Gorge Waterfall 100k

A couple of weekends ago, a group of us traveled up to Portland for the Gorge Waterfall race. This race had two distances: 50k and 100k. The 100k is an out and back with about 12,000 feet of climbing. Some of my friends and I ran the 100k on Saturday and Broski ran the 50k on Sunday. We flew up on Thursday night after work and spent Friday drinking beer at FatHeads Brewery (carb loading), shopping at Powells and wandering around the city. We got an apartment in the Hawthorne district, which was a walkable area with lots of restaurants and things to do. We had dinner very early (around 5) on Friday at Thanh Thao restaurant (Vietnamese/Thai) because our race started at 4 a.m. on Saturday and we wanted to get to bed early.

Race morning we got up at 2 a.m., had breakfast, and drove the the start line at Benson State Park. We got there so early that we had time to see the early start at 3 a.m. and to use the bathroom a few times. It was pretty chilly, maybe around the high 40s, so we huddled next to the bathroom for a while trying to stay warm before the race started. Before we knew it, it was nearly 4 and it was time to get going.

The race started off with a tiny flat portion and then it was an immediate long uphill slog. I think the first climb was about 1500 feet over 2 miles or something like that. It was partly paved at first and then was dirt/rocks for the last mile or so. Then we started to go downhill, and it was a beast. The trail was rocky, full of roots and some of the rocks were not separate smaller rocks, but one big multi pointed chunk which covered the entire trail. It was wet and it slippery and it was very slow going, especially since it was dark. The other thing was that on one side of us was a drop off, but we could not tell how much of one since it was dark. Finally the rock gave way to a downhill paved path and we could finally speed up the pace a bit. I passed quite a few people on this section.

Once we got to the bottom of this hill, we got to the first aid station (No Name - 6 miles in), which was pretty bare bones. Then we started doing a lot of rolling hills on a single track trail for maybe 5 more miles. The next section was about 3 miles of pavement! I was not really happy about this part, as (1) it hurts and (2) I knew I would have to come back this way since it was an out and back course! The only good part about this section was that it was starting to get light. At mile 13, we got to the Yeon aid station, where I gobbled down a banana and hit the road again.

It was finally light and the next 10 miles or so had a bunch of waterfalls and things to look at. However, the trail was often rocky, causing more slow running and/or walking than I would have liked. I even had to walk some on flat sections, as the footing was very shaky. Somewhere in this section, I felt one of my toes starting to have a hot spot and I knew this was going to be an issue. I got to the Cascade Locks aid station at mile 22, which was where my drop bag was, and I took off my shoes to have a look. Sure enough, I had a blister. I lubed up my feet, taped up the blister, put my socks back on and hit the road again.

Rocky Road -- Photo Credit: Broski

From here, the trail had a pretty long uphill climb before heading back down to the turnaround point at mile 31. As I was slogging up the uphill portion, I saw all of the elite guys heading back down. It's funny because normally in local races, I am familiar with most of the lead runners. However, this time there were several unfamiliar faces. However, I did see a couple of local guys and it was fun to be able to do so! This race was a big deal because it was a Montrail Cup Race, which means the top two men and the top two women get a qualifying spot in Western States.

Mossy Fairy Bridge -- Photo Credit: Broski

At the turnaround, I refilled my water (for the first time, which probably means I wasn't drinking enough) and ate some trail butter and hit the road again. On the way back, I ran into all of my friends, who were going the opposite way. The first didn't even see me, as she was so intent on the trail. The second asked "how much farther to the turnaround?" and I knew exactly how he felt. The third said that she was going to drop at the turnaround.

On the way back, my toe started bugging me again, so I stopped a couple of times to put more lube on my toes. Once as I was stopped there, a guy who had been leapfrogging me offered me some tape for it and I gladly took him up on the offer. After taping it again, it felt a bit better, but it still was bugging me. I definitely always go out too fast and end up slowing down a lot of the second half because I always get passed a lot on the latter half. In fact, I hit the 15 mile mark (1/4 way done) in about 3 hours. I got to the halfway mark in about 6.5 hours. If I would have kept the same pace, I could have finished in about 11 hours. But I didn't.

I can't really remember the middle part of the way back. I slogged along, going up and going down and going back over the rocky sections. My legs felt fine but the bottoms of my feet hurt. People passed me. I stopped to take some photos. I ate a lot of squeeze applesauce and bananas. Finally I got to the Yeon aid station again at mile 49. From here it was 3 miles of dreaded pavement, of which I ran the whole way (and passed 4 people -- yes!) and then it was some rolling trails and then No Name aid station, which meant only one huge hill and 6 miles to go.

It was the longest 6 miles of my life. 1500 feet of climbing, a lot (A LOT) of tourist dodging and a lot of either pavement (ouch) or pointy technical rocks (ouch). Finally I reached the top and headed back down. The downhill was way better than I thought it would be. However, I forgot that after the downhill you have to go back up again before heading down the last flat mile to the finish. On the last hill, my blister broke and I limped/ran along. Then I got to the last mile of flat and it seemed so long. You have to run around this lake and you can see the finish line, but it's on the other side of the lake and you can hear the band and you know you are almost there, but it seems to take forever!

I finally got to the finish and Broski and his lady were there, photographing me in all my finest glory. I crossed the line, got a high five from the race director (his hand must be sore by the end of the weekend!) and hobbled over to the beer tent. I ended up finishing in 14:38:xx. I have only run one 100k before and my time was 15:10, so that was a 100k PR.

The verdict? Would I do this race again? I might. However, there are a few logistical things the RD needs to work on. Firstly, the aid stations were poorly run. The people were friendly, but maybe they were inexperienced. I had to get my own water, which is not normal in a big race like this. In addition, at the turn around, there were tortillas and nut butter, but you had to make your own roll-up. Usually these are pre-made and laid out for you to save your time. Also, the food choices were not great. In a longer race, there should be some real and/or hot food choices. Generally there is soup or burritos/quesadillas or at the very least potatoes with salt. They had none of that. At Yeon they did have grilled cheese, which was good, but I really felt that there should have been more.

On the other hand, the after party was great, although they did run out of beer by the time my brother crossed the finish line on Sunday. That's not really fair to the runners who are in the middle/back of the pack. Back of the packers are people too!

All in all, it was a fun weekend and a difficult but beautiful race.

Have you ever been to Portland or the Pacific Northwest? What is your favorite beer?

Miwok 100k

I was talking to Lisa the other day and she said something along the lines of how my next 50 mile race will be my second, but actually it will be my fifth. I realized that I have been very, very lax about posting my race recaps, and I do want to get them down on paper now so that I will remember it in years to come. So, here is the first of several very late recaps. I understand if you want to skip it and go read about something important, like Syria.

