Big River Half

Wheee, redemption for Thursday's adventure. This morning was the 2nd Annual PAL Big River Half-Marathon/10k/5k. I opted for the half, as did several buddies, and other friends were there for the shorter distances. I went out too hard, but it felt ok so decided to stick with it and see what happened. The miles were clicking off, and while it wasn't as easy as when we started, the pace still felt manageable. I started setting interim goals such as make it to the 5 mile mark before I saw a speedy return runner (made it to 5.5). I checked my watch at the turnaround, saw I was on pace for a PR, which I had been hoping for. My goals for the day were to run the whole thing, maybe a water break (or pee if I had to!), and to shoot for a PR (2:11:xx - 2011). 

 

Today's successes:

• PR - finishing time of 2:04:58
• No walking - never not walked in a race, closest was the Whale Run 2015, about 5 strides there
• No walking - the longest I've continuously run before was 8 miles
• 3rd in Age Group
• Negative split - first time, even if only slight. Hit the turnaround at 1:02:54

I did have a slow 1.5 miles where I dropped to 10:30/11:00 pace and couldn't make myself go faster, but I decided even if I got slower I wouldn't give in and start walking. Once I got to the last mile I found my reserve and was able to kick it in gear, deciding that my new goal was 2:05. Happy runner here today!

Heat Training, or the day we whined a lot

We have long known that heat is certainly not my strength. Living on the coast is perfect for me. It's great running weather year round. Which is highly inconvenient for training for hot races. I tried wearing extra layers for San Diego training, but the weather was cooler than usual. Coupled with early morning runs, the extra layer was usually welcomed. With a couple of hot events coming up (glow bar marking for Tevis, and Pioneer Spirit 50 miler), I jumped on the opportunity to go visit a friend, check out the trails, and get some heat training in. The most significant of this was a long run with a fellow ultra runner/endurance rider/blogger who has the same events on her schedule. We elected to run the section from Foresthill to Driver's Flat, about 20 miles point to point, staging vehicles at each end. I planned for a couple of tests on this run. 

1. White long sleeved cotton shirt. I got this idea from Pam Smith, 2014 WS100 winner. Cotton stays wet, helping cool you, as opposed to the quick drying wicking technical fabric that most of us opt for. On a record heat year, this was something she contributed a lot to her success. In a closet clear out I found one and after a few test runs to be sure it wouldn't chafe (bane of my existence) I wanted to give it a shot in the heat. It was fantastic, as long as it stayed wet. Laying in creeks or stripping off the shirt to soak it and use it as a washcloth to cool the rest of my body was effective and felt delightful. There were a couple of sections that it had time to dry out on, and it got a little warm then, but not much more so than I would have been otherwise and at least my skin was covered so burning was less of a concern. Success!

2. Adding stack to shoes. I'm still loving the Carsons, but they don't come with much stack height. I appreciate the extra cush on the long distances, so tried to experiment. I added an Altra stone guard underneath the sock liner, and took the sock liner from my 2nd pair and added it on top. This gave a little more rigidity to the shoe, and an additional 5mm of soft lining. It was a little better, but not yet ideal. I also have some sock issues to work on, so this is a combination problem.

3. Chia bars. I found some bite size chia based energy bars that I wanted to experiment with. I put about 4 scoops (400 calories) of Tailwind in my 2l pack, and took 3 of the bars. I only tried 1 bite of the Acai flavor bar, had to spit it out and throw the rest away. I had been experiencing dry mouth due to my water dilemma, and the bar was drier and more crumbly than I anticipated, immediately sucking any remaining moisture out of my mouth to the point of almost painful. Will experiment on a more hydrated day. Pleased that 400 calories seemed to do pretty well at least!

A few miles into the run I declared it to be 100 degrees and was informed it was in fact only high 80s. (Only - I'm from England. They closed offices when it was 86 there!) An hour or so on I was sure it had to be at least 130, and was relieved to hear it was 98ish, and that Mel, who does well in heat, was also warm. I've noticed running here that you go through little pockets of warmer or cooler air. The same thing happened yesterday, except the warm pockets felt like opening an oven door. Yuck! I was trying to find the right balance between conserving water and not getting too dehydrated. After about 10 miles we were reduced to speed hiking and I was very conscious of not feeling my best. I started paying attention to my decision making, and checking in with myself regularly. I can't afford a SAR bill! Mel ran out of water a few miles before I did, and both of us were out long before was ideal. No matter how much I drank I also couldn't fix the dry mouth sensation, which was at best unpleasant. I'm going to pick up some dry mouth dental spray to see if that would help next time.

