping war stories from the race. This time, I crossed the finish line, looked around, shrugged my shoulders and then went to celebrate my dad's birthday!

Next race: Mt. Disappointment

Memorial Day Run: Laguna Hills Half Marathon

I've done at least one race each month this year, so with the month of May about to wrap up, I realized, I volunteered at the PCT 50, but didn't run a race myself this month. Well, thanks to my good friend, Greg, I got a free entry into the Laguna Hills Half Marathon, which is held every Memorial Day. I thought this would be a nice speed workout, since it was on pavement and a relatively flat course. The last half marathon I did was the same one last year, and since I feel my running has improved a lot this past year, I was thinking, "PR."
My very first half marathon was ran in 1:58:21. That was the Carlsbad Half in January 2005. I had done 5 half marathons since then, but none of them were as fast as that first one. But I was confident I would get a new PR this year!
I started out this race running really fast! I was running 8:20's, which I maintained for about 5 miles. I began doing the math in my head, trying to figure out what my finishing time could be. I was feeling very optimistic, but then I began to slow down considerably. I was putting in the same amount of effort, but I could tell my legs were not moving as fast.
I finished the race with a time of 1:59:19. So close! But, I still enjoyed the race! It was a great way to start my day. I actually went on a 6.5 mile hike with some friends that afternoon. With Holcomb Valley coming up, I'd like to try and get as much mileage on my feet as possible. If I can't PR on the half marathon, I hope I can PR in the 50K! Wish me luck!

Old Goats 50K--My Birthday Run!

Last year on my birthday, I remember thinking it would be really cool to run 29 miles for my 29th birthday. But, at the time, I knew I wasn't ready for that distance, so I rode my bike 29 miles, instead! I took the day off work on Friday, April 13 last year. It was a beautiful, warm sunny day, so I was in a good mood. I rode from my house up the bike path at the beach, and then up the Santa Ana River bike trail. I was so proud of myself, but, I knew running that distance would be even better! But that was the longest distance I had ever rode on a bike up to that date, so I was really excited--especially since getting older isn't fun anymore! I decided that day that every year for my birthday for the rest of my life, I have to do something big that makes me feel really good about myself!
Well, this year, for my 30th birthday, I was up for running the distance--31.2 miles to be exact! After joining the SoCal Trail Headz (formerly known as the OC Trail Runners), I fell in love with trail running. Because I love trail running so much, my training has become much more consistent. I've become more consistent in my cross training, weight lifting, and eating healthier--all so I can run more miles and run them strong!
On Saturday, April 12, the day before my 30th birthday, I ran the Old Goats 50K. So this would be my 2nd ultramarathon, less than a month after my first! I recovered very quickly from the Unknown, and had been running strong, so I was ready. But, two days before the race, I got sick! But I knew no matter how sick I was, I was still going to do the race. So I did my best to get lots of sleep and keep it from getting worse. I woke up the morning of the race and felt okay, though not my best. I just took some Dayquil and drove down to the Bluejay Campground in the Cleveland National Forest.
By the time I got to the starting line, I was actually feeling pretty good! I quickly found my friends from the SCTHz. Baz, the race director, ran up to me and gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. We've actually never met! I don't know if he thought I was someone else, but I'm starting to think he's like that with everyone--I mean, with all the girls! I picked up my race gear. In addition to a long-sleeve race T shirt, they were giving out these really cute canvass tote bags that say "Old Goats 50K" on the side! I always like to see what kind of swag I can score at these races! (Even though I'm actually paying for them!)
So the race got started a little after 6 am. Baz announced that because the temperatures were going to get into the 90's that day that he would lift the original 7 hour time limit for the 50K. I started out feeling pretty good! I was happily chatting with people around me, telling them that the next day was my birthday! Yay me! I ran the first 9 miles feeling really good and strong, but then I suddenly felt like I hit that "wall" people talk about. I can only remember one other time I actually "bonked." I just had no more energy! And I had 22 miles to go! I immediately started to worry. I was thinking about how I'd been sick and had little appetite the past few days. I was thinking about how I did another 50K less than a month earlier and still kept training strong. Maybe I was overtrained. My body just felt like it didn't want to do this race! And then I started thinking about the heat we would have later in the day. . . and the climbs up the Main Divide and Horsetheif during the last part of the race! When I got to the first aid station at mile 10, I had no appetite. My good friend and fellow Trail Head, Alexa was there and without knowing my situation, she told me she was dropping! Hmmm, it started to sound like a good idea to me too! But I didn't want to DNF on my 2nd ultra and especially since I was already annoyed that I was turning 30 the next day, I knew I owed it to myself to at least try to keep going! I left the aid station without eating anything (BIG MISTAKE!) and figured the next 10 miles would take me back to the starting/finish line and to where my car was parked. I could then see how I was feeling and make a decision at that point whether to keep going.
Well, I pretty much moseyed along. I felt so weak I had a hard time running even the flat sections! Whenever the trail flattened out, I would start running, only to take a few steps and then back to walking. Other runners would catch up to me, or I would catch up to another runner who was also having a difficult race. Those of us who were struggling that day probably just brought each other down even more. I just said, "I guess everyone has their 'off' days." I finally made myself eat some of a bar I was carrying. Then around mile 12, Kirk Fortini showed up! I had the pleasure of meeting Kirk and running with him for a little bit of the Unknown the month before. I told him how I was feeling and he said, "If you stick with me, you'll finish the race." After talking to all these people who were also having a tough race, that was just what I needed to hear! I started feeling hopeful! I did not want to DNF!

