2017 Goals

So while I'm in writing mode, I'm going to get this down. And this year, I will achieve my goals. Unlike 2016.

1.   Complete 4 x 50 mile rides with Bugsy.
2.   Complete a multi-day with Bugsy.
3.   Complete 1 x 50 mile ride with Hazz.
4.   Run 2017 miles.
5.   Run a <30:00:00 100 miler.
6.   Qualify for WS100.
7.   Complete a 70.3 triathlon.
8.   Finish 40 books.
9.   Take 2 CE courses.
10. Minimum 10 minutes of self-care per day

A few of the goals are repeats from previous years, a few are new. My first half of 2017 is penciled in as follows:

February - Golden Gate 1/2 marathon.
               (- Catch ride at 20 Mule Team??)
March    - Way Too Cool 50k
April      - HITS Napa 70.3
              - V.E.T. 50 mile - Bugsy
              - Mendocino Coast 50k - Sweep running
May      - Quicksilver 100k
June      - France vacation

Other events include Pinhoti 100 miler in November, and likely rides include Hat Creek Hustle, Lake Sonoma, and Chamberlain Creek or Cuneo Creek. There's some talk of a Ride & Tie, possibly at Cache Creek. I hope to go to both WS100 and Tevis is some format. I should probably go to work every now and again, allow myself sufficient recovery time, mentally and physically. Oh, and hang out with my husband. This may be why he mentioned toying with the idea of tagging along on a run once in a while...

2016 Round Up

To properly do a 2016 round up, I should probably link to my 2016 Goals post. That I never got around to writing. Whoopsies. I did make some notes in a draft post with the intention of setting decent goals, and looking forward to going back and checking them off now. I guess it matters less since it was a spectacularly poor year for goal achievement. So what happened?

1. <7min mile - I have no idea, but I would be very surprised.
2. <30hr 100miler - Nope. 30:58:xx at Rio Del Lago
3. 2016 miles - Nope. 1769.9 miles. Closer than the previous year though (Goal 2015, Actual 1519.1)
4. 4 e-rides - Nope. 1 x 50 (Bugsy at Cache Creek), 1 x LD (on foot, with Jelly Bean), 1 x intro ride (15 miles with Sharif), 1 x 55 (Whiskey at Gold Rush Shuffle)
5. 80/20 clean eating - Not measurable, but still - Nope. I did great the 1st half of the year though.
6. one book per week - Nope. I think I finished about 12, which is pitiful.
7. entire length of beach - Nope. We may have gone to short beach once or twice?
8. learn to jump - Nope. We had one arena session and practiced a little on trail. He did jump out his stall-rest pen.
9. trail ride in just neck loop - Yes! Mostly, he was wearing a bridle, but the reins were only in my hand on the road section (safety first), and detached completely after a half mile of control check.
10. 120 riding days - Nope. 64 rides with Bugsy. Some riding on others, but not enough to add up to 120.

Half my goals were riding related, and since Bugsy took a 4 month hiatus due to his injury streak, many of those got shot down. Before that, we were having a pretty good year. And while I may not have achieved my running goals, there were successes. I set PRs at the half marathon, 50k, 50 mile, and 100 mile distances. I completely forgot to even try the sub-7 mile, and I'm very confident that I didn't hit it during a run that wasn't focused on speed.

Let's hope 2017 is a better year, in many respects!

Rio Del Lago 100

Saturday morning found me huddled at the start of my 3rd 100 mile start line. Sunday morning saw me crossing under my 2nd 100 mile finish arch. 30 hours 58 minutes and 50 seconds of running, walking, shuffling. Unfortunately an official finish, to receive a buckle and WS100 lottery entry, had to be under 30 hours. While in that respect my time was a little disappointing, I'm not letting it diminish the fact that I covered 100 miles on my own 2 feet. It was also 2.5 hours faster than my Zion 100 time, so I set a huge PR. So many things went right on this course, but I was hampered by skin issues and once again the crazy blistering on my feet. The blisters themselves were worse than San Diego, and I toughed it out, forcing myself to run on them. I could give you some gory details, but I'll spare you... Frustratingly all the reasons I thought the blisters were bad at San Diego did not apply at RDL, so back to the drawing board there. One thing that may have contributed is the fact that I lubed my feet while getting dressed, something I did when I first started running but don't usually do in training. I feel like I may have done the same thing at SD100 but don't remember. Maybe adding too much moisture? I have a great foot book than I will be ransacking for ideas.