We spent several miles traveling alongside the American River, taunting us with it's coolness and wetness.We briefly contemplated swimming back, but the rapids would have been a problem. There were a few rafts that we were roughly keeping pace with, and I really wanted to just hang on to the back of them and be towed along. The rafters kept jumping into the river, something I began fantasizing about. I was so happy when we got to Franciscos, where it was just 2 more miles to the truck. 2 miles of exposed, hot, steep uphill! As we were leaving Franciscos there was a mileage sign confirming 2.3 miles. After a short stretch of single track, I turned and saw a sign that actually made me shriek out a little. 3.2 miles!!! Nooooo! Thankfully there was soon a trail that led to the river, something we had been looking for for a while. We both briefly considered how foolish it was, determined that people didn't die from giardia, and slurped up deliciously cold, refreshing river water. It was amazing. We spend a little while here cooling, just sitting in the water, and taking a few more sips. It may not have been our best decision making, but it was so good! 

Unfortunately the recovery from the river didn't last too long, and the road to Driver's Flat took its toll quickly. A State Park truck passed us heading down the hill, and a couple of the rafting companies came by. We were taking a break in the shade when the SP truck was coming back towards us in our direction of travel. We flagged him down, and he graciously gave us a ride back up the hill to the staging area. Apparently we looked as bad as we felt. Even though we were hot and dehydrated, we never fell into a death march. We had given up on running a long way back, but we were always moving with purpose. We got 5:30 hours trail time, and temperature reports of hitting 104 degrees. While I didn't do fantastic with the heat, I recovered much faster than I have done previously. As soon as we got back to Foresthill, we went to agas station for cold ginger ale and a Snickers ice cream bar. Totally hit the spot! I'll be back in the area next week to get a couple of rides and runs in, plus Tevis on Saturday - a long run in heat, with a purpose, followed by volunteering all night. Excellent 100 miler training!

San Diego 100

In short - I did not finish the San Diego 100. It's not the end of the world. I'm pleased with the training I did, a little sad I didn't finish, and disappointed that I missed my WS100 qualifier.

The drive down was uneventful but long and hot and straight and boring. We spent the first night near a relative of J's in case she had time to visit. Our Air B'n'B host was very sweet, as were her three girls. We were obviously trustworthy, since the next morning she took one to school, and went to work, leaving the other two alone with us, and instructions to lock the door when we leave. Very strange... She loaned me her blender to make my pre-race smoothies. One of her daughter's was watching me, and her only comment was "Whoa... Bananas for days." She had a point - 18 bananas and a bag of frozen strawberries.

Strawberry/banana left and center, banana right

We met up with my crew, my bestie E and her husband B. Lunch was at Stone Brewing, followed by a brewery tour. You know, for heat acclimation. They stayed an extra night in San Diego and Jason and I headed out to Lake Cuyamaca for check in and camp set up. The briefing was thorough but not overkill. After collecting my entry swag (drawstring bag, tech shirt, injinji socks, and a bottle) I got my photo taken for UltraLive.

See how pink already? HOT!

I finished all my smoothies, and settled in around 9:30 (I think?). I actually slept really well, particularly considering it was pre-race, in a tent, and J was snoring away. We headed to the start line around 4:45 so I could collect my number in plenty of time for the 6:00 start.

The conga line was slow slow heading out, which was bothering some runners, occasionally me too. It was hot (for me) by 7am, and we were already heading up our first big climb. There was some chatter here and there among people I would be leapfrogging with all day. I already had that thick-headed feeling that is not a good sign for me, so focused on trying to keep my heart rate down and fluid intake. There was a fun descent to the first aid station, which was a hive of activity. I was able to get in and out quickly, and was so grateful to the sponsor (Running Skirts) for providing cooling buffs. Ice cold water shouldn't feel so good on my neck at 8am! I was a little ahead of pace so made a note to keep an eye on my watch and keep something in the tank for later.

