Taper Time in the French and Swiss Alps

After landing in Frankfurt and picking up our wheels, Mom and I headed south. The forest was beckoning so we took a detour on the Schwarzwald Hochstrasse (Black Forest Crest Road) and stumbled upon a trailhead at the NaturPark Bühlertal. I ran up to the Badener Hohe, an old tower with spiraling staircase and splendid view of the Bühler river valley, while Mom walked down and back from the Bühler Hohe overlook. It was quite humid but our legs appreciated the ramble and then it was back to the road and fighting off jet lag into Freiburg. We stayed at the Hotel Bierhäusle, outside the center of town near the Paduaallee tram stop, and enjoyed a delicious dinner of roasted trout, spinach, and buttered noodles. The next morning we walked on the Dreissam Uferweg along the Driessam river before breakfast. Then we rode the tram into Freiburg Mitte to Bertolds Brunnen to visit the Münster cathedral and climb up to the top of the clock tower of this Gothic gem. Small canals, called Freiburger Bächle, cross the center of the city, enhancing the urban space and delighting children who run along and pull small wooden boats. We stocked up on fruit at an outdoor market and were on the road for Chamonix by noon.  



Freiburg's Old Town, Photo by Peter Jaeger

We entered Switzerland and the rolling, verdant hillside were a treat to the senses.  A ways after Bern, I spotted a sign for Gruyéres and was excited to be so close to where Gruyére cheese comes from.  So we took the winding road up to the charming mountain village, strolled about, sampled some cheese, and enjoyed the sights and sounds of cows clanging and grazing.  We continued south up and over the harrowing Col de La Forclaz and into France. The views of Mont Blanc as we came into Chamonix were stunning! If we’d known how the weather would change we would have taken a picture, but we were itching to get into Chamonix and Les Contamines. We arrived at the Hotel Chemenaz around 7:30pm, a lovely place with a balcony overlooking a rock mastiff and very friendly host Francois.  I met a trail runner from England competing in the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) and had a nice chat with him and his family. A new trail runner friend I met at the Tahoe Rim Trail race, Carly, is also running the UTMB.  The next morning we had a marvelous breakfast spread and set out on the trails around 10:30am.  I met a hiker from London, Alec, who recommended I check out the Col de Bonhomme, his favorite day hike in the area. Mom made it to the Notre Dame de la Gorge and I continued on a few miles more, enjoying 3835’ of climbing to the Col de Bonhomme at 7641 feet. I made good time on the trails, especially coming down.  Later we strolled a mile into town along a river path for ice cream and dinner fixings (salad and bread). The weather changed and we were caught in a downpour on our return.  We found out the UTMB race had been delayed 5 hours due to the major storm.  Instead of a 6:30pm start, 2300 runners would be waiting around until 11:30pm.  I had originally planned to cheer runners coming by the trail next to our hotel around 9:30 or 10pm, but after the race delay, I said a little prayer for Carly and Brian and went to sleep.

We awoke early and headed into Chamonix to check out “the Cham” and stock up on gear for my race.  The town was overflowing with thousands of trail runners and The North Face had set up huge monitors in the town center with live feed of the trail race in progress and highlights from recently finished races.  It is a weeklong festival of trail running with 4 races.  We saw a bit of the awards ceremony but were soon distracted by macaroons and more shopping!  I’m stoked about my Salomon SLab 12L pack, it seems perfectly designed for running, and is just large enough to carry my water, mandatory gear and poles without any added bulk. I got some ridiculous looking shoes (Hoka One One) that I’m thinking about using a couple of days during the race, due to their supposed ability to reduce stress on the quads from downhill running.  I figure I need every advantage I can get, but I’m worried they won’t be good for side angle trails, as they are on a platform that makes certain terrain awkward. They did well on a long test run yesterday, but I need to get more miles on them, and even then it’ll be a game day decision I think, as it might not be worth the risk.

