"You must do the thing you think you cannot do."
That quote had been running through my mind several times during the course of the event. 3 marathons in 3 days. I'd never have conceived of actually being able to do such a thing. But then it happened. I ran a marathon. Then the next day I ran a second one, faster than the first. And on the third day, marathon 3 was complete.
Backstory:
I started running with intention in February of 2010, training for a 10k in May. My end goal was a half marathon in September. I was running to lose weight. I've been heavy all my life, and this was another in a long series of attempts to get healthy. I joined Reno Running and Fitness, and during the "kickoff" party for the training session, I heard one of the co-founders of the group, Michael, talk about running the "McLoop" - a 23.5 mile run around McCarran Blvd, a street that circumnavigates Reno and Sparks. "That's nuts", I thought to myself. The 10k training started with a 1.75 mile run at a local park. I'd done 3 miles on the treadmill just the summer before, but I couldn't even run for 3/4 of a mile before I had to walk.
I stuck with it, and ran my 10k, then my half, then the loop, and at the end of 2010, I ran a trail marathon. This year started with stepping it up even more - 2 50k's, a marathon, more Mcloops, and a couple of halfs thrown in there. I'd become part of a great circle of runners, and one day in May, a year after I'd run my first 10k, Michael told me about the Tahoe Triple. I told him I didn't think I could do it. He told me otherwise. I was in.
The Buildup:
Another friend, and 50 miler veteran Becky was in as well. During the ensuing months there were various races, and runs, and instead of invoking a very specific and rigorous training plan, I adopted Becky's plan of "just to run a whole bunch". I'd do a faster shorter run on Teusdays, a longer trail run on Thurs and/or Fri, a long run on Sat, and a Sunday run that was 50-75% of Sat's run. The different distances and venues during the week, and the always great company when I was fortunate enough to have it made the training go by quickly.
I did have one very low point in August, during the Steven's Creek 50k. The race was in the Saratoga/Los Gatos area. It was a hot, hilly, and quite unshaded trail; the last 10 miles was a 5 mile out-n-back. At mile 22 I gave up. I didn't want 8 more miles of those hot climbs. I'd turned my foot. I was tired, in pain, and dehydrated. But Michael brought me back from the edge, and the encouragement and support I'd received from my friends and family during prior runs and other times, kept me putting one foot in front of the other. On the way back from the mile 25 aid station I'd voiced my concern (that I'd had for the last several miles) that I was going to rescind my commitment to the Tahoe Triple, because if I couldn't handle this race, there was no way I could handle the triple. Michael again talked me out of quitting, emphasizing that the Triple was a very different race than the 50k, and it would be a completely different experience, and to not base my feelings about the 50k influence the Triple. I acceded, but not without a head full of doubts.
The next few weeks passed with several great runs, and ready or not, I felt I had a good chance of at least giving the Triple my true all, regardless of the outcome. Before I new it, it was raceday eve.
The Triple:
Day 1 - Inspiration Point to Spooner Summit. Nervous anticipation.
The night before, I'd had a decent meal while listening to the various speakers and route discussions at the Tahoe events dinner. Juan, Michael, and I had a good night's sleep, and I'd eaten my normal pre-run breakfast of a super-cookie. We rode the bus up to Inspiration point chatting with a young lady we met at the waiting area, Katy, who was running her first half marathon ever, on her birthday. During the ride up, I surveyed the downhill & switchbacks we'd be hitting soon after the start. Last year that downhill killed my quads when we did the Tahoe 20-Miler. I should have just looked out at the lake.
We arrived, disembarked, and looked for our remaining runner, Becky. She and her husband were meeting us at the start, and her husband Jason was going to be our crew and mobile aid station for the next 2 days.I saw their car, with the trunk open, and gear being placed in it. "Shit just got real." went through my mind. We chatted with other runners, such as Endorphin Dude who was also running the triple, and posed for a group picture.
(all images are clickable)
(l-r - Juan, Becky, Myself, Michael)
(At the start)
Before I knew it, the pre-race briefing was over, and bang! We were off.