Sunrise #1

This race I'm proud of my pacing, and nutrition. I didn't quite stay on nutrition plan, fairly early in the race my gag reflex decided swallowing solid food wasn't an option. I could, however, still suck down gels, so that's what I stuck with, along with soda at the aid stations. I was well hydrated all day. I had a little stomach upset in the early miles, where the key word seemed to be "Evacuate" and that is all I'll say on the matter. A chunk of ginger seemed to help settle everything down (and burned the crap out of my mouth, this may be where my excellent hydration came from). It was so hard to watch the race leave early in the morning, but it paid off later in the day. My big big mistake came at Auburn Lake Trails aid station. I cruised in with my awesome pacer Julie, volunteers took care of refilling my pack with water and the gels I asked for while I got what I needed from my drop bag and drank a cup of broth. We moved through the aid station efficiently, and got back on trail refreshed but having not wasted any time. About 5 minutes later, my food alarm went off, and we agreed I should go ahead and stick to my nutrition plan even though I had just had some broth. Now I know. DO NOT MIX GELS WITH BROTH!!!! I didn't actually throw up, but I was very nauseous for a few hours and couldn't take anything in. Julie saved my race by making sure that I kept a Jolly Rancher hard candy in my mouth at all times, swapping occasionally for a ginger candy. This kept a steady trickle of sugar in my system and staved off the worst of the bonk. She also had me run periodically whenever we hit good footing, even if it was just 5 strides at a time. This kept me moving, kept me warm, and made sure I didn't fall into too much of a death march. I was reappling lube every ten minutes or so, trying to ease my discomfort enough to only have to block out the pain of my feet. Walking wasn't so bad, but running created an intense burning sensation that, on top of my shredded feet, was incredibly difficult to ignore. I think without even one of these problems, I might have made the official finish time. I kept telling Julie that I just needed to make it to Overlook (the last major climb of the course, and a huge mental obstacle to get over). I made it!

Feeling good on Meat Grinder Pass1 (not so much coming back...)

Ordinarily I would be delighted by a long non-technical downhill section at this point in a race, but downhill was harder than up due to the impact on my feet, and this stretch was a mixture of paved and gravel road that sent searing pain through my feet. My pacer was Elicia for this section, and she employed the same tactic she used at SD100 - my feet will go numb soon. We both know this isn't true, but it made me laugh, which at 3:30 am and nearly 80 miles, whatever works! We kept moving but it was slow, and suddenly I was scarily close to the mile 83 cutoff. Elicia had recently checked her phone to be sure she knew the cutoff times. I rolled into the aid station at 6:09 with the intention of recording my number and getting right back out, with or without pacer #3 Bob - he could catch me up if he wasn't ready. By the time I found someone, he called me back and said it was too late, the station closed at 6:06. Elicia pulled the aid station chart on her phone to show the guy it said 6:10 and told me to leave, that she would take care of it. Soon after, Bob and Elicia were behind me swapping gear. I realised I had no choice but to go as fast as I could possibly make myself. It took all my strength to ignore the pain from my blisters and chafe, but I ran as hard as I could, and power hiked anywhere else. It wasn't far to the next aid station. We passed through there quickly, and kept moving. I was all too aware that I still had to make it through the meat grinder. In the 10 miles after leaving Rattlesnake aid, I passed about 10 people. I was so close to making it, until the stretch coming into Granite Beach. If I never run into a Granite Beach aid station ever again, I'll be happy. It took forever. We got really close to the beach and then we looped away away again. I nearly cried. I cursed a bunch. I slowly saw my finish slipping away from me. When we finally made it at 29 hours, I knew it would take me more than an hour to get to the finish line. I asked the aid station workers if there was a cutoff I had missed, or if I was good to continue. I may not be making an official finish, but there was no way in hell I was quitting at mile 95!!! 