Photo from Grindelwald of the Eiger North Face by Gavin Hellier

We hit the road around 1pm for Switzerland and made it to the Hotel Glacier in Grindelwald a little after 5pm. The weather cleared up, clear and sunny with blue skies. The country drive was beautiful, narrow mountain roads with steep hillsides on either side full of grapevines. Mom observed all the slugbugs on the road and rightly surmised that there was a gathering. We soon passed the International Meet of VW fanatics at Chateaux d’Oex.  We got out for a walk and run as soon as we arrived at the Hotel, along the Schwarze Lütschine River (we call it the chocolate milk river!) and up a steep trail to Marmorburch.  Supper on our balcony facing the Eiger North Face, watching the sunset and alpine glow, was an experience we would repeat each night.  Dinner was almond butter from U.S., bread from Les Contamines, fruit from Freiburg, salad from Grindelwald, and dessert from Chamonix. We went to bed early and the next day explored the trails above Grindelwald, after taking a 2 hour nap after breakfast!  Hey, that’s what tapering is all about, right? I took a narrow, winding singletrack up, up, up from the Hotel Gletschersclucht that eventually popped out above the tree line and rambled along below the North Face.  After a misstep that led into the snow and a Via Ferrata up the North Face, I found my route again and arrived at the Eigergletscher at 2320m, a little over 8 miles from Grindelwald.  What a treat to find a lovely restaurant with terrace overlooking the glacier.  A cup of hot chocolate and cream slice hit the spot and fueled my return trip.  I met Barry and Michelle, a lovely American couple living in London, who had enjoyed the hike up from Wengen and were taking the train down.  I returned to Grindelwald on the fast, runnable downhill through Kleine Scheidegg, Alpiglen, Brandiegg, and Grund, keeping time with the train running parallel to me for a kilometer or so!  

The Eiger trail ends at this great view and restaurant

We close our time in Grindelwald with a ride to the “top of Europe,” the highest train station in the world, the Junfraujoch.  We took the ‘good morning’ train to seize the day and save 62 CHF.  It’s amazing to think that 100 years ago the Swiss were tunneling through rock and up intense grades to provide access to high mountain territory to the masses.  The views from 11,716' of Mönch, Jungfrau, Wetterhorn, the valley below, and distant mountains in France were spectacular. Yes, it’s a tourist trap, but worth it if you can go early when it’s calm atop the Sphynx overlook and a lovely time for a stroll on the Glacier. On our way down, the trains full of large tourist groups were beginning to arrive and we were thankful for our early start.  Tomorrow morning we’ll squeeze in one last trail run and walk and depart for Füssen where we’ll hunker down until the race. 

Only 5 days until TransAlpine Run!  My Aunt arrives Tuesday and Karl arrives Thursday.  Apologies for no pictures of our own. Mom and I are quite the pair, as I lost my camera charger and she lost her cable to transfer pictures to the computer. We’ll get some from Mom’s camera in time, we’re taking lots. Until then, I'd love to hear from you! Reading your blog comments and email is a joy. 

All Over Hell's Half Acre + Redemption

"I'm sorry I suggested Mt. Diablo." Karl

"I'm sorry I said yes."   Sarah

Eager to squeeze in a last long run together before I left the country, and looking for something steep and new, Karl and I chose Mt. Diablo one warm August day. The forecast called for a high of 76 (it was 93!), and that was reason enough for me to say yes, rather than my usual "Diablo is for the winter months" refrain. Karl planned a great route that would take us up Eagle Peak, to Rock City, the Diablo summit, North Peak, and back to Mitchell Canyon. We hit the trail around a quarter 'til 10am, which was our 2nd mistake. I forgot my hat and favorite sunscreen and within a couple of miles had sunscreen running into my eyes and knew it was going to be a long day. Karl was less positive than normal so I knew he wasn't having fun either. We modified our route to cut out Rock City, as I was running out of water and had no interest in running down a steep hill from Juniper Campground only to turn around and come up again to the summit. Thankfully we found abundant water around Juniper and at the Summit, as we were drinking a ton due to the heat. Poison Oak covered the mountain as thickly as icing on a homemade cake. 5 miles had over 600' climbing and several more were in the 400-500' range. There were only short stretchs (less than 25% of the route I estimate) that were truly runnable. Some of the downhills were slower than the uphills. An intensely steep stretch covered in scree landed us both on our butts coming down North Peak. No scrapes though! I hated the single-track downhill that felt impossible to get into a rhythm on. It felt like a thankless reward for all the climbing we'd done. My toes were jamming into the front of my shoe on the steep downhills and in pain. When the parking lot was at last in sight, I squeezed the last bit of my water onto my head. Both were so hot, it felt like a mini-sauna!

Dreaming of chocolate milk post-run at Mitchell Canyon parking lot

You can laugh or cry at how slow going it was, I did both. Final stats: 19 miles in 5 hrs 5 min with 5867' elevation gain. Afterwards I realized this might actually be a good pace for us at TransAlpine and got a little sad at the idea of possibly going even slower. I'm pretty sure TransAlpine is on better constructed and maintained trails, with no chance of heat like Diablo, so that should make it more enjoyable! Hopefully our hellish day on Mt. Diablo will give us a reservoir of strength to draw upon during tough days on the TransAlpine Run. 