I put my name in the lottery for the Miwok 100k with the high expectation that I would not get in, and therefore would not have to run it. Little did I know that if you volunteer for them, you get preferential treatment for the next year's lottery. In 2013, I volunteered. In 2014, my name was picked for the lottery.

I had a good base of miles in early 2014, but then in March, I was injured (Achilles). I took about 4 weeks off from running leading up to Boston, and then had a really crappy race. Miwok was two weeks later. My goal was to finish, naturally, which seemed doable. The cut off time was 16 hours, which would mean I had to do about a 15 and a half minute pace the entire time in order to finish. However, I was still feeling the Achilles a little, and Boston had also kicked my butt, so I really was not sure what to expect. My plan was to stick with a friend of mine, Kelly, who is usually in the back half of the middle of the pack. This way, I would have moral support, as well as hopefully not overdoing it physically.

Approximately 12,000 ft of climbing

Miles 1 - 10: It started off with a pretty gradual uphill on a single track trail, where we all did the conga line for a while. This went on for about three miles and then it leveled out on the Bolinas ridge trail, which was good, except that it was still a very narrow and rutted single track through tall grass, and it was still pretty slow going, due to the conga line. It didn't spread out until maybe about mile 6 or 7, when it became a fire trail. The good part about this, is that it was an out and back section, so from mile 7 to the aid station (and turn around) at mile 10, you could see who was ahead of you and then afterward you could see who was behind. This often means cheering for a lot of your friends and/or fellow racers.

Bolinas Ridge Trail

Mile 10 - 20: There was an aid station around mile 10, where we got sunscreen and cheer from our friend Jenni. The aid station was also back at the bottom of a small hill, so afterward we hiked back up the hill, and back along the fire road. I remember talking to my running buddy about everything under the sun: her parents and their wacky ways, life in general, the price of gas when we started driving. At this point, the guy hiking up the hill next to us, who was wearing the craziest Hawaii printed swimming trunks, said gas was about .24 cents when he started driving. After that it was a really long uphill trek along the Matt Davis trail to Cardiac aid station, which is at the top of the hill. I was already starting to feel my Achilles and I wined to Kelly but she was not having any of that. She basically told me to shape up and get over it, and that there was no way I was going to quit this race. So I shut up and got over it (mostly).

Mile 20 - 30: After Cardiac, it is downhill to Muir Beach. This was one of my least favorite sections. The downhill was not too bad, but after the big downhill, you get to the highway, and have to run along that for a couple miles to get to Muir Beach. I was not a fan of the highway. After the highway, you reach the Zen center, but at that point, I was not feeling so zen. At Muir Beach, Jenni once again was there for moral support. We loaded up on watermelon and potatoes and started the climb up the Miwok trail.

Mile 30 - 40: At this point I was feeling okay. My Achilles was aching a little and my muscles were definitely reminding me that I was under-trained. At this point Kelly and I were not really saying too much to each other anymore. We had pretty much chatted non-stop for the first 30 miles, but now we were focusing on the path ahead of us. Of course it was another big uphill and another long down to get to the place I was most looking forward to, which was the Tennessee Valley aid station. Here is where I had my drop bag with lube, sunscreen, extra food and best of all, an extra pair of shoes and socks.

Changing my shoes and socks at mile 36 (TV) was the best thing I think I have ever done in my life. I felt refreshed and my toes felt happier. I resupplied my pack, threw away my garbage, grabbed a hummus and pita from the aid station and we hit the road again. Jenni was there again, which was mostly because her husband, who she was crewing, was running at about the same pace as us. I was even more glad to see her this time, as my spirits were starting to flag a bit by now. The fact that she was wearing a super woman outfit and a sparkly tutu was probably a big plus.

Trail angels

Mile 40 - 50:  The last section was a 11  mile loop around the coast and back to TV before heading on the final stretch home. This included one of the most beautiful parts of the course. First you go around on a bluff overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and the city. Then you head back around to the TV aid station at mile 47. At this point, I was pretty tired. I recovered my drop bag and was fishing around for more food when I ran into Dennis, an running friend of mine, who was pacing someone else. He told me to stop lollygagging and to get a move on. I was a bit bummed by the remaining aid station food, which consisted of jelly beans and cold pizza. I was feeling kind of hungry though, so I ate a few jelly beans and we headed out. Joining up with us was Kelly's pacer, John.

View of the city from the Coastal trail.

Next you go up, up, up the Coastal trail and then down to Pirates cove and then back up to the top of the hill again before heading to Muir beach. On this section we caught up again with Hawaiian shorts dude, whose name turned out to be Bob. We had been leapfrogging him for quite some time and as we headed up the hill on the Coastal trail, we chatted with him once again. I was really dreading the downhills more than the uphill.

Pirates Cove

Mile 50 - 62: Around mile 51, we got back to the Muir beach aid station. At this point I was pretty ready to be done. I knew what I had left: the paved section again, then back up the Cardiac hill to the Cardiac aid station. I knew that once I reached this, I would be fine. However, I was dreading the final downhill from Cardiac, as I remembered it as quite steep and my quads were pretty mad at me right now. Also, I was not sure if we would make it to the finish before dark, but I really wanted to try. We headed out. As we hit the pavement, my mind said, "screw this, I am going to move as fast as possible in order to get this over with" and I left Kelly and John in the dust. Okay, not really the dust, since (a) we were on pavement and (b) I was only running a few seconds faster than them. I passed about 10 people on this section, as many of them were walking, but I did not want to slow down; I just wanted to be done.

Next was the hill to Cardiac. This was not as bad as I thought it may be. I plodded along, passing people, getting passed, until I reached the aid station at the top of the hill. At this point, the sun was halfway down and it was getting  bit dusky. The aid station only had dry PB&Js and warm sports drink, so I left without getting anything and headed down the hill. The good thing was that it was not as steep as I remember it being and I actually ran down it the entire way. The other plus was that the sun was going down and I had a beautiful view of the sunset and the ocean as I was coming down the hill.

Dipsea trail to Stinston beach

I crossed the finish line with a time of 15:11, just as dark was beginning to fall.

The Verdict? Was this my fastest race? No. However, it was all in all not as bad as I thought it would be, having gone into it with a minor injury and not enough training. Would I like to do it again? Probably, because I know that I can do it better. Was I proud of myself? Definitely. This, to date, is my longest distance ever and I finished the race before the cutoff. That is something to be proud of. And actually, I was less sore in the days after Miwok than I was in the days following Boston.

Now the question is...since this is a Western States qualifying race, will I put my name in the lottery for WSER next year? I think I have to. Don't I?

What is the longest distance you have ever run? Do you ever post recaps really late just to have a record or would you say, "forget about it" after a certain amount of time has gone by?

Quad Dipsea

So this space has become an area for race recaps and.... not much else.

