Well, I asked for it…hot summer weather is upon us. One of our horses created her own sprinkler yesterday splashing around in her trough and broke the float. I walked out to turn it off and a smell of “rain drops” hitting the warm, dry dirt made me (almost) look forward to cooler temps and wet weather.  It’s August and although summer is still in full swing, it’s almost time for the kids to go back to school. Now I’m wondering, where did the time go?

Just a few short months ago in June, we held our 2^nd annual Track and Field Camp. While we might have had just as many student coaches as we did campers, it was incredibly successful. Our THS athletes proved to be good mentors and excellent role models to some incredibly talented youth athletes.  Thank you to our adult volunteers, student coaches and run club members that came out to make this camp run smoothly! And a shout out to our community partner GH Sports in SLO, who once again donated all the water bottles to our participants! We couldn’t have done it without ALL of YOU!

This month we are hosting a special pub run and Soles 4 Souls shoe drive with Barrelhouse Brewing on August 19^th at 8am. This FREE 5k Pub Run will be followed by a raffle with swag from Templeton Run Club, Barrelhouse Brewing and TWO $50 GIFT CARDS from GH SPORTS!  Bring a pair of gently worn shoes to donate to our Soles for Souls shoe drive and you’ll receive an extra raffle ticket!! Soles for Souls is a non-profit organization that collects new and used shoes and clothing to donate to people in need across the US and around the world. Give to a good cause AND clean out your closet – win, win! Runners and walkers of all ages are welcome. AND if you make a donation of $25 back to the club (so we can continue to host events like these and more), we’ll give you a fancy, schmancy run club hat!  Sign up online for free at Eventbright or RSVP on Strava!

Training is underway for the Wine Country Half Marathon on October 29th, the City to the Sea Half Marathon & 5k on November 12^th and the Tierra Redonda Mountain trail run on November 17^th-19^th with All We Do is Run. If you’re considering running these events and want some training buddies, come on down! (And if you want to join our team and haven’t signed up yet for City to the Sea, email me for a discount code!) We’re in the process of working on some team shirts to wear so we can rep the club and spot each other from literal miles away! 

Run club member and 29 time marathon finisher Susan McAdoo volunteered to write a story this month of one of her more challenging marathons. If you have a story to share, want to ramble about your love of running or a race experience you had, hit me up!  We want the good, bad and sometimes ugly! 

Happy summer running!

Rosalie Smith

rosaliesmith@templetonrunclub.com

Po Box 522

Templeton, Ca. 93465

Hills, Hills and more Hills!

by Susan McAdoo

She said it would be easy. She said I would love it. She said that I would have zero issues. Well, “She” lied.  I’m talking about my long-time running pal Amy. Sometimes I get roped into things that are out of my comfort zone because I love a challenge.  For instance, a group of friends were all doing a 3-day juice cleanse and anybody that knows me well, knows that I love to eat.  I never go without a meal, but I decided that because 3 days wasn’t challenging enough, I would do a 5-day juice cleanse.  It was terrible, and nobody wanted to be around me after the second day. So, when Amy asked if I wanted to do the Wild Cherry Canyon Marathon, I couldn’t resist the challenge.

At this point, I had already completed well over 20 full marathons, so I would’ve considered myself a seasoned runner. I knew that this marathon would be a little different with dirt trails and a lot of climbing. I even heard that they had real food on the course, not just the typical GU and Gatorade. Let’s be honest, that’s probably the real reason why I signed up!  I had plenty of long training runs at Montana De Oro, East Cuesta and West Cuesta Grade so I felt like I was prepared. This was the 2^nd year Of Wild Cherry Canyon and I had been hearing some grumbling about the inaugural year prior but didn’t really give it that much thought because the 1^st year usually has logistical issues, planning, etc. 

Fast forward to the day of the race. I felt ready! Solid training, no injuries, proper sleep and hydration the week prior.  Everything was lining up to be a great day.  The sold-out race consisted of runners competing in a 50-mile ultra marathon, 26.2 mile marathon, half marathon and a 5 mile hike.  The gun goes off and we all take off. I usually start a bit more conservatively because it takes me a few miles to get warmed up.  Welp, I clocked my first mile at a 13:15, that sucked!  This was tough and I mean walking with my hands on my knees gasping for air tough.  The first loop was also the same route as the 5-mile hike which took us past the start line. I got to see some of my friends, smarter friends, that had opted for the lesser mileage events.  They thought I was crazy for doing the full marathon and at this point, 5 miles in, it was becoming painfully obvious that they were right. I continued climbing hill after hill, with some running and a lot of walking. I typically don’t allow myself to ever walk in a race but there was no other choice for me. I watched people twice my size climb hills like mountain goats as I wallowed in my own misery and puttered along asking myself what the heck was wrong with me.  I wanted to quit over and over again but didn’t.  I found the aid station twice with the real food and had no shame in stopping for a Sprite and a PB&J, and when you’re that tired everything tastes amazing!

I got through this race and finished with my slowest marathon time, 5:34:59, a 13:00 min/mile pace. I climbed over 5500 ft that day and it was BRUTAL! Running is humbling, some days are easy and some days it feels hard.   I always say to myself that if you don’t have the hard runs you can’t appreciate the good ones! Wild Cherry Canyon Marathon will still go down as my hardest marathon to date. Happy Running!