Well check this out. A TRC newsletter only a month or so since the last one! I’m patting myself on the back in between typing. Just a few short weeks ago we had our run club meeting and there are a few updates we wanted to make sure to get out to you.
Thank you to all that attended the meeting! A lot of voices make for a more well-rounded club. (Our next one will be Thursday, February 20th at 5pm at Cowboy Pizza in Templeton.) I was able to post our agenda on the website under the meetings and minutes tab so that our members would have better access to all our happenings. Once the meeting minutes are approved, I’ll drop them into the minutes link. Bear with me though…I only know a little technology and (don’t really) know how to use it!
One of the first big changes made is that we are switching our Tuesday morning runs and our Thursday evening track workouts. Starting February 4th, we will meet up at the THS track for Tuesday evening runs at 6pm and will meet on Thursdays for morning runs at 6:30am from Templeton Park. We’ll see if this new schedule works for more of our runners. As usual, check out our club on Strava for the most up to date info on times and meeting locations.
Barrelhouse is onboard with another TRC pub run Saturday, March 22nd and since Wine Country decided to postpone their half marathon, we decided we’d go ahead run it anyways on Sunday, March 30th. More to come on both events!
We also discussed membership and decided to include an optional $25 membership donation for any run club members in a position to do so. If you haven’t already done so, head on over to the website to renew your 2025 membership by filling out your info under the “Join Us” tab.
Buzz Marathon is back this year on March 1st with a 5k, 10k, Half Marathon, and Full Marathon out at Camp Roberts. Funds raised this year are for morale, welfare and recreation programs for our soldiers.
Wyatt Barrett, a Templeton High School grad and founder of Western Sierra Adventures reached out and wanted us to share a summer opportunity with our members. They will be hosting two trail running retreats: a 4-day Yosemite Running Retreat and a 6-day High Sierra Running Retreat. They take care of everything – food, permits, logistics and emergency support, so runners can focus on accomplishing something big. Members of TRC can use the code WSARUN20 for 20% off either retreat. You can find more information at westernsierraadventures.co or email questions to info@wsaadventures.co.
I missed out on the La Cuesta Ranch Trail run last weekend, but it looked like an incredible couple of days put on by All We Do Is Run. Jen Seay offered to share her recap of All We Do Is Run’s Tierra Redonda Mountain trail run this month as part of getting our members to share running and race day experiences. If you are interested in sharing an experience you’ve had with running, please email me at rosaliesmith@templetonrunclub.com. You could be a long standing member or a newbie! We’d love to hear from you.
Until next time! Happy Running!
Rosalie Smith
RRCA Level I/ USATF Level II Certified Coach
rosaliesmith@templetonrunclub.com
Templeton Run Club
PO Box 522
Templeton, Ca. 93465
Tierra Redonda Trail Run: My First 50K!!!
by Jen Seay
So much joy and pain all stemming from the same event. This year was the 3rd annual Tierra Redonda Trail Run hosted by All We Do Is Run and Templeton Run Club (TRC). This event has been a great addition for running the running community in San Luis Obispo County. The event includes 48 Hour, 24 Hour, 2OK, 10K and 5K r
aces. As a member of TRC, I have volunteered at the event and raced the 10K for the first 2 years. Early in 2024, I decided I was going to compete in the 24 hour race to attempt an ultramarathon distance. In November 2024, I held to this plan and competed in the race.
The weekend was perfect. The weather was incredible. The Smith Ranch was impeccable. The camping area had tons of people around with campers and tents. The event organizers were exceptional and the races were tons of fun. The stage was set for my attempt at an ultra marathon completion. All I needed to do was complete five 10K loops in 24 hours, easy right? Nope, it was hard. Each lap has about 850+ feet of elevation change.
The Start: we began with a great speech by Luis and a gun start by the owners of the ranch. What a rush to start with the energy of the crowd! Some are setting off for a 5K or 10K loop and others are setting off for many hours and hours of loops, but everyone is just as excited as the person next to them. The first loop on the Smith ranch demonstrated scenic views and challenging terrain. At the top of the teardrop you could see the water of Lake Nacimiento. A must stop to enjoy the view.
I then returned to the start/finish area and enjoyed a group of cheerleaders getting me back out on the course for lap 2. There were so many great people that volunteered to help at the start/finish and out on the course you always had support. During laps 2 and 3 the sun started to get warmer and I found a tarantula enjoying a stroll on the trail. I had now completed over 18 miles of climbing terrain. Still a ½ marathon to go to achieve my goal.
Lap 4 was so much fun. My fellow TRC member Maren and I set out together for a lap of walking, conversation and enjoyment of the approaching sunset. We made it to the top of the tear drop in time to enjoy the golden hour. What a sight with such gorgeous colors.
On my final lap, Maren and I were joined by Rosalie. We walked the trail by head lamp and enjoyed such great conversation and catching up on each other’s lives and families. The moon was so bright that night, it almost looked like the sun was still out on the trail. The stars were shining and we traversed the trail in the dark. With the help of some friends I achieved my goal of completing my first 50K and can now say that I completed my first ultramarathon race!
The finish: I stayed up for many hours into the night after finishing my race to help in the booth. We logged laps and made food/drinks for the incoming competitors. I got to spend time getting to know members of the All We Do Is Run crew and hang out with the owners of the ranch. I highly recommend this event as a competitor or volunteer.
I am so grateful that I came across the TRC one Saturday morning as I drove by the Paso Robles City Park. This group has become the highlight of my week and I look forward to joining them on many more adventures and races.
