Virtual Tahoe 200

September 15, 2021

Virtual Tahoe 200

I knew this 200-mile run would have its moments. First, the sheer distance and the unknown of how my body might hold up. Secondly, the unknown of who would show up in-person and online to help raise money for Kim and Christopher's GFM.

I finished the run less than 48hrs ago and my brain is still a foggy mess and mostly wanting to nap after pizza-eating sessions. But before I head back to work and get "busy" again, I figured I would write down what I can remember.

I have a lot of people to thank for making this happen and helping this California family. I'll try to mention every person and name I can remember in a brief summary.

I started the run with Craig at 6:00am on Friday morning. I would be staying at Craig's house each night and running to/from his house to the trail head. Once I started my watch I could not stop the watch or get in a moving vehicle until I finished. John and Karen Bezou, my crew chiefs with @hypoxiaperformance, were at the section 16 trailhead to greet me first thing Friday morning. I would be on this 5.5-mile loop with >1,200ft of elevation gain for most of my mileage (~156 miles) and on the final day would switch mostly to the road (Gold Camp Rd & Bear Creek Rd).

I’d had a very cranky right hip since Leadville. In the two weeks prior to starting the virtual Tahoe run, even short, easy runs of 3-4 miles would cause some discomfort. My right hip predictably flared after a few miles into my first section 16 loop. Feeling somewhat desperate to be able to run comfortably, I dry-needled myself after only my second loop. I also switched from Altra Lone Peaks to Bedrock sandals for two loops and then to Altra King MTs to see if that changed the way my muscles were working. I used the hypervolt massager nearly every loop that first day in an attempt to loosen my hip muscles. I briefly entertained the idea that I might have to walk the whole thing and forgo almost all sleep in order to finish in time.

Already I felt I was in mitigation mode. But what could I expect having done Leadville less than 3 weeks ago? That's when I realized that one of two things were going to happen and I just relaxed. My stiff and painful hip was either going to get worse and maybe stop me, or it was going to submit to the beat down. I realize that's not a great way for a physical therapist to think about her body, but as a long-time runner, I knew the truth of my options. I decided that I would continue on the trail with an open mind.

Friday was also a very hot day but my crew had provisions to help me tolerate the heat, plenty of electrolytes, cold water and drinks, and ice-cold bandanas to wrap around my neck. All I could do in those conditions was to keep moving forward, be steady, stay focused, and don't blow up. Seeing friends come later in the day on Friday gave me a mental boost and I made my goal of over 50-miles.

The number of people who met me on the trail over the weekend to pace has already become a blur. These are the people I remember over my 200-mile journey. Craig Sommerdorf did 60, 70+ miles with me over the 4 days. Kelly Kaim, Dreama Walton, Brittany Lee, Erin Slivka, Brian Balliett, John Keller, Lisa Heisey, Tim McNamara, Shelby Johnson, Kimberly Reece, Katie Katalin, Brenna Wozniak, Ivan Schwendt, Justin Kraft, Jeff Flory, Emily Kleinburd, Kelly Propst, Elizabeth Norte, Chad Raper, Tony Clement, Erica Davis, Sheryl Hudson, Rachel Lo, Kevin Montford, Wendy Stalnaker, Denise Flory, Melissa Stapanowich, and Chica! You can quickly see how this was different than any “normal” 200-mile race that someone might do.

Melissa and Brandon Stapanowich, Dan Fuhr, Robin Tiemans, Annie Ford, Denise Flory, Lynne Day and Jay Watts, and God knows who else kept bringing me food. Denise, Lynne, and Jay did many, many hours at the aid station with the Bezous for several days. They also dressed in costumes to keep things interesting (see photos later).

Many other friends came to the aid station for a morale boost, Lindsay Nelson, Audrey Bauer, Julie Andrews, Donnie Wisenbaker, Joe Saliba, Calla Balliett, Tim McNamara, and Andrea Schmuttermair to name people I can remember. Doggies came too

Who else am I forgetting?!