The course was rolling, and the day just kept getting hotter. By about 11:00 I was struggling to keep cool. It was a huge relief to come into the first crew aid station, even though E and B hadn't made it there yet. J was waiting for me with giant ice pops! Best thing I've ever taken out on trail. I refilled my bottles, refreshed my buff, stuffed ice anywhere I could, and set off to hit the Pacific Crest Trail.Spectacular views, hot, exposed, and rolling in a generally upwards direction. I had to slow way down to manage the heat, even stopping a couple of times. I tried to keep hydrated, but wasn't succeeding too well. This section saw several runners death marching, and a few puking. One guy was passed out on a rock - he said he sat down because he felt dizzy, and wasn't sure how long ago that was. Not good! There were a few times I kicked rocks and nearly went down a few times. At one point I did fall, and managed to roll off the side of the trail. Fortunately there was enough brush to stop me going far, as opposed to some of the sheer drops I saw elsewhere. I gave myself some nice bruises in the process. I also think it was somewhere along here that I broke my toe, but I didn't realise it was broken until our hike on Sunday (because everyone climbs a mountain 2 days after DNFing a 100 miler, right?)

It was a huge relief to arrive at the aid station and try to cool off. According to E I looked better than many of the runners she had seen come through but I wasn't feeling it. I didn't realise how dehydrated I was, my feet were hurting which I put down to them swelling in the heat. I changed into bigger shoes but the damage was done. I let E know that I was in survival mode and just trying to keep moving. I did mention that I could probably go faster if someone could turn the sun off for me, which was agreed by those nearby. The next section is a bit blurry, I was hot, dehydrated, nauseous but not puking, and just not having fun. I kept telling myself that night time would be better, and one foot in front of the other would get me there.

Sometimes I was with other runners, mostly I was alone. There were more runners napping on the side of the trail along here too, maybe 3? I really wished I could join them, and it was still only the afternoon. I didn't realise the next aid wasn't a crew station and was a little sad that I had been anticipating seeing them. The next section had some slightly technical sections (probably not very technical if you're not 5'2 and already tired). Then came the big hill everyone had been talking about. The volunteers warned it would be long and hot, so I armed myself with ice anywhere and everywhere and full bottles and took off. I passed THREE runners heading BACK to the aid station to drop out and a fourth weighing his options that I couldn't persuade to hike with me. I actually passed several people on the climb, which went on for what might have been forever, and had a few pretty steep sections. I was very pleased to find I actually had some good climbing strength left but could feel that my feet weren't exactly thrilled with me. I finally rolled in to Penny Pines 1, and was really happy to see E walking down the trail towards me. I took a seat for a couple of minutes while my pack was filled and I was brought various snack offerings. E was promptly asked to leave and we were informed that if the RD came by while she was there I could be disqualified. Yikes! They promised we could have crew at the next aid though, so off I went.

My planning went askew here, since I was so far off schedule, I hadn't planted a headlamp anywhere. Fortunately I had my phone with me and was able to use the dim light on it which helped, and my new runner friend J offered to stick with me until the aid station. We had been running about the same pace and both were grateful for some conversation. My feet were really getting painful and I knew a blister was forming. I've never had to deal with blisters running, so this was new for me. As soon as we reached the aid station I set to work trying to remedy what was the biggest yet hardest to see blister ever. E and B were both shining light on it and a volunteer was helping while I tried to drain it. 12 holes in my foot later and it was clear this blister was in for the long haul. It didn't occur to me that the sore area on the heel of the other foot was a blister, so I didn't take that shoe off. They hadn't brought my crew bags up so my clean shirt, my fully charged GPS, and neither of my lights were available but I got a loaner headlight, not as comfy or bright as mine but better than my phone. I should have asked them to go get my stuff but I was trying not to be the cranky runner. I was pushed back out onto the trail with a handful of M&Ms and a promise that my foot would just go numb soon. Ha! Blisters pictures taken the next day are available upon request ;) 3 weeks later and the one I tried to fix is still trying to heal. The spot on my heel turned out to be quite the monster too. I'll save you the gory details...