The upside of a very slow day on trails is that you aren't very sore the next day. The next day we redeemed ourselves on Mt. Tamalpais with about 10 friends from the Strawberry Canyon Track Club. We got in a lovely 12.5 mile run on Coastal, Cataract, Old Railgroad Grade, and Old Stagecoach trails. We summited Mt. Tam's East Peak at 2572 feet and had a pancake breakfast together afterwards. I love how trail running is so much more than just a way to burn calories and get some fresh air. It's a chance to catch up with friends or steal moments alone. It's a way of life. Less than a day after our miserable slog on Diablo I was back in love with trails and looking forward to my next adventure!

PS. No offense to Hell's Half Acre volcanic area on the Snake River Plain of Idaho. I'm sure it's nothing like Diablo in the summer, but just to be safe I'm not adding it to my Places to Run list.

High on Life

Training is often demanding and not necessarily fun, but it should always be rewarding! Jack Daniels

Mt. Yale Summit

I spent the first week of August training in Colorado, courtesy of my favorite Aunt. I holed up in Buena Vista at the base of the Collegiate Peaks and got in a great week of mountain running, with some hiking thrown in for good measure. I explored new trails, all at 9,000'+ and revisited trails I ran in 2007 during the TransRockies race. I summitted Mt. Yale at 14,196', ran along the Continental Divide at 12,000', and ran from Turquoise Lake up Hagerman Pass. I ran through the rain and mud, but when lightening came, I played it safe and retreated to lower ground! 

At the start of this run, I wanted to stay in the car and listen to a book on tape.
But soon enough I was smiling!

I soaked in Cottonwood Creek to ice my legs and slept like a baby every night. I had visions of watching movies and cooking gourmet meals, but the miles were slow and the days were long, and I don't regret any of them! I had a blast running trails with my friend Jacob at Rampart Reservoir near Woodland Park, who was kind enough to slow waay down for me. Visiting the Olympic Training Center where he works was an unexpected bonus. My Aunt surprised me with an appointment at her favorite massage studio at the end of my visit-- the perfect ending to a solid week. Miles logged: 90

Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs



Moonrise on the Tahoe Rim Trail

Last month I had everything lined up for a typical Tahoe training weekend when a last minute invitation came my way. Would I pace a friend of a friend for 30 miles of his first 100 miler at the Tahoe Rim Trail Race? The Tahoe Rim Trail Race takes place on high elevation alpine and sub-alpine forest trails in the Carson Spur of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Several friends have completed the race, and I would already be in the area to volunteer, train, and hang with my friend Gretchen, so I was intrigued. After googling Tom's recent race results and a reassuring phone chat I answered "Yes, please!" And off to Carson City I went, arriving just in time for the race briefing on course conditions and to meet my runner. Tom was warm and friendly and had a good race plan. I began to warm up to the thought of spending 7+ hours with him on the trails from miles 50-80. Gretchen and I jetted after the race briefing, cooked dinner, relaxed and turned in early in Truckee.

Saturday morning I slept in and went for a peaceful walk in the woods with Gretchen's husband Andrew and the dogs. I did yoga and ate a hearty lunch. Tom had been on the trails since 5am. Just thinking about it made me tired, so I napped to prepare for the late day run. I followed the live race updates and showed up at Spooner Lake State Park around 2:45pm to get in the zone and chat with other runners. I finally met Devon in person and also enjoyed meeting ultra runners Nathan, Larissa, Brett, and Carly. Tom arrived a little before 4pm. He was nailing his projected pace and looked great! After a bit of delay we left the Aid Station around 4:15pm.

Sarah and Tom at Mile 50

Hobart, Tunnel Creek, Red House, Bull Wheel, the Tahoe Rim Trail race had an Aid Station around every corner! I checked with Tom before each Aid Station to see what he needed to keep stops as short as possible. Real food is a major advantage of going slow! While helping my runner, I found time to eat everything from grilled cheese to sweet potato burrito bites. I loved the trail between Hobart and Tunnel Creek and from Tunnel Creek to Bull Wheel. Climbing up to Marlette Lake and overlooking Lake Tahoe in the late day sun was spectacular. Due to a mix up, Tom was without critical gear, so I loaned him my headlamp and used a hand held flashlight another runner donated. As the evening chilled, I put on all my warm clothing. We paused to take in the moon rise and to feel our place on the earth. We saw the front runners on their way back, and continued to slowly and steadily make progress into the night. It was very challenging to stay on course in the dark, especially through the forest between Bull Wheel and Diamond Peak. Thankfully Tom was alert and we stayed on course with only a few detours. No one passed us during my time on the trails with Tom. The loneliness of a 100 mile race without a pacer would be extreme I imagine!

Diamond Peak Aid Station: How does Tom still look so good at mile 80.5?