My energy levels continued to drop. You HAVE to eat on these races. But looking back, I really wasn't thinking about food. Kirk kept talking to me about races and running and life. I wasn't really much of a conversationalist at that point. Talking seemed to take too much effort. All I could think about was putting one foot in front of the other. Then he told me that at his truck at the start/finish line (also mile 18 of the course) he had some peanut butter and spun honey sandwiches, chocolate chip cookies, and Diet Coke Plus that he would share with me. The Diet Coke sounded really good! As I kept pushing forward, Kirk still got ahead of me. Then about a mile from the cars, I started to worry that he might be already headed up the Main Divide before I could get to his truck with the Diet Coke Plus. So I started saying, "Diet Coke Plus, Diet Coke Plus, Diet Coke Plus. . . " over and over. It was oddly motivating to say that, and I actually started running again! I made it to Kirk's truck and he was still there. He must have said something to me, but all I could manage to say was something like, "Diet Coke Plus. . . please?" I hope I didn't sound too rude!
At the truck I had to fix my contact lens, while Kirk gave me a sandwich and a cookie. But I STILL WOULDN'T EAT! Then it was time to go. I shoved the sandwich in my camelback and tried to eat the cookie, but I think half of it crumbled onto the ground. We were back at the start/finish line, but the next 13 miles of the course started from there. There was an aid station there. A bunch of people were cheering us on. As we started down the trail to the Main Divide, I remember thinking, this is crazy! I shouldn't be doing this! Oh well, if I pass out on the trail, someone might find me!
Going up the Main Divide, Kirk kept on talking to me. My responses were things like, "oh" and "yeah" and "uh huh." All my energy went into walking. The Main Divide is a fire road, entirely exposed to the sun, and covered in rocks, all uphill. It's about 1,000 feet of climbing in 2.5 miles. Kirk was about 30 feet ahead of me the whole time, also walking. At one point, he put one of his unused bottles of Cytomax on the ground and told me to pick it up and drink it. I couldn't think for myself at this point, so I just did it. Then he got farther ahead of me, and eventually out of sight. It felt like an eternity climbing up that! (But I still had Horsetheif to climb!)
A little bit later, the aid station came into view. I don't know if the Cytomax kicked in, but the ground leveled out and I started running again! Kirk was there and he was pointing at food and cups of Coke and was saying, "here, eat this, drink that. . . " And then, I FINALLY STARTED TO EAT! Suddenly I was hungry and began to eat at mile 22.6. A little late, but better late than never!
Next we started running--and I mean RUNNING--down Trabuco, which was all downhill and mostly shady. I actually started to feel good again! So I started the race feeling strong, had a 13 mile "lull" and then got my second wind at 22.6 miles! Kirk still got ahead of me, but I knew at this point I would be finishing the race. (He probably figured the same thing, since I didn't see him until the finish line, which was fine with me. I already held him back long enough!)
So I wound up by myself on the trail, only seeing a couple other runners for the next few miles. I had never been up Horsethief before, but I had heard all about it! It is nearly 2,000 feet of climbing over 1.7 miles. So, it's another very steep climb, all rocks, entirely exposed, and, as if it couldn't get any worse--SWITCHBACKS! I hate switchbacks! Just when you think you are at the top, you turn another corner to find the trail just keeps going up. Switchbacks are always carved into the side of a steep hill, going back and forth, back and forth. . . They are so annoying! I hate them! In fact, the climb was so steep and I was moving so slowly that almost every time I looked down at my Garmin, it said, "auto pause."
So Horsethief was another seemingly endless climb, all by myself. Near the top, I saw another runner ahead of me. I tried to call out to him, but he was too far to hear me. I just wanted some company! As the trail started to flatten out--finally--I began running to catch up with my new soon-to-be friend. I can't remember his name, but he was from out-of-state. He came to California to do the Old Goats 50K! At that point, I couldn't fathom why anyone would take time out of their lives to travel to a race like this! He seemed to be thinking the same thing! We soon arrived at the aid station where I began to devour a lot more food and Coke. I was in a much better mood and probably stayed there too long happily chatting with the volunteers. Then I remembered I was doing a race, so I took off. My out-of-state friend was reduced to walking at this point, so I told him I'd see him at the finish line. I actually started running, going uphill, and then back down the Main Divide. I pretty much ran to the finish line from the aid station at the top of Horsethief! I was also enjoying the views. Lake Elsinore was just down below. You could also see the snow-capped peaks of Mt. San Gorgonio and Mt. San Jacinto. Beautiful!
When the finish line came into view, everyone started cheering for me! I broke into a sprint, which is how I always like to finish a race. I crossed the line with a time of 8:37:44 and quickly saw some of my friends from the Trail Headz, like Eric Kosters, and, of course, Kirk. Eric Lumba crossed the finish line just after me, even though he started the race an hour late! Another reason I love the Trail Headz is now when I do races, I have a lot of friends there! There were a few more people from our group, but some of the faster 50K runners had gone home, while other people from our group were still on the course running the 50 miler.













