The Raw & Honest Truth Of A Regular Gal Taking On The Great Outdoors

It’s not uncommon for winter to pop back onto the calendar after spring has made its debut in Tahoe. It just happened to do it on my Saturday long run day. Being new to the trail running game, I don’t have a winter running kit lined up yet so I was going to have a hard time staying warm and dry out on our trails with over 6 inches of fresh snow and active snow showers. So I made the decision to stay close to home but practice my mental fortitude at the gym on a treadmill instead of outdoor trails. WOW! Indoor running is brutal, especially when it’s 3.5 hrs staring at a wall and I have to restart the treadmill every 60 minutes. By the fourth restart, my brain was fried. But my thinking was this - if I want to continue to hold my base during next winter and run early spring races, I will have to accept treadmills and the indoors. We get too much snow all winter long for me to think I will be effective trudging through snow and not get forced inside for actual running sessions. So I did it. And it was hard… but it eventually ended and I was proud to say I made it happen. OK - now let’s not do that again till next winter. 😂
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While today’s easy run was anything but that, I finished it and continue to try new things out while running. My Salomon running vest is super comfy and hasn’t ended in any chafing or complaints. I am still getting used to drinking from the front pockets rather than a rear hydration bladder and tube. My neck likes to drink to the left more than the right. So that’s a weird new imbalance to work on. I do wish the bottles sat a bit higher or had ends a little closer to my face, but I’ll adjust and all will be fine in the hydration world. The other odd learning for the day was with my hair. If I want to run with a bun so no hair touches me, it takes two hair ties… not one. It doesn’t matter how many times I loop a single tie around my hair, it will bounce and come loose along the way. But if I first make a ponytail and then wrap it in a bun and use a second hair tie to hold the bun in place - it’s flawless and doesn’t move an inch. And that’s even on a 3+ hr trail run with lots of bouncing around. Who knew in this case two really is better than one. 😉
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#ultrarunnersofinstagram #runnerslife #instarunner #trainingforlife #embraceyourpace #runlikeagirl #run #igrunners #ultrarunner #womensrunningcommunity #ultratraining #runnersofinstagram #trailrunning #trailrunner #runninggoals #trailandultra #localfreshies #localfreshiesgal #outdoorgirl #mothernature #mountainrunning #mountainscenery #hairstyle #runningwithlonghair #learningnewthings

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The reality of running. Sometimes the easy run is the hardest. And then you add wild animals to the mix, to mock you as you look like a dying meal being drug down the trail… beckoning them to stalk you. 😂
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#ultrarunnersofinstagram #runnerslife #instarunner #trainingforlife #embraceyourpace #runlikeagirl #run #igrunners #ultrarunner #womensrunningcommunity #ultratraining #runnersofinstagram #trailrunning #trailrunner #runninggoals #trailandultra #localfreshies #localfreshiesgal #outdoorgirl #mothernature #mountainrunning #mountainscenery #coyotes #wildanimals #keeppushing #selfconfidence

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Two very exciting things on today’s run. 1 - I’m outside. And 2… I’m outside. Yes, that’s two things because being outside, surrounded by Lake Tahoe forests is twice as nice as anywhere else! Corny, I know. So corny but 100% truth. The other two things that I can count as wins for me were running with a ponytail that was free to flap around and not get snarled by backpack zippers and posing next to rocks because we have the coolest rocks on our trails that beckon you to take selfies with. I’m a sucker for a big rock. 🪨 🤘🏼
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#ultrarunnersofinstagram #runnerslife #instarunner #trainingforlife #embraceyourpace #runlikeagirl #run #igrunners #ultrarunner #womensrunningcommunity #ultratraining #runnersofinstagram #trailrunning #trailrunner #runninggoals #trailandultra #localfreshies #localfreshiesgal #outdoorgirl #mothernature #mountainrunning #mountainscenery