Jen Seay
Templeton Run Club
Also, you’re invited to join us next 
It’s been a while since I’ve been able to write up a run club newsletter and we have a few exciting updates. First, we have a new logo! I’m sure by now many of you have seen it on social media or on Strava. We loved our original, but it’s taken a few years as a club to find something unique to us. We’ve teased each other about chasing bunnies during races (usually the cute ones with the crop tops) and seen actual bunnies on our long runs. Then there are the really-long run conversations that come up wondering what the difference is between a bunny and a rabbit (hint: one is younger.) And when we talked about a team mascot, of course the bunny came up. So as such, our new logo has evolved.
With that, we have also been working with Cloud 9 Sports and the folks at New Balance to order our first Templeton Run Club Team Singlet. Nicole and I went down to the Venture Half Marathon at the end of February and it was so fun to see all the runners repping their teams and clubs at the race. The singlets are separate from the team store and I plan on placing an order next week. (Colors are navy blue, orange and white and may look a little different from the picture.) They are $52 before tax and shipping. If you would like to buy one, please email me your size by March 20th. There is a 4 week turn around so hopefully we’ll get them by mid-April.
Plantar fasciitis. Also known as that dumb achy pain on the bottom of your foot or heel people commonly feel first thing in the morning after getting up from bed. Caused by many different things from tight calves to wearing the wrong shoes, it’s a common overuse injury in runners and affects over 3 million people per year. As a nurse, I know a thing or two about medical conditions, so when I started feeling that achy heel and foot pain, I figured it was PF….aka pffft.
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 
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.
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!
It was a cool and pleasant Thanksgiving morning when that changed. I had finished the prep work for our feast, and I had started the turkey in the oven, so what better time to go out for a run than while everything was cooking? And that is when everything changed.
As a group City to Sea 2021 was a smashing success. Twenty of us in Atomic Blue Shirts doing our warm-up together inspired random runners to join in with our pre-run/race ritual. Whether you were running or spectating, our shirts were easy to spot from a distance. We did TRC proud that day.
ow this bonk was in no way a fault of my TRC running buddies. They were the best. Now, imagine, if you will, a chipmunk drinking coffee, inhaling helium, and talking super fast. That would pretty much summarize my newly acquired little sister and running buddy, Susan. Susan had run Boston the last 9 years in a row and easily qualified for Boston yet again this year. I got a call from her, and she is saying that not only did she get accepted to Boston, but they used her adjusted M2B time! ( Remember, M2B messed up the course! ). I had submitted my M2B run just for fun, and son of a biscuit, they accepted me using an adjusted time!!! Considering my first marathon experience, I was not super excited about going to Boston, but my lovely wife Kellie said, “If you qualify, you are going!” So now I was Boston bound.
After a long drizzly ride, we disembark into a flood of people trying to figure out how to stay dry and where is the starting line. Remember 30,000 runners. You don’t just fire a pistol and say go! Several waves separate the elite from us, mere mortals. The elites start at 10 am. Next wave 10:25, then 10:50, and finally 11:15. My wave was 10:50. But within each wave were corrals! Based on your qualifying time, you are assigned a corral, so the faster qualifiers start before, the slower ones. Remember my TRC buddies? The ones I trained with mile after mile. Well, they were assigned corrals 3&4, whereas I was back in 7. I admit, I tried to sneak into their corral, but I got called out and had to do the walk of shame backward thousands of runners to my corral. 10:50 crept around, and we all got ready to start. Rain ponchos and throw-away gear was tossed aside as the minutes crept by, and finally, we started towards the start line! From where the bus lets you off to the actual start line was just under a mile! 
Remember my Bonk in M2B? Well, that was my biggest fear: that I’d run 18 miles and then cramp up. I decided early on that I would never catch my TRC buddies because they started 3 minutes before me. My strategy for Boston was to treat the first 21 miles like a training run. I soaked in the crowds, my fellow runners, the scenery, and the drizzle, constantly telling myself to slow down. After the first 16 miles starts a series of four hills that culminate with Heartbreak Hill. By itself, Heartbreak would be a nothing burger, but coming after a series of hills, it really takes its toll on some. As I started up Heartbreak, just after mile marker 20, I looked around and smiled because I knew I was feeling great and I had my secret weapon waiting at the top of the hill: Kellie! Sure enough, as I crested Heartbreak, I spotted Kellie, Joe, and Sandi. The hardest part was done, so now it was time to race! I found some kid weaving through the crowds at a pace I thought I could maintain, and we took off down the hills onward to Boston with my blocker making a path for me. It was a great theory that lasted for a while, but the crowds were still way too thick even so far into the run that I could only keep up with him for a few miles. I had studied the course beforehand and knew some landmark buildings that beckoned me toward the finish. It is at this point that the crowds are what really get you going. It was such an awesome feeling making the last few turns, looking way down the street, and seeing the finish line. In my mind, I was sprinting to the finish…reality might have disagreed. But, stepping over that finish line made everything worth it. Later reviewing the pictures, all you could see was me reaching to stop my Garmin as I crossed the line, whereas the seasoned runners like Susan put on more of a photo finish smile and flourish!
Speaking of Susan and Rosalie too, we never talked about how to find each other after the race… Remember, still 30,000 runners, and it never thinned out. After crossing the finish, you are suddenly on autopilot. Herd mentality. Stop running. Move forward. Keep going. More runners are coming in behind you. In a daze, I crept forward, but out of nowhere, I spotted my TRC buddies 100 yards ahead! Somehow despite the thousands of runners between us, we reconnected in time to receive our swag, all of us finishing within less than a minute difference!
Now I’m in my 50’s and my kids are all grown. My life is relatively stress free, so the NEED to run for my mental health has waned a bit. A few years ago I came to grips with the fact that I have slowed down. It was a hard reality. I guess it’s just one of the downsides of running for so many years. Every runner peaks, but since I’ve been running for nearly 45 years, I peaked long ago. Unfortunately, it’s taken a toll on my motivation. 
