preparing for the tahoe rim trail 50m

again i made a list of articles to pack (see “an exercise on packing“). this list brings some peace of mind at the same time that it causes a certain deal of stress. i packed a big duffel, as i’m flying to st. louis 10 days before the race, to meet with my husband who’s road tripping from nyc to orange county on the car he just bought in buffalo, from his uncle who’s recently passed away.

i always have the feeling that i’m forgetting something, even basing my packing on a list i wrote months ago when i had a cool head. the most important things are my running outfit, socks and shoes. that’s already been packed — and re-checked. a also like to carry a map of the course, with mileage for the aid stations and if possible a description of the course. i printed these items and laminated the map, so it survives my excessive sweating.

i’ve struggled on a few of my last long runs, so i’m not going into this 50 miler with soaring confidence… but i do have hopes of finishing, based on my prior 50 miler finishes, on the course description and on the time limit (16 hours). of course there are cut-offs at certain aid stations along the course, so i need to keep my focus on running the race and always do my best.

a few of our orange county trail runners are running this race (50k: michelle, maz man, robo, pam, addy; 50m: keven, keira, greg, ryan, dean, and myself) as well as other bloggers that sometimes come over here and leave comments (gretchen and steph). i may obviously be forgetting someone, as well. i’m sure we’re all looking forward to a fun race. see you all there for carb dinner in 10 days!