I hope everyone had a really great Thanksgiving! I did. I double booked myself and had BBQed turkey and 3 different kinds of pie at my brother's house and then had second turkey dinner with homemade candy at my aunt's house. The best part was my parents made it to both, which I missed last year (they went back East last year). So it was good times, good food, good friends, good family! And I took home the carcass and made some super good stock.

So...how to burn off these two dinners (and massive quantities of dessert)? Hill work, of course.

You may remember I have mentioned the Dipsea before. It claims to be the oldest trail race and has been going on for over 100 years. It goes from Mill Valley, up and over a hill and then back down to Stinson Beach.

The quad Dipsea is up and over to Stinson, and then back to Mill Valley and then back to Stinson again and then back to Mill Valley. The first section from Mill Valley, for about a mile and a gain of around 500 feet, is all stairs. After that, it's back down hill and then you begin the climb to Cardiac.

It was about 40 degrees when we started. I opted to go with tank top and shorts because I had made the overdressed mistake in the past. I ran this as one of my team races, with an ultra team that I joined a few months back. The other members are a lot of fun and are very encouraging. We don't run together, but it's still fun to have more people to cheer on along the way.

The first climb was not bad. I had a lot of energy. I was passing people, as I often do on the uphills. I got to the top of Cardiac and skipped the first aid station. I headed back down the other side to Stinson and was still feeling great. This race was fun for the fact that once I got about half way down, the leaders of the pack started to come back up. There were so many "great jobs" and "way to gos" being thrown out and you saw so many people that you knew, whether they were in front of you or behind you. It was very encouraging, especially since trail races usually are not very well spectated, due to their difficulty to reach for most people.

I got down to Stinson Beach and fueled up with some cantaloupe and headed back up the hill to Cardiac. This section is partly trail, partly stairs and it pretty steep the entire way. This section was mostly speed hiking/jog/walking. There was barely any time when it wasn't either uphill or downhill. Usually there is some flat, but this time, there was very little. Finally, it was back to Cardiac again and then back down the big hill, back up the little hill and then DOWN the stairs, which was way harder than up, since they are all different lengths and heights. It is hard to get a rhythm, plus there are other regular Saturday walkers out and about with their dogs and kids and families.

I arrived back at Mill Valley and my family was there, cheering me on. My Mom snapped this photo; it makes me look really fast.

After another handful of canteloupe and a piece of pumpkin pie (I love ultra food!) I headed BACK up the stairs. This was not too bad either. Of course, this time, I was not moving as fast as I had the first time! But I was still feeling good. At Cardiac I ran into a friend who was taking photos, gave him a high five and headed back down the hill again. Before I reached Cardiac, the front runner passed me heading the other way. The next person behind him was at Cardiac at the same time as me, making him about 20 minutes behind the leader. It was pretty impressive. He was just blowing down the hills like a maniac!

On the way down to Stinson, I still felt good. I saw a ton of people I knew and the "good jobs" were still flowing! I got to the beach, ate, and headed back to Cardiac. This is where is got a little difficult. After Cardiac, the long downhill was a bit muddy and rocky, with roots and rocks and bumps in the ground. My knees were starting to get a little tired, but it didn't seem like a big deal. Then one of them really started to bug me, so instead of overdoing it, I slowed to a walk for a while. I got passed by a bunch of people, including 2 girls (darn it!) at this point.

When I got to the stairs, I took it easy, and got back to the end a little after I wanted. I had set a goal of 5:45, but I came in at 5:52. I was still happy to be under 6 hours though!

Total elevation gain: 9200 feet

The winner set a new course record of 3:48. You can read more about it here. The second place runner got 4:15. The first girl got 5:06. I call that impressive! I was the number 10 female out of 72, and the 59th out of 249 overall.

I don't know if I burned off my two turkey dinners, but I sure had fun trying! (PS I went to the gym on Monday and there were at least 2x more people than normal. I am not the only one trying to burn off that turkey!)

How did you burn off your turkey dinner? What did you do for Thanksgiving? Do you participate in a turkey trot or any Thanksgiving day exercise?

Firetrails 50

It was a dark and stormy night. Just kidding; it was a cool and foggy morning.  I arrived at the start early, and was chatting with some fellow runners when I saw...my Dad and Grandma! They had come to cheer me on! I gave them some good luck hugs, lubed up, went the the restroom, ate an apple (in that order, actually) and hit the road. Literally.

Raring to go!

The first couple of miles were on pavement. I was trying not to go out to fast, as I know that is one of my weaknesses. In fact, speaking of weaknesses, after the race, a friend asked me what my challenges were for this race, and it got me thinking... instead of doing a mile by mile breakdown, as there are a lot of them, I am going to highlight some of the challenges, as they are really what defined this race for me.

This race was pretty much an out and back, with the only difference being that we went around the northeast side of the lake heading out and came back along the southwest side. This meant we went through most aid stations twice. I am going to recap this race mostly from aid station to aid station.

Start to Bort Meadow / mile 7.9: After the paved section, it started uphill on a dirt fire trail. I caught up with Kent, a guy that I have seen around at a bunch of races, and we actually stuck together for this entire section. He kept telling me that I was pacing at a faster pace than he normally starts out, and I was trying to slow down because I knew that starting out fast would come back to get me in the end. He also said that I would have to have salt, which I have never really trained with. Average pace = 9:00 / mile.

Bort Meadow to Big Bear / mile 10.5: After Bort Meadow, a high five from grandma, and some potatoes with salt, the majority of this section was downhill. Kent took off flying down the hill and I was back on my own again. Even though downhill is not my forte, I did pass a few people in this section.

Big Bear to Skyline / mile 15: When I ran the Skyline 50k, Skyline was the halfway/turnaround point and boy was I glad to see it. This time, I tried to get that thought out of my head, because it was only about a quarter of the way this time! This section was pretty unremarkable. I ran, sometimes near others, sometimes chatting with them, sometimes running silent. I kept slowly passing people, but was still trying not to go too fast. Average pace = 10:30/mile.

Skyline to Sibley to Steam Trains / 21.7 miles: I was still feeling great, which was strange because when I run 50k races, mile 19 - 25 tend to be my weak point. However, somewhere in the middle of this section, my sock started tightening up. I couldn't figure out how to fix it; I took my shoe off and adjusted it, hoping it would help, but I kept feeling it squeezing my toes inside my shoe. Another issue was that I was wearing fairly new shoes and I was kind of hating them. Instead of laces they have that zip tie thingy and it kept loosening up, which was probably why my sock was acting funny. In spite of that, I had a good time, as this was the point when I started to see the front of the pack heading back toward me.