Waterfall on the way to No Hands

I made it about 5 minutes out of the aid station when it occurred to me I could slow my blistering pace (Ha!) - if I wasn't making an official finish it didn't matter if I came in at 30:02 or 30:30. This was another big mistake. Without having a time goal to fight for, I allowed myself to feel how much pain I was in, to realise that I couldn't possibly swallow another gel, and oh dear god I was exhausted. I fell into having to tell myself that, no matter how bad I felt, I could take just one more step. It worked, but we were reduced to tiny baby steps, barely lifting my foot off the ground. I also started commenting on runners passing us (not racers, people just out for their Sunday run). "Oh look at me running up the hill, I'm such a showoff, neener neener". We made a game out of guessing how far they were going based on speed and how much water they were carrying. Some supportive mountain bikers told me I was nearly there (which in the grand scheme of things, I was, but not really). Most of them got comments along the line of "arsehole" or "liar" and fortunately those that heard me took it with a giggle, at least understanding why I was a miserable cow. One guy stopped in the middle of the trail in front of us and was apologizing for getting so close to us and he was really sorry and it wasn't ok for him to do that, to which I growled that I didn't have time for this shit and to get out of my way. I think Bob maybe explained, but I didn't even remember the guy passing us and he was pretty distinctive so I think he was talking about someone else. I knew if I stopped, I wasn't going anywhere again. We were nearly at the levee when we saw Elicia coming toward us, worried that I'd dropped and nobody had told her, or that something had happened to us on the trail. She said it had taken her 20 minutes to get to where she met us, so maybe 30 minutes for me to get back. It was reassuring to know I was so close, and I tried picking up my hiking pace (still barely above a crawl, but it was an effort). Getting onto the levee was amazing, I could hear the music and see the finish line, and even hear people cheering. As we got to the final path leading to the arch I was able to break into a shuffle, where a bunch of volunteers made a human arch for me across the finish line. I had finally made it!

It was a beautiful course, I could have taken many more pictures

Recovery has been surprisingly quick - except the blisters and chafe. They are still painful 3 days later. Other than that, I even feel like I could go for an easy run. I'm also exceptionally tired quite often - yesterday I accidentally took a 3 hour nap and it didn't affect my night time sleep. I feel like I ran a well-executed race. Time to go research blisters and NOT browse UltraSignup after a few beers...

Pre-Rio Round-Up

5 days!!! 5 days until my 3rd attempt at the 100 mile distance, and hopefully my 2nd buckle. I've (again) been terrible at blogging. Blame a combination of being very busy at work (yay!), dealing with regular horse injuries (boo!), and a new puppy (yay!). So enjoy a bullet point post to catch you up before the 100 mile adventure kicks off at the end of this week!

• Oscar - starting with the not-quite-running-related news. Oscar is a Pedigree Mutt from the Ukiah Animal Shelter. He's a little bit running related since he will be my future training partner. He's 4 months old, completely adorable, and already a solid member of the family.
  

