Training in Truckee

The Sierras are some of the greatest mountains around! With my big mountain objective in sight I've been spending the majority of my time running in them. Training to go up hill and up hill and up hill. Every run I feel like I learn something new! So this is my current gear list and tips I've learned. (My objective involves many miles of mostly unsupported running deep in the mountains.)

Black Diamond blaze pack- at first you may think that's huge how can anyone run in that!? It's true it is big and awkward but it gets the job done and fits everything I need. My tips for running with a large pack like this is to wear it loosely. At first you may want to strap it down as tight as possible fight this urge. It will cause lots of chaffing and bruising of the back. Which brings me to my next point to always wear a tight technical shirt. This allows for the pack to slide back and forth on the shirt and not on your skin were it will chaff (I've chaffed alot) why do you need such a big bag well for this objective you'll want all the food and water and layers you can get. Another tip is to always run with the pack on your training runs! You'll never get good at moving fast with a large pack unless you practice practice practice. Every run from 6 to 40 always wear it. Trust me it gets easier.

1.5 liter osprey bladder - this fits nicely in the blaze pack bladder pouch and fits right in the hose clip. My tip for this is to make sure the clip to the hose is low on the backpack straps during fast down hills. Otherwise you will continually get pistol whipped in the face by the hose which hurts and is a bit demoralizing. It is nice to have a bladder so you don't have to continually take off your pack to get to the water and slow you down. And hopefully you will hydrate enough and not become dehydrated. This also frees up your hands for my next item.

Ultra distance black diamond running poles - for this objective they are a necessity. A objective with lots of elevation gain over lots and lots of miles it will be nice to have your arms helping out the legs. I have found that it's alot easier to store the poles in your pack on the down hills then have them out. I find I move slower with my poles out on the down hills trying to place and having them get stuck in rocks. For short down hills and rolling parts of the trail I'll just carry them horizontal in my hands. Similar to the pack make sure you take them on all your runs from any distance. The only way to get better at moving fast with poles is to use them and practice.

1 liter platypus - I pack along another water container for an electrolyte drink. This is stored in pack and I tend to only get it out on summits. I like to use nuun tablets. Something a little extra to give a burst and replenish salt.

Gels and baby food! - anything and everything you can never have too much food! I like to stick a couple gels in the side pockets of the backpack so I don't forget to fuel and so I don't have to take the pack off.

Extra clothing - I always pack a jacket (patagonia nano puff), a rain jacket, a pair of rain pants, a buff, gloves, and extra socks. Things that could become essentially if the weather turns in the mountains or once it gets dark.

Lighting - I bring a headlamp and a hand held flash light. You can't have too much light if it is going to be an all night run.

Shoes - I'm currently running in a pair of water proof salomon shoes. This means that baby powder is your bestfriend. Dry feet mean less blisters and in water proof shoes dry feet is not always the case with all the sweating.

I'm sure I have more to say but I can't think about it right now. I'll report back after/during my trip to CO.

Time to train in the real mountains!

-Naomi and Lopi

More Tahoe Please

Truckee. This weekend couldn't have been any better. I drove in Friday night and took a quick night run on the PCT. I used my handheld flashlight and my handlamp. It was good practice since I tend to be a very bad night runner. I then crawled in the back of my Subaru with lopi spooned up real close and fell asleep.
 I woke with the sun Saturday morning at the ripe hour of 5am. I hung out ate some food got changed and prepared for the long run ahead. I was training so I carried my running backpack with a liter and a half of water for me and a liter of water for lopi. Along with a light jacket a few gels and a headlamp just in case. This weekend was also my time to test out and break in the trekking poles! At first I felt like a baby giraffe learning to walk but the more I ran the more in rhythm I became. It was amazing having the work of my legs being relieved slightly by my arms... Running with poles almost feels like cheating!

I ran a fun loop up the PCT over castle peak across to basin peak back down to the PCT and then over andesite peak. The total elevation gain was only about 3000 feet and 10 miles but each of the peaks reached close to 9000 feet tall. I felt good and wanted to keep running but with my recent injuries I tend to back off once I finish my objective in fear of over doing things. You know what they say... If you feel really good, rest. That's how you get yourself in trouble.
 We finished so early in the day that Lopi and I just lizarded around for awhile by donner lake. Later that evening we met up with a friend and climbed at donner summit and the star wall. I was pretty worked and haven't been free climbing very hard lately so I just belayed mostly. It was nice to get out and watch all these guys crush. Got me stoked on free climbing again.

I spent the night in Truckee with little sleep and got a late start around 10am. I headed back out to the PCT and decided to check out a trail that was not on my map. It was called the donner lake rim trail. It turned out to be a mountain bike trail which happen to be some of my favorite running trails. The climbs tend to be short and mellow and the trail just rolls through the mountains for miles! With just a hand held water bottle I knew I couldn't go to far in the heat so I made a short loop out to summit lake and back only about 7 miles which was the perfect amount for me on a tired and lazy Sunday. 
After my run I took a really long nap followed by some time out on the dock and ending in more climbing at the star wall or in my case belaying. The guy I was with then drove me up the pass a little farther to show me some sick trails to check out. I'm ridiculously stoked on the Tahoe area right now! So many trails and mountains to run. So little time!!

Toulumne What Dreams Are Made Of

The weather in the Yosemite called for rain and more rain. Friday night Molly and I drove into a damp valley and contemplated if climbing Cathedral peak would be the best idea with the impending weather. The last thing you want to do is be on the top of a peak with a ton of gear on when lightning strikes. However we were stoked so we decided a 3am start was the only way to guarantee we wouldn't get wet (or electrocuted). Everything about the day was perfect and we were safe and sound back in the car when the rain and lightning started to come down. It has been a long time since I've laughed so hard that I cried but this weekend I did it over and over again. Good company. A weekend I won't soon forget.