Training Log Archive: syd

Part 2.

The juniors had just finished when we got back so I chatted with them for a little while. Kevin ate some food and fell asleep. I ate some chicken noodle soup and a bagel and closed my eyes for an hour or so. We restocked our packs, changed socks, and headed back out around 2:30 am.

Kevin said he was feeling a little sketchy, so we were just going to play it by ear. We climbed up to 37 and realized it was still quite warm. The air quality had also declined because we were watching ash drift down in the light of our headlamps. On our way to 46 Kevin decided he really wasn't feeling well. I dislike racing with sick Kevin so I was thinking we should just call it a day. Then we saw a bear ambling across the road and down toward our next control! That sealed the deal. We turned around and made our way back to the finish. I'm bummed we didn't get to do more, but it was definitely the right choice.

Overall, I held up really well physically. My feet felt fine, no blisters. I was wearing short socks and all the dirt kept getting in my shoes. That was a poor choice. I had a small amount of chafing from Kevin's OutThere, but once I figured out that I needed to tuck my shirt in that solved that problem. Kept up on fueling and hydration even though I didn't really feel like eating with the heat. I should bring more real food for long rogaines. My navigation was also on point. I had a couple of small mistakes, but I was mostly spiking flags, even at night. Looking forward to clean air and blue skies.

C • air quality 1

Event: 2021 North American Rogaining Championships
 

Part 1.

Spent the week attempting to dodge the wildfire smoke. We were kind of successful. Returned back to Tahoe Saturday morning for the rogaine. Maps were handed out at 9 and we had a few hours to plan before the noon mass start. Kevin advocated for a plan with loops in case he didn't hold up well in the heat/smoke. We settled on 2 loops, each ~10-11 hours, with a stop at the car in between. Our goal was to have fun.

Started off at noon and it was already pretty warm. We were quickly on our own as we made our way up to 36. Came in a little too far S, but it was an easy correction. Went back and forth with Clint and JJ as we continued our climb up to 43. We were on our own for a while after that. A lot of the trails in this area seemed nonexistent, but thankfully this was the only area where that was the case. After hitting 58 we were able to take a lot more trails and move a little faster. Ran into Tori and her partner somewhere in here and went back and forth with them for a while. Kevin and I both ran out of water at 53, but the next control was the water stop so our planning was good!

Adjusted our plan slightly after leaving the water stop. We were both feeling good, so decided to hit 87 instead of 57 and add in 70. The goal was to hit 100 before full dark. Bobble on 70 when I took us in too far E, but it was a quick correction. The boulders/cliffs were cool so we were glad we decided to hit this one. We made it to 100 with just enough light to see. The view was fantastic! The sun had set behind the mountains and there was still an orange glow all along the horizon (pretty sure it was from the sun and not a forest fire...haha). We sat there for a while enjoying the view and putting on our head lamps. Definitely my favorite control - I don't often take the time to enjoy the scenery while racing - I should more often.

We were hoping it would cool off overnight, but it was still really warm. We continued our climb up to 91. There would probably be a great view from here during the day, but we could only see the lights from a few groups of houses in the dark. Hit 71 and then descended back to where we had started. This took forever. We took a mix of ski and bike trails. The bike trails were incredibly dusty - I have no idea how anyone could ride a bike down them. Finally made it back to the car a little behind schedule. Kevin had been wanting real food for a while so we decided to take a break, refuel, sleep, and then head back out.

A couple of loops near the Sundial Bridge. Shaking out the legs before tomorrow!

Trot around Anderson River Park. Mix of pavement, loose stone riverbed, and dirt trails. Air quality was pretty good. I am very glad that I don't live somewhere with wildfires.