The first few miles passed easily enough. The downhills were steep, but not nearly as brutal as I'd remembered them. Or maybe I'd become better acclimated. Maybe both. As we started down the switchbacks, we could see Juan pulling an early lead, way down at the bottom.As we hit flats, I'd wondered to myself, and then aloud, what was happening with our "Run 4min, walk 1 min" strategy that we'd practiced on earlier long runs? Becky told me about a last minute strategy she had with Lynn, the other co-founder of reno Running and Fitness, and how she advised basically "Walk up, Run down, and take a walk break every now and then on the flats." Our pace felt great, my running felt good, so I settled in and the next few miles into Tahoe City passed quickly.
We paused along the way for fuel, for fun, and then got to the finish. Well, the 1/2 marathon finish at Stateline, which we dubbed the "Faux Finish".
(Only 13 more miles to go.)
After Stateline, it was only a few more miles until the beast of a hill leading up to Spooner Summit, and the finish. We passed a few runners on our ascent - some looked like they had no or very limited crew. One runner remarked that we looked like a well oiled machine. It goes to show you what training, support, and friends can do. We were also very fortunate that we had "Crewchief Evans" supporting and encouraging us every 4 miles or so. Before I knew it, the summit of the "big goddamn hill" was behind us, and we descended to the finish. We had finished almost a full hour and a half sooner than I planned to. I was going to play it super cautious with a 7 hour time, and we completed it in 5 hours, 37 min. I was amazed.
Soon after, we took a dunk in the cold water of Lake Tahoe. Along with a delicious beer. Thanks again Crewchief Evans! That was my favorite part, I think; I love swimming in the lake and having beer.
We'd also foam rolled, and I was introduced to the technique of applying a softball to the piriformis. Apparently I was doing wrong because it didn't cause much agony. A little later we followed the cold soak with a dip into the jacuzzi at Montbleu. I know it's supposed to be all about decreasing inflammation, and heat doesn't do that so well, but damn it felt so good. Then it was dinner at the Unbuffet (not the best, but the pizza was ok), followed by a great leg massage and application of voltarin from my very tolerant wife, and a surprisingly sound sleep.
Day 2 - Spooner Summit to Tahoe City. Trepidation.
The bus ride to to Spooner was a bit more sedate. I was nervous. Genuinely nervous. I kept it to myself, but I was nervous to the point of mild nausea. I was sore, but not overly so. I was a bit tired, but again, not overly so. Why then, was I so nervous? I'd done a half-marathon followed by a whole, and a 20 miler followed by a 16, but 26.2 followed by 26.2 was in an entirely different strata. Oh well, here goes nothing... We were off for day two.
We fell into our regular pace and rythym. The rule was, if one of us 3 determined we were ascending a hill, we walked. We could also call a walk break any time on a flat. Today's course was a net downhill, and was supposed to be faster. The first 7 miles were definately that, covering an overall descent of about 800 vertical feet. There was a slight hill at about mile 15, and during its ascent I commented that Becky had lied to me - stating the course was downhill at the outset of today's race, but it was all in good fun.
Towards the ascent to Cave Rock, we stopped for a quick pic with Jenny We ran through Cave Rock, which was interesting - I've driven through that tunnel hundreds of times, and had seen the beaches and grounds there through automobile glass. Being that close to the water; looking through it to the bottom near the shore; it was very difficult to not jump in and splash around... but that would cut into my time.
After we'd passed the Faux Finish, I felt like I was going to be able to finish today's race, *and* tomorrow's. I commented that "The shit's in the bag." Everyone agreed. We'd made it past the halfway point, and had less than 40 more miles to run, total.
We also did some running with a guy named David, who was doing the Super Triple - a marathon on Fri, a marathon on Sat, then on Sat night, starting a 72 mile run all the way around the lake. David was having some difficulties though, and was going to drop down to doing just the triple. Jeez, "just" the triple? Any way you look at it, all of us out there, no matter the distance, no matter the speed, were out there, Doing Epic Shit.