The next few miles were the most difficult. Just like at Zion 100, my brain shut down and I went to sleep. I jolted awake after a couple of strides but a few times I walked off trail. I have GOT to figure this out before November! I remembered a trick that I'd heard about if you take a nap during a race, to lay with your head facing the direction you need to travel, so if you're disoriented when you wake up you don't start going backwards. Laying down to sleep really felt like a good plan so I kept my feet moving! Even though my feet were on fire and I couldn't stay awake, my legs really felt pretty good. Just every time I tried to run the searing pain in my feet shut me down. I was also having trouble regulating body temperature; I would go from freezing with teeth chattering, to sweating like mad. Turns out, it wasn't me, it was really weird little pockets along the trail. Eventually a runner and her pacer caught up to me, and I moved out with them hiking and chatting together. I felt a lot more awake having company, and the brighter combination of 3 lights seemed to help. After a couple of miles with them, a runner came flying down the trail towards us, and paused to let us know that we needn't push the pace because the aid station was closed so take it easy. I was both disheartened and relieved. Soon after, S appeared to "run" me in. He was surprised at my good spirit and how well I was moving until I explained the extra pounding of  running was too much for my poorly feet.

Hiking with my crew 2 days later

At the aid station, I heard that the temperature on trail had been recorded at 108, possibly hotter in some places. There's no way I could prepare for that living and training on the coast. I'm not sure what happened with my feet, it was a new scenario. I have a couple of ideas to try, and think maybe dehyhdration was part of it. Muscle wise I recovered very quickly, and my toe is just about healed - it now only hurts when I poke it. It shows just how fickle ultras are. I had trained my hardest and smartest, worked hard at improving my nutrition, set huge PRs at both the 50k and 50m distances, and it just wasn't my day. There's not much I can do about heat, except be in it as much as possible (I'm currently at E's place near Grass Valley to get some hot runs and rides in).

Next races: Big River half in July, Pioneer Spirit 50m in August, and Rio del Lago 100 in November.

Lake Sonoma 50

Flat Cyd ready to go!

Wheeeeeeeee! Finally a Lake Sonoma event finish. After crashing and burning attempting this race a few years ago, and then my silly pony falling off the trailer in his over-excitement and slicing his leg, I was wondering if this was a cursed location for me. Third time lucky though. I didn't take many pictures this time, my head wasn't really in the game, and I had to concentrate more than usual.

My big dilemma was what to do with my rain jacket - start with it, carry it all day, put it in a drop bag? As soon as I walked out to the truck I knew it was too warm to wear it, so opted for the Warm Springs drop bag, that we pass at miles 11.5 and 38. I didn't need it all day, so I'm glad to have not lugged it up all those hills. I arrived with plenty of time, most of which was taken up in the potty line. The first 2.4 miles are on road with no ducking access, so no chances taken by anybody. I had just enough time to stash my jacket under a tent ready for the finish, and join the back of the pack as we set off for a really long day.

It was really hard to watch the pack leaving on the road section, but I couldn't find my stride, there was a decent hill, and my lungs were taking a while to warm up. They're not quite recovered from the respiratory virus I finally had to admit to myself I had, part of the reason for my ridiculous taper of 1 run and 1 hike in 2 weeks. I also had a full belly from a reasonable breakfast, ~600 calories. I knew being forced to go slow early would pay off in the later miles. 

Once we hit the single track it was an easy cruise to the first aid station, a water only stop, ~4.3 miles. Nothing needed here except to thank the volunteers and start the long section to Warm Springs. I still hadn't quite settled in and the warm muggy weather was bothering me. The scenery was spectacular though, so I chose to focus on that. It was way too early in the day to be having thoughts of missing cut offs or dropping by choice. There was some limited, and not all cheerful, conversation on course, so I pushed to find a hole by myself. Arriving at the aid station cheered me up pretty quickly, there were volunteers and crews cheering for everyone and being very helpful. I found my drop bag and grabbed 3 baggies of Tailwind, 2 to refill my bottles now, and 1 to carry as a spare - my next drop bag wasn't for 14 more miles. I saw P here, who I had the pleasure of running a few miles with at MUC50k (and another race that neither of us remember). The section between here and Madrone Point aid is my favourite on the course. Spectacular views and single track makes Cyd a happy runner. There was a moment that I got a little frustrated trying to get by a group of 4 friends running together who weren't holding even a little bit consistent pace but refused to let me by. I got past 3 of them, and the leader of their pack, a stocky guy, was bombing away any time I tried to pass then literally stopping in front of me. I quickly got bored of this game and squeezed through the first gap I saw where he actually knocked into me. Yup, it's important to fight for that mid-pack spot a third of the way into the race. No acknowledgement of what you did? Screw you. I ran faster than I should have to get away from them and took a moment to remind myself that this was a very rare case in trail running and wasn't going to let it bother me too much. 

Spectacular scenery!