Eric Lumba, Me, and Eric Kosters at the finish line
Then something unexpected happened--I guess you could call it an early birthday present. Baz decided it was time to start giving out awards. He announced the winners for 1st, 2nd, 3rd overall in males and females. Then came the age group awards. Now, the majority of trail runners are in their 30's, 40's, and 50's. Very few people in their 20's run trail races, though I don't know why. So he announced the 20-29 age group, but then said, "I don't think we had any females in the 20-29 group. Okay, 30-39 females winner is. . . " And I thought, but I'm still 29 today! And I wanted a prize, since I never win anything! So I went up to Baz afterwards and told him that I was 29 and that the very next day was my 30th birthday. He got all excited and went to double-check the list, and then said, "I have an announcement! We DO have a winner in the female 20-29 age group! This is Michelle Mecham! Now, if the race was tomorrow, she would not be getting this prize because tomorrow is her 30th birthday! But because the race is today, and she is 29, she has won first place for her age group!" So I got a glass cup with the race logo on the side and it says 1st place. Woo hoo! It turns out there were two other girls in my age group that ran. One of those girls won second overall, but Baz only gives out one prize per person. The other girl finished after I did. So first place went to me!
I learned a few good lessons that day. First of all, you have to eat on these races, no matter how little of an appetite you have. I started feeling better almost immediately after I began eating at the aid station at the top of Trabuco. I might have had a very different race if I started eating sooner.
Second: I was reminded to NEVER GIVE UP! You can do anything you put your mind to. Sometimes the biggest barriers are all in our silly minds. I'm sure this is an important lesson that will get me through future ultras.
And last, I was able to see how in these races, we all look out for each other. Kirk was my hero that day! I'll forever be grateful for his encouragement from the moment we met up. He kept talking to me which distracted me from my tired legs. He shared his food with me, when there was a full aid station just a little farther ahead. I know I was probably not the most uplifting person to be around that day, but his unselfishness meant so much to me! What a great example and an outstanding human being he is! I'm sure that someday I'll be doing some race when I come across a struggling runner. And if that does happen, I hope I could be at least half the inspiration that Kirk was that day! Thanks Kirk!

