Speak up Universe

It would appear that powers greater than I destine me to run the half at Golden Gate Headlands, not the full marathon. I had decided to make my decision a few days after an 18 mile training run (that would have had approx 3600' elevation gain). I elected to run on Saturday, and allow for onset of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) before picking my distance. Phone rings, it's work asking if I can work day shift Saturday. Sure, no problem, I'll just go for a shorter run with T, we'll have our Sunday shoe and pizza(!!) adventure, and I'll run long on Monday. My box of Tailwind arrived Saturday so I would get to test it out also. Sunday, message from a co-worker running a fever, could I work for her? Now long run Monday, shoe adventure Tuesday. Wake up 4am Monday and can't sleep, J is snoring loudly and won't stay on his side. He's sick so I get up and move to the couch for a restless couple more hours. Alarm at 6.40, look outside, and it's hailing. Um, no thanks, half hour more sleep. Coffee, still pouring. Spinach juice for breakfast, still pouring. But now it's rain. And not really that cold. And the wind's died down. Made up some lemon tailwind, decided I would do nine or maybe a half, no time for 18 now. Not sure when I can fit one in the rest of this week? Nearly wreck my car aquaplaning on the way to the trailhead. Who needs a warm up when you can send adrenaline shooting through your whole body instead? Didn't want to get out the car, the rain got worse and it's getting windy. Decide to hit the trail, and if it still sucks in 20 minutes I can turn back.

More than enough of these to play in!

Set off, and was soaked to the skin by about the half mile mark. There was a rivlet running down each trail, sometimes covering the entire trail, branches down to jump, and I soon quit pussy-footing around the puddles and splashed right on through. On more than one occasion they were deeper than I predicted and found myself in mid-calf deep water nearly going a-over-t. Decided to keep going to the split in the trail for doing nine or five miles and see how I felt.

Was having some rumbling in my tummy. Not the fault of the tailwind, as I hadn't been drinking it long or enough or in near enough quantity as early on as the tummy issues started (namely about twelve minutes in...) Finally got to a point that the rumbling was getting more than a little concerning, resulting in a dive off the trail at the first opportunity to, uh... take care of things. Would seem I can drink coffee OR spinach juice, but a combination of the two is highly inappropriate for today's activity. Felt much better after that and continued happily on and headed up the nine mile split. However, it didn't take long to realise that my GI distress may not be entirely resolved and home would be the more pertinent location. Turned back and enjoyed the trail along the creek to the waterfall that looked spectacular with all the rain, and loud!

Russian Gulch waterfall

The steps leading up from the other side were slick as hell, and wouldn't have been fun the second time round if I had gone for 18:

Stone steps above the waterfall

Will try again for a long run either Friday (if I don't go riding instead), or Saturday morning. But looks like I'm being directed towards the half marathon. Though I am riding 100 miles in two days the following weekend so that may be no bad thing...