Steam Trains to Lone Oak / 26 miles: This was a good section, with plenty of people to look at, due to the out and back. I saw my friend Kent, as well as many others who were in front of me. I counted the girls, as I always do in this situation, and knew I was not going to get any prizes for this race! However, the best part about this section was the Lone Oak aid station, which was not only the turn around point, but was also the giver of grilled cheese sandwiches! Never before has a white bread and American cheese sandwich tasted SO good! Average pace = 11:25/mile

Lone Oak to Steam Train / 30.3 miles: The worst part about this section was that it was mostly uphill, so it was pretty slow going. Also, it was devoid of trees, so it was a bit warm. However, I buddied up with a really nice Russian guy who was trying to qualify for the Western States (11 hours or less) and we hiked up the hill together and had a nice chat along the way. Also, I got to see who was behind me, as we were again on the out and back section.

Steam Trail to Sibley to Skyline / 37 miles: To be honest, at this point I started to just put one foot in front of the other. My left sock kept giving me trouble and I had to stop a few times to try to adjust my sock/shoe. I could feel a hot spot, which I had a feeling was going to end up as a blister. I remember a couple of rocky, root filled downhills and the fear that my feet were not going to hold up as long as I would like. They were not screaming, not even close, but the left one had the hot spot and I was favoring it a bit and was worried it would affect the right. The last two miles of this section, I was really, REALLY wanting to get to the aid station. I had to pee and I kind of just wanted to stop just for a minute. I kept thinking that I just have to get to 40 miles and then it would all be easy from there.

Skyline to Big Bear to Bort Meadows / 44.1 miles: After fueling up at the aid station and stopping for a potty break, I headed back down the Stream trail. Most of this section was run with a guy I had been talking with before, Matt, and his pacer. I didn't really talk to them much; at this point I was not very social, but it was kind of nice to just run behind them, or in front of them (we kept switching) and to listen to them chatting. I cannot tell you what they were talking about, but just having them "keeping me company" was nice. For this section, I walked the uphills, even if they were little or not steep. I just really wanted to save a bit of energy for the last few miles. After Big Bear, we headed up the big hill toward Bort. These miles up the hill were 16 minute and 18 minute miles. This hill made my legs pretty tired, but on the other hand, I was glad to not have to run.

Bort Meadows to Clyde Wood to Finish / 50 miles: I ate a potato, which I was not hungry for in the least, but I knew I was running out of energy. I also had some Gu Brew, which tasted like medicine. It was gross. Dad caught up with me and together we headed out for the final section. I told him he needed to just talk so I wouldn't have to and he did a good job of keeping me entertained. I was feeling a little gross at this point. The Gu Brew was threatening to come back up and my legs were pretty tired. I think Dad was surprised when I walked the little hills. I did get a burst (if you can call it that) of energy around mile 47 or 48 (my Garmin had died by then) and I even started participating in the conversation a little. However, I felt like a drunk person, where you can't control what does or doesn't come out of your mouth. My brain was like a marshmallow. The last section was on pavement again, and there were regular people hanging out and walking and they all looked so fresh and so happy! I rounded the corner next to the finish and the clock read 9:54:xx. I sprinted (term used loosely) to the finish and crossed it in just under 9:55!

Afterward I felt pretty good. My legs were a bit tired and my feet were pretty excited to get out of those shoes, but otherwise, it was not too bad. I scarfed down a hamburger and some ice cream and put on my new fleece (bonus) because believe it or not, I was kind of chilly!

My loyal fans!

Just for reference, here are a few of the stats: #1 guy came in at 6:27. #1 girl was 7:43. She is 50 years old. The Russian from the Steam Trail section came in at 10:17, which means he qualified for Western States (nice job buddy!). I came in 103/287 overall and 19/94 females. I think there were actually about 380 registered runners in the beginning. Another pretty cool thing that I didn't learn until I saw a camera on the side of the trail is that it was all being broadcast live! My Mom went online to watch me finish but her bandwidth ran out right before I came in (bummer). I wish I would have known in advance. Next time, I guess. They did put the start online HERE.

So, the big question is: Would I do it again? Yes. Am I ready for a 100 miler? Not quite.

But maybe 100k.

Do you talk to other runners when you are racing? Have you ever been so tired you feel like you are drunk? Who is YOUR most loyal fan?

Headlands 50k

If you have never been out to the Marin headlands and taken highway 1 to Stinson Beach, you really are missing out on an awesome experience. It's really beautiful and the road is windy and the town of Stinson is idyllic. However, although driving there is fun, it's even more fun to run over the hill and get the sweeping views of the ocean from the top.

The Headlands 50k is 6,400 feet (according to Garmin; the website said it was 7,300) of climbing and is on firetrails and single trails and encompasses many of the classics (the Dipsea, Matt Davis, Miwok and Coastal trails, to name a few) of the area.

It starts near Muir Beach and the morning of the race was foggy and cool. Driving there, you take the windy road and it's slow going, creeping down toward the ocean without being able to see more than a couple car lengths in front of you. The race is put on by one of the local running teams and the organization of it was very good. It was a figure eight race, so we would end up back where we started.

My goal was to finish in around 6 hours, as this was less gain that Ohlone (8000 ft) where I finished in 6:30 and more than Skyline (5000 ft) where I finished in 5:09. Based on elevation, I was hoping to come in right in between the two. I would be happy if it were closer to the 5 hour mark than the 6, but would not mind anything in between.

We started on time and as always, went straight up. From Muir Beach, we went on a firetrail to the Coastal trail, which winds around the outside of the cliffs right near the water.

Coastal Trail

I made a friend as we were speed walking up the first hill and we hung together for a while, chatting. However, I tend to be faster on the uphills than the down, so I took off without her after a while, in order to keep my pace going. We wound down to Tennesee Valley and then back up the hill again, which was a trail I hadn't tried before, so it was a new adventure! After that, the trail went down to Rodeo Beach and my new friend caught back up to me. She was way faster than me on the downhills come to find out. We made it to the first aid station, where a random guy told us we were females number 7 and 8 overall.

From that aid station, she and I stuck together, keeping each other going. She would lead on the downhills and I would lead on the uphills. We arrived back at Tennesee Valley aid station (AS) together and her husband told me to keep her in line, even though I was struggling to catch up to her half the time. She had the cutest little family, three kids, the husband, the dog...the perfect cheering team! We didn't stay long at the AS, maybe 30 seconds, before heading back up the hill.

This was the big one. In the elevation profile, there were a few smaller climbs and then two very large ones in the last third of the race, which is generally where I have problems.

 We climbed and climbed and climbed. Then we got to another aid station and I stopped to get some lube and all of a sudden my friend was gone. I hustled up to try to catch her. Once we reached the top of the hill, the way down was awesome. It's on a trail called the Matt Davis, which is covered with ferns and in the middle of a mossy forest. It's really pretty. However, we were not the only ones who thought so; there were a TON of hikers! I have to say, this race would be better if we did this section earlier, when there are less people.