Me and Kirk

I love this sport!
Next race: 6/8/08 Holcomb Valley 33M

I did it! I'm an Ultrarunner!

Woo hoo! I called my dad yesterday afternoon our conversation went something like this: "Dad, guess what?" "What?" "I'm not a marathon runner anymore." "You're not?" "No. I'm an ULTRAmarathon runner!" "Oh! Well, I'm glad you found something you like!"

Yesterday, I crossed over into the ultrarunning world as I ran in the inaugural Unknown ?K--a 50K/31mile run through San Mateo, down off Ortega highway. Aside from the fact that this is my longest distance I've ever run, it was one of my favorite runs I've ever done. Charlie organized a supported group run (not an official race or event) for the OCTR. We had a group of about 25 people from the club running yesterday. Half of us started at 6:00 (the slow people!) and half started at 7:30 (fast!). I, of course, started with the 6:00 crew, with my new pink headlamp, 'cuz it's still dark at that time. As fun as it is to run in the dark, I am never let down when the sun rises while I'm on the trails. If you're running on dirt (as opposed to cement-ouch!), you are going to have some beautiful views. And San Mateo did not let us down. We were running through wildflowers, crossing over streams, patches of green grass, running up hills, down hills. . .

Lisa, Pete V., Kirk, and EKP

I managed to keep up with Pete and Lisa for most of the run. Around mile 10, I was running when I saw and felt a small branch hit me in the eye. It actually didn't poke me, but I felt a soft flower bud or something drag across my eye and it pulled my contact lens out!!! How does that happen!?!? I called out, "Hey guys! I just lost my contact lens!!" Lisa came over and found it immediately! "Oh, here it is!" She picked it up, rinsed it off with her water bottle, and then I took it and put it in my eye! The funny thing is, as I was packing my new hydration vest the night before, the thought of bringing an extra set of contacts crossed my mind. Then I thought, naw--why would I do that? I've never carried a spare set of contact lenses! I feel kind of old school talking about contact lenses. I heard there is this new surgery that will fix your vision. . .
The second aid station was at mile 17. I was still feeling good and strong. I had Charlie's map with me and it said that after the second aid station there was a stream crossing that there was no way around without getting wet. You had to take your shoes off and walk through. When we get there, me and Lisa sat down to take off our shoes. Suddenly, we hear some loud splashing. We looked up to see Pete just charging through it--shoes and all. Without a word, he just took off! He's probably thinking--silly girls! Then Lisa and I start walking through and, I have to say, the cold water felt sooooo good and refreshing on our feet! I even brought a clean pair of socks! As we were sitting down to put our shoes back on, we hear Charlie's voice coming down from the aid station. He was showing a group of casual day hikers how to get around the stream without getting wet (just a few feet to the left!) And then he saw me and Lisa putting our shoes and socks back on and starts making fun of us! Apparently the water level had gone back down after he made his map. That was pretty funny! But I liked having clean feet and socks!
My smile was soon gone because the next 8 miles were the longest 8 miles in my life! It was mostly climbing (which means a lot of walking for me). Lisa, Pete, and I kind of got spread out. The 7:30-ers started passing me on this stretch. I started feeling really low on energy. I kept looking at my Garmin, wishing the miles would go by faster, but it was like waiting for a pot of water to boil. The miles seemed to go on forever. At least the scenery was nice!
I finally made it to the last aid station at mile 26. At this point, it was starting to get really cold and windy. My friend Leon was waiting there with a big smile on his face. He told me I only had 5 miles to the finish. I told him I was low on energy, so he put a mixture of Monster Energy drink and Gatorade in my water bottle while I ate some little peanut butter and honey sandwiches and chocolate candy. It's amazing how quickly the human body can turn food into fuel because before I could even drink the Monster/Gatorade mixture, I was already feeling a million times better. I didn't even stay at the aid station very long because it was so cold! It was 47 degrees! And I was ready to finish the race, so I took off.

