9 Miles from Rattlesnake Bar to Auburn Dam Overlook

 

Carina, Hassan and the rest of my friends in Trail Running Adventures are a few weeks away from their next ultra-race AR 50 (American River) which is on April 7. It is taper time for them, which is an 8-10 mile run. Carina organized a 9-mile run last Sunday – March 25 from Rattle Snake Bar, Folsom to Auburn Dam Overlook. This was the 3^rd and last stretch of the 25-mile practice run we had last Sunday. My longest run of 17 miles happened on January 21^st, upon Carina’s recommendation I joined Dave’s Running group or that Saturday’s run from Skunk Hollow to Sophia Parkway. The latest longest run of 25 miles was a good 2 months later coming back from vacation. During my vacation in the Philippines I did not get a chance to go on a trail run. I welcomed this taper off run of 9 miles. I would go through the same section where I struggled the most during the 25-mile run. I was pushing my muscles to where I had not gone before, which is past a 17-mile mark.

But this time I am starting fresh on this 9-mile section. We estimated to finish in 2 hours but as for me, I think I would finish in 3 hours. I decided to take a slow pace this time although at the start I was at it again, trying to keep up with the front of the pack. After a couple of miles, I just got tired and ran a slower pace. Thankfully, Carina would wait on me and so did Alex. Alex took action shots which was really cool. At one point I asked Alex, how long he waited before I arrived. He replied, “Oh around 10, 15, 20 minutes”. I was so embarrassed that they he had to wait long, but he did not seem to mind and he just took off.

Since it was a short run, I was not too worried about the time, unlike the 25-mile run when I had to be conscious of the time. I stopped to take photos and enjoyed the scenery.

On the last 3 miles is the Auburn Dam trail which takes you up to the Auburn Dam Overlook. It has a rather steep incline with an elevation gain of 797 feet. Carina and I walked together and she pointed the trails that were used for the other races. I must try that Cardiac Hill trail at one point to see if it lives up to its name. From what I hear, yes it does live up to its name.

This was a nice short run with steep inclines and elevation gain to make for a good work-out.