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OMG… interval day. My honeymoon base phase is over and now comes a bit of suffering and character growth. Lucky for me, I have perfect trails and weather to pound out intervals in the best outdoor arena you’ll find. The funny thing about these workouts is they would be so much easier (and shorter) if I could just run downhill faster while still getting my heart rate to drop for the quick recovery periods. I keep running so far uphill and not enough back downhill that I either run out of elevation or I’m so far away from the trailhead when I’m finally done that I have an extra 30 min to even get back to the car. Oh the troubles! Reading this back to myself, complaining I run too slow downhill on an uphill interval training day makes me sound slightly insane… or delirious. 😂
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After a brutal #interval session, I needed to sit on a rock and just take in the sights. I had a long jaunt back to the car as each interval put me farther and farther out. I clearly did not descend at twice the ascending rate so it was what it was. I don’t stop often to soak in the scenery as I know these trails so well, but this break was a nice change. The clouds were doing cool things in the sky and the temperature was perfect. I deserved a moment of peace. And I loved every second of it.
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#ultrarunnersofinstagram #runnerslife #instarunner #trainingforlife #embraceyourpace #runlikeagirl #run #igrunners #ultrarunner #womensrunningcommunity #ultratraining #runnersofinstagram #trailrunning #trailrunner #runninggoals #trailandultra #localfreshies #localfreshiesgal #outdoorgirl #mothernature #mountainrunning #takeabreak #youdeserveit #relax

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Hooray! Finally - it’s new running vest day. The other backpack was fine - I’ve had it for almost 15 years since I ran the San Francisco half-marathon but the needs were higher now and the upgrade was worth every penny. The simple act of having water and snacks at your finger tips (and lips) makes the biggest difference in the world. What is hard to get to… gets left alone. I drink more now while in motion and fuel along the way without having to decide if and where I want to stop. It’s also so much easier to breathe without a waist strap and there’s something to say about not having my tight’s pockets loaded down with stuff. I still need to sort out the bottoms issue (the whole falling down all the time part) but one thing at a time. And the vest had to come first!

🦺 Salomon Adv Skin 12 (and not in boring black!)
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Up until this point in my running, I have always gone around anything unsavory on the trail, like mud and especially water. But on this day, it struck me that I cannot hold onto this mindset with actual #ultra races on my calendar. Real trail runners do not go around the yuck. They embrace it. They plow through it. And they just keep going forward. I am going to have wet feet, especially if I have to cross a river on course. So now was as good a time as any to just get in there and feel the squish. I wasn’t doing an out-and-back on this run so this section of the loop was a go-forth or go-all-the-way-back… which is not what I wanted. After the first very cold step, I got over the gross feet feeling pretty fast but the part I was least happy with is when the water was so deep that it soaked up my tights and now I had soggy calves too. That was yuck! Perhaps another reason to wear shorts like the rest of the trail running world.
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#ultrarunnersofinstagram #runnerslife #instarunner #trainingforlife #embraceyourpace #runlikeagirl #run #igrunners #ultrarunner #womensrunningcommunity #ultratraining #runnersofinstagram #trailrunning #trailrunner #runninggoals #trailandultra #localfreshies #localfreshiesgal #outdoorgirl #mothernature #mountainrunning #keepgoing #springtime #wetfeet

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I scoped out a new spot for this run. I’ve been out here before on my bike but never to run. My first concern was that it may be too early in spring for these trails as a lot of snow melt runs through the meadows but I gave it a go thinking the trails may go around the marshy sections. I couldn’t remember exactly. The best part though… all the bridges you get to run across. It just adds another dimension to the dirt and spring muck. #bridges #woodenbridges

📌 Washoe Meadows State Park, Meyers CA
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#ultrarunnersofinstagram #runnerslife #instarunner #trainingforlife #embraceyourpace #runlikeagirl #run #igrunners #ultrarunner #womensrunningcommunity #ultratraining #runnersofinstagram #trailrunning #trailrunner #runninggoals #trailandultra #localfreshies #localfreshiesgal #outdoorgirl #mothernature #mountainrunning #keepgoing #springtime

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