The last 5 miles of that race was probably the best race ending of any race I've done. It was beautiful, winding single track, with mostly downhill. I was suddenly in the best mood! I turned up the music on my iPod, and actually started singing out loud--Poison, Travis Tritt, Relient K, Nelson ('memba them?), Def Leppard, and Kid Rock. No one heard me, I think, but I didn't even care if they did!

Me at the finish line of the Unknown ?K

So I crossed the finish line where everyone was having their post-run meal. And, I have to say, it felt so good to do that with so many of my friends from the OCTR there. Running an ultra has long been a dream of mine, and I know I wouldn't have been able to do it without these people who have inspired me. There are also many OCTR members who did not run in the Unknown, but who have also inspired me. I'm so lucky to be around such cool people!

Of course, this is only the beginning of my life as an ultra runner. . . :)
Next race: April 12, Old Goats 50K

Two days that changed my life

This will probably sound crazy to about 99% of people out there. I've been wanting to do an ultramarathon ever since I read Dean's book, "Ultramarathon Man" about three years ago. It seems like runners all have different goals in running. For many, it's speed. They want to get faster--qualify for Boston. For other runners, they want to go the distance. That's definitely me. I mean, if someone runs Boston, or simply wants to do their personal best in 5K's and 10K's, those are awesome goals, but for me, personally, I just don't find that appealing. I've always been fascinated by distance. I know more about the ultramarathon world, such as races and top runners, than I know about the street running world. I don't know who the top marathoners are--nor do I really care!
So I read Dean's book right after I ran my first marathon in June of 2005 and knew immediately that I wanted to run ultras. I liked the idea of running really long distances and running on trails. However, I had a problem: I had just moved to Orange County from Los Angeles and didn't know where there were trails to run! I tried google-ing trail running clubs in Orange County, but couldn't find any. (OCTR didn't exist yet.) I would drive around all day for work and look at the hills behind Irvine and Tustin, and the Twin Peaks, and think, "There has to be some good trails out there!" But I didn't know where to go. Then someone told me that if I took PCH down to Laguna Beach, there was El Moro Canyon with some trails. So I drove down there and that's where I started trail running.
So now I had some trails, but I also had a new problem--no one to run with! Running trails alone is not very smart, so I would usually go on a Saturday, late in the morning, when there were lots of people around, but even then, I didn't like going very deep into the park. And I have a lot of friends who are runners, but they are street runners and weren't as motivated as I was to drive down to the trails at El Moro to run. so I rarely had someone go running with me at El Moro.
But my life was soon to change. . .
One Saturday morning--almost a year ago to the day--I was running with Rebecca in El Moro. I remember we ran up No Dogs and No Name and then crossed over to some sweet single track and we were following these two guys through the single track for a little while. Then we came out to a clearing where we all stopped for a water break. The guys said they were there that day running with a trail running club called the OC Trail Runners. They also said that some of the people in the group were running 20 miles, training for various races--marathons and longer. So of course, I was SO interested! They gave me the website and told me to come out on a run sometime. (I forgot who those guys were since it took me about 4 months to actually contact the group, so if you are reading this and remember it's you, tell me! Thank you for telling me about the OCTR!)
So, it took me 4 months to contact the group because I wanted to get in shape! That same Saturday morning in El Moro, Rebecca challenged me to start training for the 50 mile Rosarito to Ensenada bike ride, which was a month away. She told me to start incorporating spin classes into my training. (I was currently training for the Saddleback Memorial Half, the Wasatch Back relay, and the Nike Women's Marathon.) Well, I thought cycling might become a new sport for me, but I quickly became addicted to spin classes (as long as they have good music and a good instructor). I also found that the cross-training helped my running. I became a stronger runner.