At the bottom of this hill is Stinson Beach. By this time, I was starting to get tired, which didn't bode well for the next section. From there, we headed back up the famous Dipsea trail to another trail called the Steep Ravine. This trail was also very beautiful, but was also full of hikers. It also lived up to it's name; it was steep. Luckily some new friends were spectating from this trail and they gave me some words of encouragement as I chugged up the trail.

Once we got to the top of the second big hill, I would like to say it got easier, but downhill is not really my friend. However, I was (still!) trying to catch up to my friend and thought maybe I still had a chance, so I skipped the last aid station at the top of the hill and headed down toward the finish. The last few miles consisted of switchback after switchback and it was brutal. I probably got passed by about 15 people in this section, which really bummed me out. However, I could not move any faster!

I finally got to the bottom and gave it my all to pass ONE guy right before the finish. Yes! That really made up for all the ones who had passed me before. I finished in 5 hours and 55 minutes, just under my goal of 6 hours.

My new running friend beat me by 7 minutes! When I went up to talk to her after the race, she said that she had thought I was ahead of her the entire time and had been trying to catch up to me. Man, she was fast!

This was not my best finish. I usually end up in the top quarter overall; it was not so this time. However, it was pretty interesting to see what my splits were at the aid stations. Actually, I guess that there were not as many people passing me at the end as it seemed!

11.5 miles -- 85th
19.5 miles -- 71st
24.1 miles -- 58th
27.7 miles -- 59th
Finish -- 62/181

Age group: 4/15
Gender: 9/60

After the race there was pizza; it was so good! I also enjoyed an after race beer and had a great time hanging out, shooting the breeze with new friends, ie people who passed me or who I passed along the way. All in all, it was a great day on some of my favorite trails!

Do you have a favorite trail nearby? Or maybe just a place you like to go on the weekends?

Squamish 50k

You may remember the Dolly Parton song? "Working nine to five, what a way to make a living..." Spoiler alert: this race took me 8 hours! I started at 9 and finished at 5. I have to admit, I was not really prepared to be on my feet that long.

But I am getting ahead of myself.

This is what the race director wanted out of this course:

1) Super Challenging
2) As scenic and beautiful as possible
3) A wild experience that doesn't feel contrived

The race started at Alice Lake, which is a little bit north of the town of Squamish and sits at an elevation of about 600 ft.  There was an early start at 8 a.m. for those who did not think they would make the 10 hour cut off. I have to admit, I wasn't really sure where I would stand for this race. The hard thing about trail races is that you can't necessarily say that if you run one 50k in 5 hours you will run them all in 5 hours. So far, the few that I have been: 5:09 (about 5,000 ft gain), 6:30 (about 8,000 ft gain) and 5:04 (about 4,000 ft gain). So I figured that this race, at about 9,000 ft gain, would take me about 7 hours.

Amber started at the early start, so I hung out and cheered her on and then went to watch the 50 mile runners come through with Amber's mom. While there, I befriended one of the volunteers, and we all had a great time chatting and cheering on the 50 mile runners. Then it was my turn to start. Our race started at 9, which seems pretty late to me. Usually these races start around 7.

The first 6 miles were relatively flat (it was slightly uphill) and mostly consisted of a nice spongy, soft single track which made it way through the trees. So this was nice and shady and at this point it was not too hot. The first aid station was at about 5 miles, and I quickly grabbed an orange and a swig of water and moved on. The next four miles were straight up.

Error #1: The night before, I had put my bladder in the freezer, thinking that it was going to be really hot (temperatures were forecasted in the 90s). However, it was not as hot as I thought it would be, and even the extra hour in the morning did not give it time to melt. I barely had any water for this entire climb. As it would melt, I would get a sip, but it wasn't enough. Luckily the reason that it wasn't melting is because it was cool outside, so I wasn't overly hot.

Error #2: I focused a lot on the uphill in this race when I looked at the course map, but the downhill is where I really had a slow down. The first uphill, although it looks pretty steep, was fairly easy. The trail was not as steep as I thought it would be. The first big downhill was a killer. It was a single track, rocky, technical trail which was difficult to get down without hurting something. So I took it pretty slow and got passed a lot on this section.

There was another aid station in the middle of the downhill, which was pretty sparse; I think it was water and M&Ms. I filled up my water (thankfully) and headed down the trail. I caught up with Amber right around km 20 / mile 13 and ran with her for a little while before breaking off and finishing the rest of the downhill portion. At the bottom of the hill was roughly the halfway point at Quest University, where there were icy buckets for head dipping. Also, the best thing ever, Amber's family was there and they did a great job hosing me down with sunscreen and bolstering my spirits for the next big climb.

The next section was a single-track switchback up the hill. There was a loop and a hill and some beautiful views. Somewhere in the middle of the loop, which was around km 33 / mile 20, I started to feel like I was ready to be done. I started nibbling on a Clif bar and it was my mark of how far I was. I would take a bite and then tell myself I would take one more bite at mile 21. Then it was "one more bite" at mile 22. Bite by bite, mile by mile, I got to the 40 km / 25 mile aid station.

Amber's family was there taking (bad) photos of everyone (me) and her Mom made sure that I didn't need band-aids, bug spray, food, water, socks or any other necessity. I have to say, having spectators (and "crew") at those aid stations is really nice for the runner, although sitting in the sun and waiting for a runner is not the most fun thing for them! From this aid station there were only 10 km / 6 miles left.

It was not an easy 6 miles. There were some pretty big uphills (for tired legs). There was rock scrambling and stairs. There were bike ramps that were really steep. There were bridges. It was hard. I kept thinking, "if I walk the whole way, I can still make it in ___ hours". Running math is not my strong suit.

But then, we were out of the woods (literally) and on the pavement of downtown Squamish. It was flat and paved and "only" 2 km of running from there to the finish line, were I crossed the line, got a photo taken and got a high five from the race director.

It was just what he said it would be. It was challenging; it was scenic; it was WILD.

What's the hardest race you've ever done? Do you ever do all day activities?

Squamish 50k: Pros & Cons

Last weekend I took a quick trip up to BC to run the Squamish 50 with Amber (it was her first Ultra and she did such a great job). I flew in on Thursday evening, spent Friday in Vancouver (more on that later) and drove up to Squamish on Friday evening (more on THAT later too!)

Friday was the packet pickup, then the race started at 9 on Saturday and was a point to point from Alice Lake to downtown Squamish. This was the first year they had a 50k and 23k distance. The other years they had only had a 50 miler. This year there were all three, each starting from a different place! There were many ups and many downs in this race, pun intended. So, without further ado, here they are!