• Sonoma Ultra - The 50k which became a half marathon when I decided to bail at mile 9. I still got a decently long training run in, but I realised I was looking at a 10 hour(!!!) 50k. Who knew there were trails like that in Santa Rosa? Scena Performance put on a great event, and I look forward to running with them again in the future.
• Sock Decisions - Of course some minor crisis occurs before a big race. I decided I couldn't possibly settle on a sock selection. I love my compression socks, but they take SO LONG to take off/put on that it's just not practical during a race. I definitely feel the benefits using compression post-event, but not so much during. I wear them more for leg protection against brush more than the possible benefits they provide. Which led to a whole bunch of sock experiments, until I finally realised that the Darn Tough Coolmax socks I wear as my 2nd layer sock could just be doubled up. After a 13 mile test, it's what I'm going with for Rio. 
• Shoes - I'm back in Altra, at least for the time being. I really love the Carsons, but they don't (yet?) offer a cushioned enough shoe for me to run the longer distances. The Olympus is my ultra friend, and it seems the problem with blow outs may be resolved. I only heard of it on trail shoes, but maybe because I mainly know trail runners. There will be more road running in my spring training as I shoot for my first triathlon, and Carson only makes trail shoes. The delightfully soft soles will shred too quickly, but I will be wearing them for my trail runs.
• Auburn/Tahoe - With my Dad in town, and having done most of the Fort Bragg activities, we set off for a night training run with Mel on the Rio course, a hike on part of the loop I'm not familiar with, and some hiking in Tahoe - the first few miles of the Western States course, and a 7 hour hike, both at elevation. Fun adventures.
• Oakland Hills - The original plan for my Dad's visit was to run his first marathon, but fitting that in with Rio so close just wasn't an option. We instead opted for this Inside Trail event. A 1/2 marathon seemed like a great event to celebrate my birthday. We went painfully slow, trying to avoid a raised heart rate, not get injured, and a last minute fueling test and experiment with a new jacket (Patagonia Houdini - short version - love it!)
  
• Fuel - I've been experimenting for a while, with both solid foods and "traditional" running fuels. I've settled on Huma gels, Honey Stinger gels, and Gu Stroopwafels, along with some real food and soda. 

Full reviews will come after the post-race report. I'm planning on taking the rest of November off from training to allow for full recovery. The current plan is (assuming I don't get lucky in the Western States lottery) to switch focus a bit and gear towards the Napa Triathlon, either olympic distance or half-iron, depending on how much I can improve my swim technique. In the meantime, let's go run 100 miles!!!!

Recovery Week

Major lesson learned from Headlands 50 last week? Eat All The Food! While a main goal of running this race was to practice fueling with something other than tailwind, I did ok. I ate. Sporadically. Not enough. It was a few days before I was moving around like normal and still had a fake amount of fatigue in my legs by mid week. I'm still confident that my slow recovery was due to not taking in enough calories during and immediately after the run. I also didn't drink enough water after, the day after, and most if this week. I've at least tried to watch that the food I choose has some kind of nutritional value, and adding a giant green smoothie daily.

Big River

This week I experimented with samples I received from Gu Energy (stroopwafels) and Pacific Health Labs  (AccelGel), as well as fruit snacks. Yes, the little kid jelly things that the label tells you are healthy! If it's not something like whole fruit or potatoes, and I'm using it for fuel, it's probably not healthy. Delicious little sugar bombs.

I went for 2 shorter run/hike combos, one testing the new Black Diamond Distance-Z poles, and one that due to some, er, trail exploration, we added a bit more distance than my buddy was hoping for (though still short). By the weekend I was finally feeling good, and decided to try a mid-length back to back long run. Yesterday a 9-miler with Sid, some extra hiking to test the poles a little more. Slow but steady, body felt good. This morning I met Brie and Rachel for 5 miles along Big River, and then headed out for another 7 solo. Considering how sore I was for most of the week I'm happy with my 30 mile week, 21 of which were in 2 days.

Switching fueling methods makes me feel like a complete beginner again, it's taking a lot of getting used to. Fortunately it seems that I'm actually handling calories pretty well. I added a timer to my watch so it beeps every 25 minutes to remind me to have a snack - a big problem with Headlands was simply forgetfulness. Oh yeah, food, I should do that.

A moment of quiet in Russian Gulch

So much to learn. 100 miler in 47 days!