After doing the Rosarito to Ensenada ride (on a mountain bike!), I soon after gave up sugar and sweets. It was a $100 bet Holly and I made for 6 months. It went from Memorial Day to Thanksgiving. It's amazing the difference I felt in my overall levels of energy. By July, I was feeling good and healthy. I contacted the OCTR and heard back from Wendy Garcia. She gave me a list of runs to go on. I remember preparing for that first run like I was preparing to run a marathon. I made sure to eat really healthy the few days before. I rested my legs for a couple days. I got a good night's sleep the night before. I mean, I had no idea how good these people were going to be! We were going on a 13 mile run in Whiting Ranch and I had no idea how hilly it would be either. I didn't want to show up and humiliate myself as a bunch of strangers were being let down and having to stop and wait for me to catch up!!! I imagined they would probably be muttering to themselves, "Maybe we should have a better screening process for newbies." "Look at this girl, she is in way over her head." And then they would tell me this group probably wasn't for me and I was afraid I would be embarrassed if I ever saw them again on the trails. And then I would go home dejected. :(
OK, that didn't happen. I mean, I went running with them and they were cool! I remember meeting Wendy, Skip, Corrinne, Kiko (where's he been?) and a few others, and they were so cool! I felt strong that day even though I wasn't used to so many hills, and kept up the pace just fine! I learned that you run a lot slower on trails--maybe a 12-15 minute mile--with walking breaks. Everyone was so friendly and I absolutely loved running with a group! I was immediately hooked on trail running.
So that was the other day that changed my life.
Since then, I have been running with the OC Trail Runners almost every Saturday morning and sometimes mid-week runs. I've also done my first trail races--Bulldog 25K, Boney Mountain 21K, Calico 30 (or 33?)K, and WTRS 18K--all with the goal of training for an ultra. But I also have to say that I have made some great friends with the OCTR. They are the coolest group of people. Running trails is great, but it is even better when you run with so many great people! I have loved every minute of my experiences with the OC Trail Runners!

Yeah, I Know, I'm a Lazy Blogger!

Okay, it's January, and I've got some catching up to do! Some of the next few posts will be looking back at some other adventures I've had this past year. I realize I am bad at keeping up with my blogging, so I will do a better job!

Whitney Mountaineers - Best Hike Ever!

Rhett, Jared, Brad, Maryann, Michelle, Kevin at 14,505 feet

Last Thursday and Friday, August 9-10, I went to go climb Mt. Whitney. It was my second time summiting this mountain! The first time I did it was in September 2006. It was such an amazing experience that I had to do it again!
Mt. Whitney is just 4 hours away from Huntington Beach in the Sierras and stands at an altitude of 14,505 feet. It's the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states. The Main Route to the summit is a very popular hike, starting at the Whitney Portal at 8,360 feet. It's a non-technical route, 11 miles each way. That's the route I did last year with my friends, Rebecca and Alysha.
This year, I went with some friends from Huntington Beach. The guys in my group wanted to take the Mountaineer's Route, which is a more direct route to the top! We covered the same elevation gain in 4.7 miles! It was so much fun!!! When I signed up to do it, I wasn't sure exactly what this technical route entailed, but I've always had this attitude that if other people can do it, so can I!
We've been planning this climb since February when Jared and Kevin got the passes. To train for this, some of us hiked Mt. San Jacinto out by Palm Springs in July. We are all in pretty good shape, though. I've been doing lots of trail running and just started cycling, and all of us were well prepared.
The trip started Thursday morning when I met up with my friends, Kevin, Maryann, and Rhett. We drove up to Lone Pine, a small town which Highway 395 passes through. Most people recognize this as the road to Mammoth. I remember looking out the car window on the drive and seeing the massive granite peaks of the Sierra's rising to the west. They are stunning to look at! And I was headed to the top!