PROS:

- The volunteers. They were awesome. I actually got to the start about an hour and a half early and sat and talked to one volunteer for a long time. Her daughter was running and we had a great time chatting and I even looked out for her daughter on the course, and then saw her and her daughter again at both the halfway point and the end! It's things like that which really make a great race!

- The scenery. What a great place to run! The race director did a great job making the route. It was a great mix of forest and fields, rocks and road, single track and fire road, with views to die for at every turn!

View from (almost) the top.

 
 - The challenge. If you want a challenge, this is a good race to try. Not only was there a lot of uphill, but there was an equally challenging amount of downhill (actually, there was a net downhill in this race).

- The race director. He was shaking hands, high-fiving and hugging everyone as they came across the finish line. That's why I love smaller races; everyone is just one big happy family.

- The fresh fruit. There was a lot of watermelon at this race and I loved it!

- The other runners. As always, it was great to run and chat with the other runners on the course and I made a lot of friends out there! It was great to see them at the finish and to celebrate our success together! 

CONS:

- The aid stations. This was Amber's first Ultra and before the race I was giggling about the amount of food she was going to carry with her. However, she had the right idea! Aside from the aforementioned watermelon, the aid stations were lacking. Some of them had potatoes, but no salt, and others only had candy. One even was rationing water! I know it's hard to get supplies to some of the more remote areas, but I really needed some real food! And salt! I don't really love the candy/chips options though, so this is a biased review. The other thing was that the drinks were not cold, and it got pretty hot at some points. I would have paid an extra $1 (or $5) to have ice in my drinking water!

- The packet pickup. Most people were really nice but it was a little disjointed. For instance, when I asked where I could park my car (there was a lot near the finish where you park and take the bus to the start but I was going to get a ride) they weren't sure and then they finally decided that I could park it at the same place as the people who were taking the bus. However, when I asked where it was, they told me to "Google it". When I said that I didn't have service in Canada, they told me to go find a place with WiFi. Um...thanks? A map would be nice.

- There also were no maps of the course at the expo. You could get one online but the 8 x 11 was pretty small. It would have been nice to have a double sized one for friends and family to have for spectating. However, on the flip side, when the map was blown up to a readable size, it was a mighty nice map!

- The post race food. This was probably hard to control, but with your race bib you got a post race meal. What this consisted of was a choice of meals from a bunch of local food trucks. However, the first place I went to was out of food. The next place I went to was a crepe place and it was out of most savory food. Then when I ordered one, he said that it was a $7 crepe, and our bib only got us $5 worth of food. What? My runner addled mind could not comprehend. Plus I didn't have any cash with me! Was I supposed to run with it so I could pay the difference for my post race food cost?

- Speaking of post race, there was a beer garden where you could get a beer with the drink ticket that you received at the packet pickup. Well, nobody ever told me about a drink ticket at the expo, nor did they give me one. I really could have used a cold beer! 

Have you ever been to BC? Have you ever run a race in a different country? What were your pros and cons? 

Your Pace or Mine?

This weekend I attended my first 100 mile race. It was so inspiring to be amongst such greatness. However, I did not run the entire 100 miles. I was a pacer.

A pacer, if you are in a marathon, can be the difference between your making your goal time or not. They keep you going at a steady pace, not too fast, not too slow, in order to finish at your desired time. I suggest you use one if it's your first time, or even if you have a time goal that you are not certain you will make.

Got my race bib on

However, in an ultra, pacers can be just that, someone who helps you keep pace, but they can also be much more. In the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 mile race (TRT100), you are allowed to have someone run with you for the last 50 miles. Like I said, it's to help you keep pace, as there are strict cutoffs at each aid station, but it's also to keep the runner safe, make sure they get enough to eat and drink, monitor whether or not they are getting woozy or tired or loopy (and all of these do happen) and to be there as company for someone who has probably been out on the trails for around 24 hours (or more). You don't want them to get stuck in their own thoughts too much!

The guy I paced was a friend of a friend; we had never met before. By the time I met him, he had already been running for 80 miles and about 26 hours. I don't know about you, but that would probably not be the best time to meet ME for the first time! I would be Grumpy McGrumpster. And nevermind trying to carry on a conversation with me!

Which is what I expected of him. Here's how I saw it going. He would be super tired, grumpy, negative and silent. I would have to keep pushing him to run faster, and would try to be cheerful without being annoying, all while talking non-stop in order to keep him awake, and not expecting him to say anything back. I thought I may have to force him to eat and drink while listening to him complain of blisters and sore feet and tired legs and blurred vision and hallucinations. Okay that last thing was a joke.

But seriously, I thought I would have to be a one woman cheerleader, and I was never a very good one of those. However, things were not like I thought. Here is how it went.

We met at 7 a.m at Diamond Peak, which was the 80 mile aid station. Fuel there included pancakes, coffee and soup. I had sat there for about 2 and a half hours waiting for my runner and had seen many people pass through who were absolutely exhausted. Others, on the other hand, were chipper, laughing and seemed like they had only run a few miles rather than a few dozen. My runner was one of the latter. After getting him some food and drinks, a change of clothes and a bit of sunscreen, we started up the hill. We left the first aid station 15 minutes before the cut off (7:30 a.m.).

Diamond Peak hill with Lake Tahoe in the background.

As always, the first couple of miles were all uphill. My runner was in good spirits; he was talking and seemed to actually be enjoying himself. We stopped to take in the view a couple of times, which was gorgeous. After we got to the top of the hill, we met up with the Tahoe Rim Trail and headed south. The trail was great. It was fairly level and it went along the edge of the hill with a great view of Lake Tahoe and Marlette Lake. At Tunnel Creek, the first big aid station, we fueled up with quesadillas and coffee (for me, sprite for my runner) and got back on the road. We left about 40 minutes before the cut off.

Marlette Lake view

Eventually we got to the very top, which was at about 9,000 feet. Getting up there was a little difficult, as we were starting to get near the tree line and the sun was beating down pretty hard. At this point it was about 12 o'clock and the temperature was in the 90s. When we got to the top of Snow Peak, the aid station there was manned by boy scouts who filled up our bottles with ice and gave us a nice cold sponge on the head before we started down the hill for our last 7 miles. At this point we were about an hour ahead of the cutoff.

High Sierra wildflowers

For the final seven miles, we jogged along, not talking too much. We even passed a few other pairs of runners, although we had been leap frogging with a couple of pairs all day. We arrived at Spooner Lake, where the last mile or so goes around the side of the lake and man was it good to see the lake. We could even hear the cheers coming across the lake from the finish line. It was just the boost we needed. We ran the last quarter of a mile and crossed the finish line together.

We made it across the finish line in 33 hours and 17 minutes, a whole hour and 43 minutes ahead of the cutoff, which means my runner got his coveted buckle! I was so proud of him; he didn't complain or lag at all! He really was quite an inspiration! I don't know how he did it! I was really happy to be a part of his successful race.