Headlands Hundred 50 Miler

Third time lucky - an ultra finish for me! After my DNF at Pioneer a few weeks ago, I signed up for the 50 at Headlands Hundred. It was my first 50 in 2014 and I completed then, and a generous cutoff (the 100 mile has 33 hours, and that is somewhat flexible thanks to awesomely supportive race management). As long as you can keep crawling in a vaguely forward direction, you can get it done. Exactly what I needed to before Rio 100. 

Picture from PCTR facebook page

I was using this as a training run, with the main goal being conquering one of the most difficult parts of ultrarunning for me - eating. This was the first trail race I've not relied on Tailwind. I still think it's a great product, but it's time to play with new stuff. I definitely didn't eat enough this race, leading to dips in energy level, but anytime I really felt like I couldn't keep going I remembered that there wasn't the steady intake of calories that I'm accustomed to. I definitely didn't take in anywhere near enough, indicated by the rollercoaster energy, and how sore I still am today. While it's a tough course, I shouldn't be feeling as sore and stiff as I am. I'm very confident that better calorie intake would have helped with this.

As opposed to non-hazardous cliffs? Photo from PCTR FB page

Another reason for choosing this race as an event with a high likelihood of finishing was the weather. Marin is cool and foggy, just like running in Fort Bragg. My ideal climate. It doesn't have the shade that we have on the Mendocino Coast, but the temperature never really gets hot enough for it to be an issue. Sunscreen is definitely important, and I had planned on using my Blenders sunglasses to see if it helped the headache I usually get after running there. It was so foggy that I never needed them, and after they blew off my hat on one of the ridges I tucked them safely in my pack. It was cold even for me in some spots, and I actually changed into a warmer shirt later in the day. My Spandits boardies (FIN-tastic with pocket a-la-carte) performed flawlessly as usual. And the bra chafe that plagues me every race in some way or other? Not this time. I taped under the shoulder straps just in case, there are little plastic adjusters that sit right where the pack straps do, but I'm not sure it was necessary. I might find a little fleece cover for them to try. Good job, Victoria's Secret! Though it's going to take a while to get used to them being closer to my face than usual, not mashed against my body. Hello boobs!

From my Strava - got hills?

I was out there a little longer than I had hoped, but it was good practice to finish in the dark and try to not fall asleep. I carried my headlamp all day, it made more sense than risking getting caught out without it for the sake of a tiny weight. The sleeping wasn't too bad this time, but by the time the sun went down I could smell the barn. Had I been heading out for another loop I'm not sure that would have been the case. I also had the company of another runner, and a section of trail where the Night Sweats 15k race was coming up a technical section as I was coming down, so with that much activity it would have been hard for me to sleep walk! I struggled mentally this race. I went in completely depleted emotionally, and that certainly took its toll, including a complete breakdown that resulted in bawling my eyes out on the side of the trail not moving anywhere. Very mature way to deal with things, but it made me feel a lot better. I didn't take any pictures the whole course (hence the borrowed photos - the photographers on course haven't posted anything yet).

I learned some useful things at this race. Fueling is so crucial and I have to find a better system for eating more regularly. The M&Ms and Skittles both worked pretty well, but it would have been better to have them in a ziplock baggie for easier eating. Soup works really well at night, warming and salty. Just staring at the aid station tables wasn't particularly helpful, but when a volunteer listed items off to me things started sounding good. Sitting down felt really good for a moment, but a volunteer found out from me how long I wanted to sit for, 2/5/10 minutes, and as soon as my time was done made sure I got up. My hands didn't really puff up like they usually do, they started to a few times and I'm not sure what I did differently for them to equalize again, but they would. There was some cramping, and again I'm not sure whether the water I would chug or the endurolytes were what helped - that's an experiment for a training run. There was a point where I realised that walking hurt just as much as running, so I might as well make some time, and it actually helped me feel better. Anytime I caught myself walking for too long I would run for at least 5 minutes to break up the trudgery and make sure I didn't fall into a death march.