At Mile 80.5, Tom was met by his mom and dog and pacer Jenelle. Jenelle would cover the last 20 miles with Tom, seeing the sun rise and rejoicing in the finish of his first 100 mile race. Tom finished in an impressive 16th place in 25:32:34. His brother and mom were there at the finish, but I confess I was fast asleep. Only 65 out of 114 entrants completed the 100 mile race, a testament to the tough conditions out there. That July night the Tahoe area had the all time low temperatures in the nation. After leaving Tom in good hands with Jenelle a little after midnight, I headed back to Spooner Lake State Park to pick up my gear. There I enjoyed a hot chocolate and happened to catch 2nd place runner, Thomas Reiss, cross the finish line a little before 2am, just under 21 hours. All in all a great weekend! I feel more confident about the 50K distance and better prepared for the slow miles we are sure to face during the technical sections of the TransAlpine race. No stats to share on the 30.5 miles, as my Garmin ran out of battery around mile 27. Special thanks to the Nevada State troopers for only giving me a warning for going 69 in a 50 zone instead of a $400 ticket. I don't normally speed, but I'm pretty sure the design speed of that road is at least 75! If you're driving into Carson City, take care!

Clean Air for All: from the streets of East Oakland

by Kent Lewandowski

This blog isn't just about the TransAlpine race, but also a way for you to become more familiar with the local chapter of the Sierra Club, the benefactor of my fundraising run. I'm delighted to present a guest post by my friend Kent Lewandowski, who lives in Oakland and volunteers for the Club more than anyone I know. Kent serves on the Sierra Club Bay Chapter Executive Committee, is the former Chair of the Northern Alameda County Group, leads Club hikes and camping trips, attends countless City Council, Planning Commission, and organizing meetings, and still finds time to walk the streets of East Oakland for our Port of Oakland Campaign. Thank you Kent.

Recently I spent an afternoon walking International Boulevard in East Oakland recording license plates from Port trucks to measure Port trucking activity in residential and commercial areas. The Sierra Club is partnering with the Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports (CCSP), to survey and identify areas where Oakland 's Truck Routes and Prohibited Streets rule is not being enforced or observed.[1]  We hope to demonstrate to local elected officials and City/Port staff the need to address issues of environmental justice in East and West Oakland. Diesel trucks that are used for the movement of raw materials and consumer goods to and from the Port of Oakland have public health impacts on affected low-income communities.[2] Without enforcement of truck route regulations, and without better working conditions for the Port truck drivers, there is little incentive for drivers to observe existing rules. 

Going the Distance

"If you start to feel good during an ultra, don't worry you will get over it. - Gene Thibeault"

Karl and I enjoy a cool, foggy day at the Golden Gate 50K, Rodeo Beach

Karl and I toed the line at the Golden Gate 50K to get in a long training run July 23rd. Put on by Coastal Trail runs, the race was very well attended, but most ran the shorter distances. I started in no mood for a run, feeling sore from recent training, just hoping to finish the distance and log a solid training run. It was great to catch up with Erika at the starting line, who ran the 30K, just days after her 85 mile adventure on the Tahoe Rim Trail. I took it easy, thankful for the cool, foggy day that made the run much more enjoyable. Ok, honestly my mood was not exactly thankful but then I thought about runners across the nation in 100+ degree heat, like my friend Libby in Texas training for her first marathon and my friend Jonathan in New York City, and stopped feeling sorry for myself! After 6 or 7 miles, I sent Karl ahead as I knew I would have plenty of folks to run with along the way. The views of the Pacific Ocean, including Pirate's Cove, Muir Beach, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Pt Bonita were stunning,  improving my mood considerably, but for the first few hours I was still just plain tired and wondering a little if I'd be able to finish the 50K. The course was a mix of beautiful singletrack, wider trails, steep stairs, and gradual, runnable hills. The second time up the steep Coastal trail I realized I was pulling away from runners I had just passed, and started to feel more confident about the last 13 miles. I continued to maintain a steady, even effort and passed many in the last 9 miles of the race.  

Karl had a strong race, making up quite a bit of time after the slow miles with me to finish in 5th place in 5:05:12. I finished the 31.4 miles and 6378' ascent in 5:46:04. I was pretty surprised to hear my name announced as top woman (12th overall). This is the first year of this particular course, so my training run time is also the new course record. How funny! Now that I'm a sponsored runner (chuckle) I guess I've got to make GU proud.

 

Look Mom, I won a mug! Jagged elevation profile shows the course. 

Special thanks to Ajith and Rachel for making an awesome grill party come together at my place post-race. Food and friendship is so important to proper recovery! Another weekend discovery- pie is pretty fantastic pre and post race! But you probably already knew that. I love long summer days and nights!