Are there specific times when you like to have company to boost your spirits? Have you ever been a pacer for a race? Have you ever used a pacer/pace group?

Shadow of the Giants 50k

As part of the training for the What's Beautiful Challenge, which is to run a 50 miler, I also signed up for a few 50k races. One of them was kind of an impromptu race near Yosemite. A couple of friends were doing it and I decided to join them for some fun in the Sierras. I grew up in the Sierras but it was roughly about 300 miles north of where this race was. However, the scenery is very similar in many cases. Evergreen trees, granite and clear mountain streams are the norm.

I drove to Fish Camp on Friday evening, which is where the race started. We won't even talk about the drive right now, as it was full of heat and traffic and wrong turns. Actually, I will talk about the heat a little. The thermometer in the car read 113 at one point. The car did not have A/C. I drank a ton of water. The end.

The race director Baz was a crazy really nice English (I think) guy who dropped the F bomb a lot. With your race entry (for a mere 15 dollars extra) you could stay in the dorms at a kids summer camp up in the mountains. Count me in! I arrived late and crept into the nearest empty bunk.

The next morning there was coffee and muffins and we all got our bibs on and got ready to go. The race started at 7 and it was probably about 55 or 60 degrees at this point. The starting elevation was about 5,000 feet. Baz made some jokes and dropped the F bomb a few times and then we were off! And it was straight uphill. I know, I know, if you got a quarter every time I said "and it was straight uphill" you would at least have $1.75 by now! Well it was...straight up.

For about two miles. In this time, my heart was beating like a tom tom. Seriously, it was going to beat out of my chest. My normal average HR is in the 130s. This was in the 150s! It was going crazy. I know it was probably mostly due to the elevation, because that can make a huge difference, but also it was dusty and it was already heating up (or maybe it was my imagination) and I don't know if I had gotten enough water in me the day before.

This reminds me of home

The trail went back down and then we did a little out and back so we could see who was in front of us. There were two girls ahead of me. At this point I was running with my friend and we were trying to guess the ages of the girls to see if they were in our age group or not. Shortly after that, I ditched my friend (on the downhill! She beats me on the ups every time and then I pass her on the down) and headed off on my own.

Now when I say on my own, I mean it. I was alone a lot. Except for one girl in a maroon shirt who was keeping just a safe enough distance behind me that I was taking it easy because I didn't always see her back there.We had a water crossing, which was my first, and then she caught up to me at the next aid station and passed me. Then she stopped to pee and I passed her. Sweet.

Next up was a really cool single track section that went through groves of Giant Sequoias. It was awesome. Then I got to the mile 20 aid station where there was a one mile loop through another grove, plus the volunteers filled up your pack and let you do the loop without it so when you got back you had icy cold water waiting for you. Thank you volunteers! As I left that aid station, the girl in the maroon shirt passed me again and then..

I hit a wall. I had no fight left in me.

I blame several things. 1. I was not hungry. At all. I don't know if it was the heat or what, but at the first aid station I grabbed a banana, took one bite and spit it out because it was not good. So I didn't really eat. For the entire race at this point I had maybe a quarter of an orange, 2 gummy chews, 3 pretzels and a bite of banana. Which is not good. We need fuel to move! 2. The heat. Can you say Sluggish? It was about 96 degrees. 3. The elevation. It affected me more than I thought it would.

The hill at this point was an uphill but it was oh so gradual, but nevertheless, it was killing me. I stopped to walk a bit and seriously considered walking the rest of the way. I was calculating in my heat addled brain how long it would take me if I walked. Somehow I came up with a possible 2 - 3 hours. The only reason I started running again was because I wanted to get it over with and 2 -3 hours more was way too much time to be out there.

At the top of the gradual hill (600 feet in about 2.5 miles) there was an aid station. It was like this:

source

Except they didn't berate me; they gave me food. Food, glorious food. This is the only time I eat Ruffles potato chips and man are they good!

And then it really was all down hill from there! Except for the fact that I fell (again. Oops) and scraped up my knee and hand (again), I felt a lot better after the food and during the down hill. I made it to the finish in one piece and went and soaked in the icy cold creek with a cold beer.

The Finish Line

The Verdict? The girl in the maroon shirt beat me by 5 minutes. I finished in 5:04 and change and was the 5th girl overall (I never saw the extra one, I guess) and 2nd in my age group. The kicker? Maroon shirt girl was in my age group. I have to learn to beat those 30 somethings! Young whippersnappers! However, it was a PR for me all the same. But I would have loved seeing a 4: something...

Total elevation gain: 4,078

Would I do this race again? Sure, why not. But next time I would hydrate more the day before and I would plan out my fuel intake a little bit better. And maybe train at a level besides sea level.

Have you ever been affected by the altitude? Or lack of food? Have you ever been to the Sierra Nevada mountains?

Ohlone 50k

Welcome to the other side of the table! Last year, I volunteered for this race. My friends thought I was crazy, because to get to the aid station where I was, you had to run 10 miles, work, and then run 10 back. Well they really think I am crazy now.

This is not an easy race. With an elevation gain of almost 8000 feet and an average day time temperature of about 90 degrees, it is not for the faint of heart.

source

I arrived at the finish line around 6 am. From there, you take a school bus (with your knees in your face the whole time) to the start line, which is in the Mission Peak Regional Preserve near Fremont, CA. I did the usual: got my bib, #64, used the potty (there were 5 of them and with only 200 racers, this made for a not too long line), and got my music ready. My plan was to have the music in one ear because it's fun to be a part of the course and when you are on smaller trails, you need to be able to hear other people coming up behind you. I had made a new playlist just for the race; it was 6.5 hours long. I was really hoping it wouldn't take me any longer than that to finish this race. I had taken a look at last years times and the top man was just under 5 hours and the top woman was just under 6.

The first part, as you can see from the above elevation chart, was straight up. From about 500 feet to about 2500 feet, to the top of Mission peak. The trail was full of day hikers, huffing and puffing their way up, wearing sweatpants and street shoes and carrying big cameras. We power hiked by them, causing puffs of dust to go everywhere. Did I mention yet that this trail was dusty?

Heading up to Mission Peak

I am usually stronger on the uphill than I am on the downs, and this day was no different. I passed a lot of people on the first stretch uphill. Then we were flying back down and people were passing me. The section after Mission peak was a difficult downhill for a bit, as it was quite rocky and there were still a lot of hikers, so trying to avoid them and the rocks without falling was challenging.

I carried my Nathan 2L bladder and boy was I glad I did. I was swilling water like it was going out of style. I had also brought two squeeze baby food / applesauce packets with me and I had one right around the top of Mission peak because by this time I was already hungry! That's what happens when you eat breakfast at 4:30 am and then don't start racing until 8 am.

