This is the trailhead to the race course it is an out and back
This is where we camped a mere 100 yards from the race start, it was nice we just rolled out of our tents ate a pop tart and ran 31 miles
Just one of the mountains we had to run over that is the race director's camper
Ashley presenting her 1st place medal
Campin out the night before. The particles in the air are high desert dust notsnow.
The website claimed the Grey Rock 50K trail race to be the hardest 50K in the Northwest. After Saturday's race I would have to agree. It wasn't just the hardest, but the most beautiful, a true mountain race in the backwoods. We knew it was going to be an adventure after the race director gave us the pre-race instructions. He told us what to do in case of a forest fire because of last year's "incident", in which a forest fire broke out and thanks to the wind direction no one got hurt and the race was able to continue. He also told us, as we were standing in 80 degree weather, to be careful once you get up there because there is still about three feet of snow in some parts! And the last instruction, to be aware of bears and "Timber Tigers" better known as cougars.
Brimming with confidence after the director's instructions we hit the trail. It was an immediate series of switchbacks for an hour. My plan for the race was to stay with the leaders from the beginning which was a blistering pace up the mountain. Because of my exertion in trying to keep up I foolhardily went over a log without my legs and face planted in the dust squirting water from my dual bottles about 15 feet in each direction. I thought to myself at that point maybe I should just race my own race and worry about the leaders later, it is a long race. The first summit was amazing, one the most beautiful sights I have ever seen, it was a field of purple and yellow alpine flowers with a stunning view of Mt Adams. I was later informed the flowers did not bloom until a day or two before the race, so we were lucky.
What goes up must come down, after summit it was a series of steep switchbacks down the other side of the mountain. After about an hour of going down at very fast clip (~6min mile) I kept think crap we have to go back up this mountain at the end of the race! The aid stations were pretty far apart and weren't stocked with the usual plethora of high calorie goodies. They had watermelon and baby potatoes. Yet, I kept thinking how the hell am I going to get up this next mountain on the 30 calories I just got from a watermelon wedge. As we neared the top I came up behind this guy and he asked in a very laid back way, "Did you see the bear back there?" Thinking he was joking I laughed and he turned around to show me in his expression he was not kidding. He said, "No really he just scurried in the bushes back there." Thinking to myself, well if he comes back I just can't be the slowest and I will be alright.
It wasn't until the turnaround aid station that we hit the snow. It was in patches, about 3 feet deep just like the director warned. It was exciting to be racing so high on a mountain!! I hit the half way point at around 3 hours which made my over ambition goal of breaking 5 hours impossible, but at this point I was so excited to be ridge top running I could care less about my time. I saw Ashley and Chris on the way back both looking strong Ash said, "I heard the mountain lion noises, but just for a second" I said, "The guy in front of me saw a bear" then we both said, " THIS IS SO MUCH FUN!" kissed and parted. When I saw Chris Drew he was navigating his way through a rock field we both agreed our feet were one big blister and this race was, "The hardest 50K in the Northwest."
The return climb up the mountain we came down in the beginning was just as I anticipated. Running on empty from the Watermelon Wedges I made the climb by reciting Dora from the Disney movie 'Finding Nemo', "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming" with a combination of brisk hiking with spurts of running. The view of Mt Adams Confirmed I had reached summit and was ready for the ~3 mile descent to the finish line. By then I was out of water and gels, dehydrated and bonking badly. What seemed to be a mirage there were 2 firemen on ATVs with a case of bottled water. They asked how I was, this confirmed to me that they were real and not a mirage. I answered by asking them if I could have some of the water they were heating in the sun. After chugging a whole bottle I felt revived to push it the rest of the way, I knew first place woman was right behind me and another guy and I wanted to hold on to fourth place. The descent would have been much easier despite both feet being raw with blisters.
All of our finishes were anti climactic as all trail races are just a hand full of trail enthusiasts and family members of trail enthusiasts hangin out in the middle of nowhere for 5++++ hours. The post race food was amazing, pasta salad, cesar salad, more damn watermelon, beans, and steak! We all agreed on the technical difficulty and the sheer beauty of the race and retired to our campsite that was so so far away.
I am extremely proud of my two clients Lance and Chris for 
On Saturday Team Rash set out to conquer the WildWood Trail in Forest Park beginning at Mile 0 at the Portland zoo and ending at Newberry road 30.25 miles away. We dropped Ashley's vehicle off first and then both of us drove to the starting point. It was a gloomy cold day with intermittent monsoons! Everything was going great until near the halfway point we started running behind another runner which was a very comfortable pace and it was just fun to chase someone. Then all of a sudden on one of the descents my left foot/ankle or fankle began to really hurt! I didn't twist it or anything it just began to hurt and progressively get worse until I was reduced to walk. We were around 13 mile mark at this point and starting to get cold with the reduction of speed. I kept thinking of our race this Sunday and decided that it wasn't wise to go on if I want any chance of racing 31 miles in a week. So the original plan was for Ashley to haul a$$ to Newberry road 16 something miles away and come get me at the trailhead, but after waiting about 2 minutes in the frickin ice rain and being sweaty and soaked I decided to knock on the door of what appeared to be a friendly house no confederate flags or mean mutts so I knocked. A nice mom let me use her phone to call a cab...... an hour and a half later no cab and still raining I figured Ashley wouldn't be there for another hour and forty minutes so I ended up hitchhiking from another runner and his labrodoodle I think he felt sympathy for me I looked pretty bad at that point shoeless, shivering, covered in mud I mean covered, and holding a bag of ice that was given to me by the friendly neighbor.....So I got my jeep and drove to Ashelys Jeep and left her a note explaining the survival story the irony of it is I was only home 15minutes before her! The good thing is the 'ASH' part of Team RASH made it the whole Trail which is an awesome accomplishment and I am proud of her. I did some research on my freak injury and it is not so freak and lots of runners experience it I self diagnosed it as Peroneal Tendonitis 
It is the tendon that runs under the lateral malleolus I guess I don't know feels like a frickin snake bite, they recommend ice and rest which is easier said then done when your used to running 80 miles a week you cant just REST! So I have been lifting weights and punching the punching bag which helps I can only pray it is ok by Sunday.
