Speed Bump

       During the final 3 or 4 miles of my Brockway to Tahoe City run last weekend I started noticing a pain in my right knee that became increasingly intense. By the end of the run it was actually pretty severe, but the pain faded immediately once I stopped running. I had hyper-extended my right knee playing soccer years ago which caused my patella tendon to slip out of place. It has never been a problem before, but I think overuse from running so much put a little too much stress on it. After taking a whole week off to let it rest, I went for a run up Mt. Rose a few days ago to test it out. It felt fine for the first 2 miles, but then gradually started hurting again. I immediately turned around and started walking back, and by time I got to my car I was totally pain free again.


I told my friend Tattie about my knee, and she put me in touch with her good friend Gordon Ainsleigh. Gordy is a trail running legend and the pioneer of the Western States 100-miler. He told me that running 12-20 miles every other day is nuts and I should significantly cut back on the distance of my training runs. He also suggested some vitamin supplements that would probably help.


So after a few more days of rest, icing, and chomping down Calcium and Magnesium tablets that taste like chalk, my knee is starting to feel a little better. I am going to try to put in 5 or 6 miles today and see how it feels. I hope it won't hold me back too much longer.

Segment 1: Brockway Summit to Tahoe City

Map at the Brockway trailhead.

Segment Length: 19.2 miles    


Start Elevation: 6,900 ft.


End Elevation: 6,300 ft.


Highest Point: Approx. 8,200 ft.




       I started running the Tahoe Rim yesterday as planned, with the segment from Brockway Summit to Tahoe City. Coincidentally, it is the first segment to be mostly free of snow this summer. I still encountered some patches here and there but not enough to cause any problems. This segment starts by climbing from Brockway Summit up along the hillside west of Highway 267. It then drops for a couple miles to the bottom of a valley before gradually climbing to Watson Lake. The first 6.7 miles to Watson Lake were tedious, as I have run that stretch a dozen or more times over the past few weeks. Not knowing whether I would have water access later on down the trail, I stopped to finish off my water and re-fill out of the lake. Its a good thing I did because the next water source wasn't for another 12 miles, only 1/4 mile from Tahoe City.

Watson Lake.

As I started the gradual climb out of Watson Lake I got a serious second wind. Something about running a trail that I have never seen before gets me really fired up, and thinking about the 7 other segments and 160 miles of new trails gave me a boost of energy. The next 5 or 6 miles of the trail were beautiful but pretty uneventful. It traverses along the mountainside for a while, followed by a few gradual descents and climbs in and out of valleys. There aren't any lakes, streams, or high peaks on this stretch, but still great scenery and some amazing views of the lake.

View of Lake Tahoe from somewhere above Carnelian Bay.

After an hour or so of meandering through the hills I reached a dried up creek with a sign saying I had 8 miles to go. From there the trail climbs for at least a mile with no shade, and after 11 miles my legs felt like they could go 100 more. At the end of the climb the trail reaches a high point overlooking the Truckee River, with incredible views of Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley. At this point the trail starts wrapping back to the south toward Tahoe City.

Very aggravated momma grouse protecting her chicks.

With about 4.5 miles left I reached a spot where the trail split in several different directions with no TRT trail markers. As I was playing "eeny meeny miny moe" in my head I saw a couple mountain bikers coming up the trail. As they rode up to me and stopped I realized it was none other than pro skier Ingrid Backstrom and Sherry McConkey, the wife of skiing legend and Tahoe hero Shane McConkey, who died in a tragic skiing accident in Italy two years ago. They pointed me in the right direction and I headed off on the home stretch to Tahoe City.

Mileage sign at the Tahoe City trailhead.

A special thanks goes out to the SUV full of girls that was willing to pick up a guy covered in sweat and dust and take him back to his car. It was very much appreciated.