Something magical happened on day 2 and my right hip muscles stopped throwing a fit. I guess that was submission? The major challenge of day 2 was the record-breaking heat. Already enduring one very hot day, I finished over 100-miles by the end of day two and was quite dehydrated. My feet were also beginning to talk to me and the swelling was becoming more significant. I started getting more nerve-type pain in my feet, especially when I would land on rocks. I realized my level of dehydration after eating ice cream at Craig's house that evening when I began shivering uncontrollably and had to basically go lay under mounds of covers to warm up. I managed just over 50 miles on day 2.

By day 3 I was getting into a good rhythm. My body was ready to wake up at 4:00am now that it knew this was our new routine. My body hurt a lot and I had low energy to start the day, but by mid-morning everything had loosened up and I was in a groove. Later in the afternoon we would get a thunderstorm that made me very cold and caused me to reverse the loop after the first big climb to get to a lower elevation. My crew was ready at the trailhead to heat me back up before sending me out again. Despite a bit slower pace and a break during the storm, I managed about 50 miles again. We had decided to cut out early in the evenings because Gold Camp Rd gets very rowdy at night.

I knew day 4 would be difficult but I also knew it would be my final day. As I ate ice cream for breakfast at Craig's house, I started doing the math on my distance and elevation gain. I had to keep my GPS watch running continuously throughout the event, so I could only see so much live data. I noticed that my GPS watch was getting wonky at night and adding miles that I didn’t run, so I calculated I needed my watch to read 215-miles in order to meet the actual minimum of 200-miles for the virtual Tahoe. But I wanted to be strategic because my feet were hurting pretty good. I couldn’t tell if I had bruising or heat rash on my feet but they were swollen, discolored, and very sensitive. I would get zingers of nerve pain in my toes from all the swelling and compression as I ran. I had Ivan and Erin give my feet a second and third opinion early Monday morning before I started my final miles.

After the final 2 section-16 loops I switched to road loops. The road is normally quite uncomfortable to run, but in the case of having super swollen feet for several days, a smooth pavement shuffle felt amazing. Every rock or root I hit and every extra degree I had to twist my ankle and foot to meet the trail caused a lot of pain. The limping and over-protection were compensations that I was trying to minimize.

Once I hit the pavement later I found I could run a lot more. Nearing the final 10-miles or so, Lynne reintroduced music in my life (Eye of the Tiger), and I began to move a bit faster. Stopping at the aid station before my final loop, a reporter with KOAA News 5, was on the scene. I felt a little self-conscious knowing how exhausted I was and being on TV can be kinda weird. But I was also excited hoping that the exposure would help us raise more money for Kim and Christopher.

At 197 miles, I transcended everything. I remembered back to the beginning of the run on Friday when my right hip felt completely locked. I remembered how I felt mentally just trying to reach 100-miles, the halfway point. I remembered the countless rocks I kicked, the muscle cramps, the hot climbs, the brief freezing thunderstorm, the days of sore, swollen feet and knees, and the salt that burned my eyes. I remembered barely being able to sleep because I was so uncomfortable at night. And I also remembered all the people who came out to support me over those 4 days. The smiles, the laughs, the goofiness, the heart and soul, the conversations about life, and the memories we made. I knew when I crossed the finish line, I was bringing a lot of people with me. It was that thought that melted my heart and I ran the final 3 miles with that joy bubbling around in my chest.

Every finish line is the beginning of a new journey and this journey was about listening to my inner voice. Never would I have ever had the desire to run 200 miles of section-16 and Bear Creek/Gold Camp Rd. Not in a million years. The truth was, I felt an opportunity to help someone well up inside me, so strongly, that I couldn't ignore it. All I had to do was commit. I knew I had all the resources I needed, all the people, all the heart, all the fitness, and the time and energy. And so the inner voice led the way. It was the proverbial field of dreams moment, "if you build it, they will come."

So again, I want to thank everyone that was a part of this journey with me to help this family who lost their home and community in California. I am very humbled and full of gratitude for the opportunity to help change a life. It's not just about giving people money and resources to get back on their feet, even though those things definitely matter, it's about knowing that people can be really good.

After all, "we are all just walking each other home." - Ram Dass

Sunrise on the first day.

Probably heading for my second loop on day 1.

I switched to sandals temporarily on day 1. My hip hurt the first day starting on loop #1.

Later in the day I had a few pacers begin popping by...this was Shelby Johnson and Dreama Walton getting ready to pace. Lynne Day and John are working the aid station.