As I ran down a not so steep part of the hill right after the first aid station, I started joking with the guy next to me about how I thought the rest of the course was just like this...a gradual downhill. Ha! Just kidding! It turns out, he is from a town very close to where my parents live, so we had a good time running and talking for the next couple of miles. As the course went on, we were constantly playing leapfrog and cheering each other on. 

We arrived at the second aid station, which sits at about 700 feet. I grabbed a potato and a banana and a swig of Gu brew and headed back out, and up! For the next 10 miles, it was all uphill, I swear! I was glad to see the Goat Rock aid station, where they had BACON! I also applied some Vaseline and sunscreen and helped myself to more potatoes and salt. I read an article somewhere which said you should eat what appeals to you...potatoes and salt and fruit are what I always want!

The thing (one of them) that I like about ultra racing is the little conversations you have with people along the way. As we climbed up from 700 feet to 3700 feet, we talked to everyone we passed, or who passed us.  I didn't know any of these people, but you always have something to say! People were cheering me on when I passed them and the conversations were easy as pie.

Another thing I noticed at this point was the gender difference. Not counting the very beginning where everyone is kind of finding their groove and everyone is passing each other, I only passed four women the whole race, and only two women passed me. The whole time, I was running with men, and was sometimes even passing them. Don't worry; plenty of them passed me too! I even took off my headphone around mile 2 and didn't even listen to music! I thought I would save it for the end when I needed a little pick me up.

Right before we got to Maggies, which is the "top of the hill" aid station that I volunteered at last year, we had to go up to the top of Rose Peak, which at 3,817 feet is the second tallest mountain in the East Bay. When you get to the top, you get a bracelet to prove you really went there and didn't just skip it. Then it was off to Maggies to say hi to my volunteer buddies from last year (the Boy scouts) and to refill the water bladder and eat some strawberries (BEST racing food EVER)! After that, it was supposed to be "all downhill from here" but as you can see from the chart, it was mostly downhill with a lot of uphills thrown in!

I can't remember if the worst part was right after Stewart's Camp or right after Schlieper rock, but one of those steep downhills was a tiny little single track trail that was very steep and rocky and hot and covered with poison oak. I was not loving it. In fact, it was at this point that I turned my music back on for a while and it was nice to have something to distract me from the brutal (down)hills! After the single track and the last aid station (and a swig of cold coke!), it was steep downhill to the end. Already a bunch of people had passed me on the downhills and by this point my knees were starting to wonder when it was going to be over. Actually, I think I heard them praying.

I hobbled ran down the last hill and I have to say, I have never been so happy to see a parking lot (and the finish line) than I was that day. I crossed the finish line, got a hug from the race director (such great service!) and collected my trophy for the day (a wooden block).

I ended up being the 6th woman overall, coming in at 6:31, which was about a half an hour after the fastest woman and about an hour and a half after the fastest man. Plus I got first in my age group! Except it's a little confusing the way they do it; the first three women get their own prize, so they get taken out of the age group awards. So technically I was the second in my age group, but whatever!

The shirt had a tribute to Boston on it!

Some interesting stats: In the top 10 people (all men), one was in his 20s, two were in their 30s, three were in their 50s and four were in their 40s. This is not a young guy sport! The same goes for the women! The top woman was 48. The next four women were three in their 40s and one in her 30s.

Edited to add: If you love race reports, it's pretty interesting to read the reports of the  first, second and fifth place runners. They run as fast as 6 minute miles part of the way! They are pretty impressive! 

Afterward there was a picnic and I hung out for quite some time, eating hamburgers and cold watermelon and chatting with the people who had passed me on the trail.  Then I headed home, took a much needed shower and passed out around 8 pm.

What's your favorite food to eat on a hot day?  Have you ever received race paraphernalia that was little different from the norm? Do you like hiking to the tops of high peaks in your area?

Cinderella Trail Half

I ran this race last year. It was hard last year. I remember feeling fatigued and thinking that it was probably because I didn't eat enough breakfast. I have come a long way since then. Running takes a lot of training, a lot of practice, and a lot of learning the hard way. You can easily under-train or over-train or overexert yourself the day before a race or eat too much or not eat enough...there are so many factors that go into race day.

So it was a perfect race this time.

I am kidding.

This race was Broski's first 30k. He has run 17.5 miles and was excited about the extra .5 miles (super excited). We had a quick breakfast of oatmeal about 45 minutes before the race and then we headed up the hill to the start.

Like last time, the first 2 miles are about a 500 foot climb. Broski and I huffed and puffed up the hill until you get to a kind of flat spot. After that there is a pretty steep downhill, and then a really steep uphill. These are hard. Really hard. Just when you think that you are feeling alright, another uphill comes up.

Broski was having trouble. Here I was, running along, talking some nonsense to him about the last time I took someone hiking on this trail and she was complaining about the hills...and I was giggling and jabbering away and I look back and he's not behind me. Oops.

We tried to figure out why as the trail leveled out and it wasn't getting any easier for him. Breakfast? Check. Maybe too soon before running? He had a 10 miler on Tuesday, but that was far enough away that he should have been fine. He gardened the day before in the hot sun...maybe he didn't have enough water? He had a couple low weeks, mileage wise...maybe not enough training? Whatever it was, it reminded me of my first Cinderella experience. Maybe this course was just hard!

Then we went way downhill and there was Mecca, aka an aid station. We refueled with some fruit and water and then came the big one Elizabeth. The next two miles were a 1000 foot climb. And it's brutal, with a capital B. Brutal. Our pace at this point was 15 - 16 minute miles. I was starving, since by this time we were at about the 2 hour mark.

Climbing the hill (with Broski in the background)

Luckily, once we got to the top of that big hill, it was almost "all down hill from here". We cruised down the hill and man were we glad to see the Finish line. Unfortunately, we did not finish a 30k race that day; since it was a loop course, with one half marathon loop and then another 10k loop tacked on to make 30k, we decided to skip the 10k loop, thus making it a half marathon instead.

The verdict? We finished in 2:44. We got #43 and #44 out of 104. As Broski says, that's not bad for a race that he wasn't feeling his best. If we would have kept going for the 30k, we probably could have finished in about 3:47, which would have put us in around #13 out of 30. So, after all that, it wasn't even that bad really. Still in the top 50 percent.

Like I said to Broski, I like being outside, and the trails we ran are some of my favorites, so it was no sacrifice on my part to be out on the trails with my favorite brother on a beautiful Saturday morning. He was bummed that he didn't finish his first 30k. However, he is not broken, just bent and he will yearn to run again.

Sorry. I can't get that song out of my head.

Have you ever run the same race twice? If so, did it get any easier? Have you ever had to learn something the hard way?