The 23rd mile sucked though, with another big goddamn hill, spanning 250 vertical feet in less than a mile. At least the scenery was pretty. We passed Endorphin Dude on the downside of that hill. He was having blister issues but was going to be on his way to the finish soon enough.
We made it to the finish in about 6 minutes *less* than the previous day's time! Wow.
Soon after, we went for another soak in the lake, at a different beach - this one being much more rocky. I think that worked to my advantage - the smooth beach stones massaged all the hot spots out of the soles of my feet.
I also learned how to use the priformis softball correctly. That *was* painful. Another regimen of the jacuzzi and a good meal, and it was soon time for day 3, after another leg massage and more voltarin.
Day 3 - Tahoe City to Pope Beach. Victory.
Feeling just about as tired and sore as I did on day two, I really wasn't worried about today's run. My two compatriots were still with me, and almost immediately after the start we fell into the "Mile 18" mindset, and I knew that it was going to be a great day. The first few miles we ran with Todd, one of the race coordinators and a helluva nice guy. We met up with Endorphin Dude! and paused for a quick pic and a chat. We'd also been joined by a couple of Triple'r named Hector and Hugo, and had some good miles with great conversation. Several miles later, maybe halfway through the run, Michael had put a slight distance between Becky and myself, the three of us having left Hector and a couple of other runners well behind us. With Michael so far ahead, I kidded with Becky at some point that we'd driven Michael away with all our chattering - oh the irony. :-) She commented that between family and job (middle school teacher), it was probably the most quiet time he'd been able to have in a while. ;-)
Soon enough we were at mile 15, and the ascent of Hell Hill. 600 vertical feet in 1 and a half miles, but by then we were experts at this. Becky and I had run the Lake Tahoe Relay in June, and this hill was part of my leg. A week prior I'd also done the Reno Tahoe Oddysey Relay, and had done basically the same leg. This would be my 4th time on Hell Hill in a year, and I was loving it.
At the top, we began the descent into Emerald Bay, one of my favorite places in Lake Tahoe. We paused for a quick picture then started down quad killer hill again (which wasn't nearly as bad as I'd anticipated), then the longest 3 miles of my life to the finish.
I was starting to get tired, and I was definately sore, but I was starting to smell the hay, as Becky and Michael put it. As we were making our way on the hellishly long bike path to pope beach, we met a runner named Kyra who lamented that she had wanted to finish in 5 hours and 30 minutes, but probably wouldn't make it. That was the time we were shooting for! Michael slipped into Coach/Teacher mode, and started encouraging her to stick with us, and we'd get her to the finish. We let her get ahead of us, and she kept looking at her Garmin. We had less than a mile and a half to go. Michael kept telling her "STOP LOOKING AT YOUR GARMIN." I told Kyra that Michael was a teacher, and he'd break out his ruler if she didn't listen. We made the second to last turn, which went on forever. Kyra fell a bit behind, but wasn't too far back. Becky, Michael and I were focused, we rounded the last to the finish. We saw it up ahead in the distance, and then, all of a sudden, we'd crossed it, the three of us side by side. We finished! Our friends and loved ones joined us for lots of congratulatory hugs and high fives, and then, yes, you guessed it, a soak in the lake, a beer or two, and have some food.
From the training runs, each day of the actual event, and completing it, I have been almost overwhelmed with the support and encouragement I've recieved from my family, my friends, and my fellow runners. When we started out on Day one, Michael had told Becky and myself how greatful he was that we were on this adventure with him; We echoed that same sentiment. And after it was over, I couldn't have been more greatful to both Becky and Michael for having gone through it with me. We've done something amazing. Some Truly Epic Shit. This event will stay with me for a long, long time.
Thanks also to Jason for crewing us for for 2 days and being at the finish with beer and trigger point therapies, to Monika and Brandon for visiting us out on the course, to Todd, Hector, Endorphin Dude, Stephanie, Katy, Kyra, Jenny, and all the other awesome runners that were out there on the course. And certainly by no means least, my wife Laura and my daughters Rachel and Maya, for your support and encouragement.
Complete picture sets:
Flickr Set
Facebook Set
Ok, now what's next?
#doepicshit