You can see Keeler's Needles and the Whitney summit very faintly in the center background.

After a delicious Mexican lunch (chocolate banana chimichangas anyone?), we ran into a local grocery store to get a few more last-minute food items, and then we headed up the 13 mile road to the Whitney Portal! For a little motivation we blasted Journey's "Don't Stop Believin" as we headed up that steep, winding road towards the mountains.
Once we arrived, we parked the car and gathered all our gear. The daytime weather was in the 60's at the Portal and no rain was in the forecast. We were anticipating nighttime lows in the 30's to 40's, and we all had warm sleeping bags, so we decided to leave the tent in the car. That also took about 15 pounds off Rhett's backpack, which I'm sure he appreciated! I've become a huge fan of sleeping out under the stars anyway. And every August at this time is the Perseids meteor shower, so I didn't want to miss the show!
So we took off on the hike, first weighing our packs. I had the lightest with a pack of 24 lbs! And Rhett, despite leaving the tent in the car, still had the heaviest at 35 lbs. He was carrying the bear canister with all of our food. We were hiking up in bear country, so our permits require us to carry bear-proof containers. All food and anything else smelly has to go inside overnight--toothpaste, deodorant, lotions, etc. I've heard that bear sightings are pretty rare around there now since they know they can't get into the canisters. But we want to keep it that way, so everyone continues to bring their bear canisters!
We started off on the Climber's Route at the far west end of the campgrounds, which met up with the Main Trail for a few hundred feet. We then crossed a little stream and then found our route, which immediately got steeper! The Mountaineer's Route was kind of hard to follow. Kevin had some instructions that he'd printed off the internet which said to basically follow the path of least resistance. We knew which direction we needed to go, so we took off bushwhacking our way through the woods! Occasionally we'd see little orange ties on the trees, and try to follow those, but the trail was not always that obvious! There was a huge granite wall we tried to follow, but often found ourselves back in the trees, crossing streams, and climbing up some rocks. It was a blast trying to navigate those trees with my huge backpack on my back! It was really pretty in there, too! There were lots of flowers and waterfalls.
After a while, we climbed onto some rocks and I immediately recognized where we were from some pictures I'd seen of the Mountaineer's Route. We were on the Ledges. They look a lot scarier than they actually are. The ledges take you up along this granite wall with a pretty steep drop to the bushes and trees below. It didn't take us long to clear the ledges before we were back on some more trails. The trees were starting to thin out and we stayed on the trail by looking for cairns. As we climbed higher, we could see another mountain range far to the east and Lone Pine in the valley below. It was beautiful!
At about 10,000 feet, we came upon Lower Boy Scout Lake. A good thing about hiking up there is the plentiful water sources. We had a water filter to keep refilling our Camelbacks. Fresh mountain water is some of the best water I've ever tasted! We continued up the mountain and at about 7 p.m., we met up with Jared and his friend, Brad, and Upper Boy Scout Lake. This is where we planned to camp for the night at 11,300 feet.
We found a nice flat spot with lots of rocks to block the wind and set up camp. We were able to refill our bladders with fresh purified water from the lake and had a delicious dinner of Stove Top stuffing and tuna! For dessert was a raspberry crumble. It really hit the spot. Even though we had only hiked 2.7 miles, it still took us 4 hours to do being on the steep trail and navigating through the bushes, so we were exhausted and ready for a good night's sleep. We laid out our sleeping bags and went to bed, but no one slept too well! One of the effects of high altitude is insomnia. This happened to me last year when we slept at 12,000 feet. My heart rate was really high, too, since my body was not used to the lack of oxygen. No one really slept all that well for the first few hours, maybe dozing off for 20 minutes or so. Around 1:00 a.m., Kevin, Maryann, and I got up to watch the stars. The meteor shower was supposed to be best in the pre-dawn hours, but we couldn't sleep, so we got up for stargazing. We only saw a few shooting stars and Mars. It was actually a perfect night to look at the stars since there was no moon. The Milky Way was perfectly clear and I don't think I've ever seen so many stars in my life! In Huntington Beach, I think I can only see about six stars!