Photo from PCTR FB page

I have lots of things to put into practice, some good ideas for what training I want to focus on between now and November, and a 50k to practice aid stations. For now, it's focus on recovery, and learn to use my trekking poles (and get my shoulders accustomed to them) in time for Sonoma Ultra 50k, with 9500' elevation gain, in 3 weeks.

Pioneer Spirt 50

Note to self - get better at blogging, at least for events!

A week ago Saturday (*now 2 weeks ago tomorrow...), I ran most of the Pioneer Spirit 50, put on by Single Track Running. The goal of running this race was some course recon for Rio del Lago 100 miler, and to practice heat management. **Short version - it was f*cking hot and I dropped/missed the cutoff at mile 44.** 

Photo by Elicia

There was a shuttle that would get us from the parking lot at the finish line at some ungodly hour, but Mel (of Boots and Saddles fame) and I had Best Crew Ever, aka Elicia, who rolled out of bed at a slightly later ungodly hour to drive us to the start and follow us around all day. There was an option for a 4am start, but I decided that since either way I'd be running through the hottest part of the day, the extra hour in bed would be preferable.

We started near the back of the pack, and followed the train of headlights winding its way down the dusty trail for the first part of our Cool cloverleaf. We would come through the first aid stations 3 times before heading for Folsom. A few slightly tricky footing sections due to the darkness, but mostly a steady pace. Mel and I ran together for most of the day, the first time I've raced with someone. Every now and again one of us would pull ahead but we would either catch up on trail or at the next aid station. While we paced well together, we both knew that if it was time for one person to push on solo that they should do so.

The race was going well all the way up to No Hands, AS5. I had a little chafing issue that I kept forgetting to take care of, but I was anticipating the heat and dousing myself in water and cramming ice in my bra and hat as soon as it got a little warm. I noticed at Cool (AS4, mile 16) that I wasn't drinking enough, and made a mental note to take in more from my pack on trail. At this AS and the one before, I guzzled about 3 cups of water, it was more delicious than my tailwind. This should have been my first clue!

Photo by Elicia, ~14 miles

After No Hands Bridge is a big climb, and the point where I started feeling the heat. I've ridden this trail once before so thought I knew where we were headed. I made it most of the way up before finally finding somewhere to pull out of the train of runners, pretty sure the puking was about to start. A few minutes standing in the shade helped me feel better, and I pushed on with my stomach content intact. I noticed my hands swelling, and tried to sip some tailwind but it left a funky taste in my mouth. A steep (very steep, couldn't stop running if I wanted to, quad-busting steep!) singletrack downhill brought us most of the way to the river. I caught back up to Mel in time for the trail to somehow get steeper, and we both ended up using our butts to shimmy down to reduce the risk of falling. There was some language used. The steep trail brought us out on some rocks by the river, but the trail wasn't done with us yet. There was some scrambling, climbing, shimmying, jumping over gaps where the trail disappeared completely, and some precarious balancing on trail narrower than my the shoe I was trying to keep traction with. My legs had been threatening to cramp, and after half a particularly big step up my left leg, the one perched on the rock I was climbing on, completely seized. Poor Mel was stuck behind me, I was blocking the whole trail and unable to move. It was about 30 seconds before I could get going again, and was very aware of the cramping coming back. Seeing an easy route to the river was a very welcome sight, and I sat there cooling off for a few minutes. I still wasn't drinking anywhere near enough, and by now it was hot, and mostly exposed trail. Fortunately we were done with what Mel and I fondly referred to as the 'Death trail'. Prior to that section we were solidly on pace for our hoped 12-hour finish. In the space of a few miles we had slipped into 14-hour beat-the-cutoff pace.

