Monday, April 30, 2007

Mt Diablo 50 miler.
It was a beautiful day. I was slow but still have fun. My goal was to finish in 14 hours but I ended up finishing in 15 hours.
I took a pretty good fall going down Burma road which is very steep. My hip thigh and elbow really hurt after the fall. I just sucked up and kept going. it was great seeing all my friends and meeting and running with new ones.
This course is very tough that's why I love it.
I realized being out there I made a big mistake going to crossfit Saturday,( make note to self. No crossfit the day before a race especially on that requires lots of squating ;)
I ran with Elizabeth from the runnersworld forum. Thanks Elizabeth for making the time we ran together go by faster.
me and my pacer Jo Lynn.
I was so happy to the smiling face of my pacer Jo Lynn. We had so much fun she was awesome. She ran a 13 mile section. I'm trying to convert her into a trailrunner. I think I already did.
Fast Jerry paced me the last 12 and he was awesome as always telling me stories and jokes. Even though I was slow I had a great time. Good jog to everyone who pushed through it wasn't easy.

Elizabeth, Jo Lynn, me & Nadia at the Finley aid station. Girls rule.
Two badass fastpackers at the finish. We will both be going for records on long trails this Summer me speed record on the PCT Garrett will be going for a YO YO on the CDT( continental divide trail) Garrett has also hiked the PCT and the AT. Good luck.

22 comments:

Unknown said...

Congrats on the run... Looks like you had a blast.

Travis said...

hey! thanks for the great comments about McNaughton. Falling can be such a momentum breaker way to keep pushing through.

Anonymous said...

That was SO fun. I'm glad I was able to help you a little bit. Thanks for introducing me to the "dirty" world.
~Jo Lynn

Anonymous said...

Good Job Cat' ;)
Have a nice day
love Ya
ju

Catra said...

JoLynn-
You are now offically a DirtDiva:)
I will post that funny picture of our boys tonight when I get home ;)
XOXO,
Catra

Catra said...

Hi Grip-
I did have fun!
CC

Catra said...

Hey Travis-
You're welcome. Thanks it's good to fall once in a while ;)
Catra

Anonymous said...

Catra, it was nice chatting with you for a short time and talking about moving on after the death of a loved one. It has been difficult and will continue to be so. I appreciated your insights to how you've handled the personal tragedy in your life. Happy trails where ever they take you. Kevin

Catra said...

Hey Ju-
Thanks!
XOXO

Anonymous said...

Hey Catra,
Looks like you had a great time.
I was hoping to do this run, but I'm stuck in Virginia for another week.
Hope to catch ya when I get back before your off for the PCT.
Aaron

Anonymous said...

Hi Catra
What does doing a "YOYO" mean?
Muts
(the dumb Aussie)

Catra said...

Kevin-
Thanks for sharing with me how you met Jennie and your love for her.
Life will get easier as the days go by.
Remember Jennie is always with you in your heart, and she will always be looking out for you on the trails. I hope to see you out on the trails, and good luck in all your upcoming races.
Peace,
Catra

Catra said...

Hey Aaron get a hold of me when you get back.
Cheers,
Catra

Catra said...

Hey Muts-
A YO YO is when you do the trail then turn around, and do it again going back the way you came.
Catra

Adelyn said...

Great job out there! I can't imagine getting through that last 8 mile section in the dark. I could barely keep upright in the full light of day! Congrats on running a great race :)

Anonymous said...

The CDT is over 3000 miles. It took me 148 days. Of course, I had to plan time to re-stock, craved real food and did it solo. Unlike the AT, in many places the trail disappears and it is easy to get lost.

I wouldn't even know how to plan a yo-yo for the CDT! There is no way to escape the harshness of winter and deep snow.

Even at 25 miles per day which doesn't allow for time-outs to do laundry, food re-stocking, replace worn-out gear, package collection, etc., that is almost 250 days on the trail (2 x 3100 miles / 25 mpd)!

I was ready to go home long before I finished the one-way!

Catra said...

Hey Anon-
If Onion pulls it off, it will most likely be one of the hardest hikes ever.
He seems well planned and ready.
I think it's an awesome goal and I will be seding him positive energy.
Yeah, the CDT is a trail you really have to be well prepaired for.
That's awesome you did it good job.
Have you done other long trails??
Catra

Anonymous said...

On different occasions I solo'ed JMT, then went back and covered from Tehachapi to Tulomumne Meadows. One day I will get back out to the PCT.

Also, have covered the Colorado Trail separately as well. Don't ask me why I re-tread some of the trails. Convenience maybe. You tend to do the challenges closest to you.

Snippets of the AT, too. When I do the AT, it will be from north-to-south. Too many people going the other direction and when you are traveling fast it just feels kind of rude to not mosey along and socialize. I am saving up to do that in 2009.

Have a tremendous amount of fun. We don't stay young forever so live your dreams!

One of the benefits of now vs when I did some of these back in the 80's and early 90's...the power of the internet helps, not to mention all this wonderful lightweight gear! I looked back at my diary and I tried to pack light at 45lbs! It was either heavy boots or running shoes and I chewed through the running shoes!

Catra said...

Hey anon-
I'm the same way I find myself on the JMT every year doing the whole thing.
I have the girls and the Yo Yo record. Next year I want to run the Badwater 135 race that starts in Death Valley and finishes at Whitney Portals. I will continue on to Mt. Whitney do the JMT go back to Tuolumne and do the Tahoe to Tuolumne (Tuolumne to Tahoe) then finish off with the Tahoe rim trail.
Cheers,
Catra

Anonymous said...

Just don't make the mistake I did and have my mountaineer friends meet for portions of the fastpacking. Everytime we were quasi-close to a 14'er they'd say let's go climb Thunderbolt, Russell or N. Palisade or some such nonsense and I'd find myself seriously detoured! Not that it wasn't fun but it did mean I jeopardized my food supply on occasion by running low. Sometimes I arrived at caches with nothing but trail mix in my pack!

btw, with your everest plans, it wouldn't hurt to start climbing some of those 14ers and camping on top to enjoy the rarified air and weather conditions. Start taking the harder vs faster ways up. Whitney has a mountaineer route for instance.

Chihping Fu 傅治平 (超馬阿爸) said...

Catra, very to see you there. I'm happy to know you finished it and enjoyed a lot. I have some pictures for you - Catra at North Gate Loop, Catra on the Finley Road. Please check for the complete album - http://picasaweb.google.com/Chihping.Fu/070429MtDiablo50MMarathon

Chihping

Anonymous said...

gearlist! hee-hee...yes, we are desperately and sincerely curious.

I'm trying to amp up my fastpacking to do 35-40 miles per day and her gearlist might cause an aha! moment.

For instance, does she even carry a stove/fuel or just eat bars and other pre-prepared snacks. Does she filter or purify water?

Also, does the diva fastpack in ultramarathon gear or does she wear more traditional clothing?

Does she wear regular breathable trail shoes or gore-tex?

See...this is valuable knowledge for those of us trying to make it to the next level.