After about 20 minutes, I took an Advil PM and went back to bed. I fell asleep quite easily and didn't wake up until about 7:00 a.m.
We got up and had oatmeal and fruit for breakfast. The we packed up camp and hit the trails. From Upper Boy Scout Lake to the summit was a much steeper climb. We had only two miles to go, but a climb of over 3,000 feet! The first part of that climb was not too bad. I would say the route became much more difficult after we passed Iceberg Lake at 12,200 feet.
Suddenly we were walking on a bunch of loose rocks. The rocks were big enough we could walk on them, but we still had to watch our balance because they would occasionally slip. There really was no more trail. Everyone just had to find their own way at this point. It was so steep, we were often climbing on all fours to keep our balance. We were all moving at a pretty slow pace now, since the rocks beneath us kept sliding out and occasionally falling below.
Mt. Whitney was right there in front of us. We came to a long scree slope of about a 45 degree angle to the right of the peak. Looking up, we could see some people rock climbing the face of the mountain, taking an even more direct route than us! The scree slowed us down even more. There were some large granite rocks off to the side which we tried climbing. I had never rock climbed before. It was a lot of fun, but I also had to remain focused because if I slipped and fell, I would land on the loose rocks below and probably slide a little ways down the slope. Thankfully, there were lots of sweet hand holds and foot holds. And my trail running shoes had some serious grip! The guys were all real helpful in showing me where to climb and where to place my feet an hands. After a while, we reached the top of the slope. We were at a notch where we could see the next mountain range to the west. The Mt. Whitney summit was only a few hundred more feet up!
But now we had a climb at about a 70 degree angle! There was another trail that from there met up with the Main Route. Maryann and I looked at each other and considered meeting up with the guys at the summit, while they took this more vertical route. But they talked us into climbing up the more vertical route with them. I liked the rock climbing and bouldering a lot, but I have to admit, it was a little scary. We didn't have any special equipment. Each rock we climbed brought us to a spot where we could stop and sit an put our backpacks down if we had to. Anyway, we continued up the steep rocks and a short time later, we reached the top! I knew I was there when I could see the hut! We all went and signed the register. I wrote, "My greatest adventure yet!"
The six of us celebrated, with some Henry Weinhard's root beer we carried all the way up with us. We sat around for a while, basking in our achievement and reflecting on the journey. We took lots of pictures, and then decided it was time to get going. Kevin asked that we all do him a huge favor--or I should say, do his mom a huge favor. She asked that we sing, "How Great Thou Art" at the summit. He had the words printed out, so before we began our descent, we sang the hymn. It was so appropriate, as I looked at the beautiful scenery around us. Then we began the 11 mile trek down the Main Route. Maryann, Kevin, Rhett and I split from Jared and Brad at that point, since they were going to take their time and spend another night on the mountain, so we said our goodbyes and took off. It was Friday afternoon and we were down off the mountain and drove back to Huntington Beach that night.
The tallest mountain in the lower 48 states is literally in our backyard. It's funny that I never knew that until about a year ago. The only thing I don't like about hiking Mt. Whitney is that the trip is so short. It seems like I should be gone a week to do something like this. Oh well, I guess I should just consider it training for my next mountain! Knowing me, I'll probably look back at this someday and laugh and say, "And I thought I was so tough!"