Mel navigating part of 'death trail'

It was only about 2 miles to the next aid station but a hot climb to get there. I got a little light headed, and was trying to drink more but feeling nauseous. I asked Elicia to just top off my pack with water, I finally realised that if I added tailwind I wasn't going to drink anything. My big mistake here was not taking food, and without tailwind I was heading off without calories in an already depleted state. I did get some candied ginger which really helped settle my stomach. The next section was in the shade along the canal, and I really enjoyed it, cruising along at a good pace. I had heard a lot about the Cardiac hill - another quad buster down to the aid station. On the way I could feel something going on with my socks, so at the aid station I sat down to fix them. Unfortunately the only chairs were the folding ones with a seat a few inches off the ground. Cue cramping, which persisted every time I tried to get my foot near enough to remove my shoe, fix the problem, and put my shoe back. It didn't occur to me to ask a volunteer to help me, so took twice as long as it should have done. After San Diego, I have learned my lesson about not fixing foot niggles before they become problems.

I'm not quite sure what happened on the next section. We had plenty of time. Then we didn't. Somehow Mel and I found some scrapings at the bottom of the tank to push us into the aid station when we realised how close to time we were. We arrived with less than 5 minutes to go until mandatory Out time, volunteers flurrying around us making sure we were ready to throw us back on trail so we didn't get disqualified. A volunteer was sponging me off when I suddenly felt really light headed, saw spots, and swaying. I sat down and still felt like I was going to pass out when I heard "30 seconds remaining" from a volunteer and Mel's "Cyd, are you coming, we have to go NOW!" So of course, up I got and off we went. I didn't grab food again!!! Mel had grabbed otter pops for us, and gave me a couple of boiled sweets. The little bit of sugar got me to the next aid station, but wasn't enough to revive me. I still wasn't drinking, and was fading fast. The next aid station was only a few miles away, and again I left with no food. I've been using tailwind for more than 2 years, so never had to think about calories, I fill my pack and go. I also wasn't taking electrolytes.

I love this picture! No Hands Bridge, ~21 miles

I had heard lots of stories about the meat grinder, and while it certainly wasn't the most fun trail I've ever run, or "run", it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. It was slowly cooling off, and I was starting to drink the water from my pack more regularly. It had occurred to me a while back that I hadn't had to pee in a long time (ask my running buddies - I stop to pee annoyingly frequently). I finally had to stop, and without going into details, the colour was not appropriate and it was very uncomfortable. I slowly dropped back until Mel was out of sight. I called Elicia after a mile or so, explained I wasn't feeling good, but that Mel should be in shortly and to make sure she got out of the aid station quickly. I was feeling light headed and nauseous again, but wouldn't let myself sit down. Soon a pacer came by heading out to meet their runner, and said I was about a mile from the aid station and that I could make it. With 6 minutes to cutoff, that wasn't going to happen on fresh legs with good hydration, let alone now. It also turned out to be further than a mile. What I didn't know was that they had extended the cutoff from 5:12 to 5:30. I learned this when Elicia met me about half a mile down the trail. She had brought me some ginger ale, which I forced a little down, and finally sat.

If I had pushed myself, I probably would have made it by 5:30. Even after sitting on the trail for a few minutes, and not even trying to keep a decent hiking pace, I only arrived 5 minutes late. They may even have let me continue on at that point. My concern was how dehydrated I was, and the aching I had been feeling in my lower back was higher than it should be for muscle fatigue or hip tightness. Slogging out another 6+ miles may have been doable, but at what consequence to my recovery? My goal is to complete Rio del Lago 100 in November. While pushing through to finish would have been great mental training, it certainly wasn't the best choice for my health.

I'm not pleased that I didn't finish, but I took a lot away from this race. I am more familiar with some of the trails I'll be running on the 100, I learned that I need fueling options other than tailwind, my heat management was actually pretty good if you exclude the hydration factor. Plus, I decided that I really need a finish, so I went ahead and signed up for Headlands 50 on September 10th! So instead of a 50 mile long run, I'm getting a 44 mile and 50 mile. Headlands was my first 50 in 2014, and the cooler temperatures and generous cut off times make a finish more likely - I'm not sure mentally I can go into a 100 miler coming from 2 DNFs. It also gives me a chance to practice fueling with food instead of tailwind.