I caught up to the next little pack and we had a nice train going for a few miles. Every now and again the engine fell to the back, and before too long I was second in the line, and the two of us started pulling away from the group. I wasn't delighted with my pace still, until we came to Wulfow Springs aid, another water only stop. Here I realised that my Suunto wasn't keeping up on mileage and that I wasn't going as slow as I had thought. From then on I just concentrated on elapsed time, but of course I couldn't remember what my splits should be for my goals until the half way point. I knew speeding up was a bad idea, so figured I'd keep the effort level I was at until then and see what I needed to change for the second half. At 3h45 the race leader breezed by on his return journey. It was fun watching the elite runners come by, and love that so many of them spared a breath to acknowledge other runners on course. One of the reasons I love this sport! It was just a couple miles from Wulfow to Madrone Point aid and the first significant climb of the day (as per the website lol). I refilled one of my bottles, and set into the climb, fully prepared for the suckfest. Except it wasn't that bad. Not the most fun, for sure, but not as bad as I remembered. Added bonus that there were volunteers, spectators, and crew hiking up and down cheering runners as we went by, and a very encouraging crowd at the top. Next up, a long descent that I chose to forget had another big climb at the bottom and that I had to come back up it. 

The second 'significant' climb was as hard as I remembered, and while I didn't pass anybody on this one, I did manage to hold my own and pull away from those behind me. At the top it was just one mile to the turnaround along another fun single track. I got into No Name Flat aid station just 15 minutes behind schedule for my A-Goal of 12 hours. There was music playing, people cheering, volunteers rushing to help me. Someone found and handed me my drop bag, while another grabbed my bottles and the tailwind bags to fill for me so I could reapply vaseline. The banana chunks looked good so I scoffed one while my bottles were replaced in my pack for me - great service here!! Another banana chunk was put in my hand for the road and I was back on trail in less than 4 minutes!

Having just come up 2 big hills and down 1, this was obviously a mostly downhill section. I fell into stride with a couple of runners before we went down the hill. I don't remember how the subject came up, but we joked about how running was so bad for our knees, which clearly offended someone near us who started lecturing on how running really is bad for your knees. Seriously? Time to go fly down a hill and have some fun instead. I had a bit of a low point at the bottom and took some extra walking time. Even though it was seemingly flat, I knew it was a slight incline with a steeper hill to come so I felt okay with taking some extra time for myself. Before I knew it we were descending into Madrone Return aid, and I had the pleasure of chatting with Gunhild Swanson of 2015 Western States fame, who gave me some great advice on training and racing - thank you! For some reason Oreos looked delicious, so I figured it was worth a try and grabbed a couple, along with the tastiest donut hole, apparently crumb flavoured? I was really sensitive to peanut butter today, just the smell of it from runners I passed who'd opted for PBJ was enough to make me nauseous, and the sight of more sandwiches being made got me out of the aid station like a shot. 

Not sure if I should laugh or cry...

Back to my favourite section, and I felt much better than I had earlier in the day. I started setting my sights on runners ahead of me and slowly catching up and passing. I set myself hill goals, run up to that tree, don't walk until the rock, to keep me running hills. I started trying to figure out how much catching up I might have to do to still make 12 hours. There's a local 12.5 miles loop with lots of climbing that I can usually do in ~2h45. It was 12 miles from Warm Springs to the finish, with lots of climbing, but 38 miles of hills already on my legs. I got in to the aid station just after 9 hours. I got my tailwind from my drop bag and snagged some oreos and soda while my bottles were refilled (have I mentioned how great the volunteers were all day?!) I also got to see J from the training run here. We were both having a great time and talking to someone cheerful for a minute really gave me a boost - thanks J! I was very conscious of my goal though, and scooted out before I could get too comfortable. 

This section wasn't as bad as I was anticipating. It was going to be 7.4 miles to the next (and final) aid station, with many more hills. It was getting harder to chase down people ahead of me, but I was still managing to pass. There was a section where I couldn't stop clock watching and the miles just weren't going by as fast it felt they should relative to my effort level. I started focusing more on my surroundings instead, which helped. Finally the sign for the aid station was in sight. I took a couple swigs of soda and some oreos, made sure they tracked my number, and headed back for the trail. I knew I was going to be cutting it incredibly tight to make 12 hours with how fatigued I was and how much up, and was a little demoralised when I vocalised this and someone agreed with me. Nooo! I told my brain to shut it out and to give it a good try at least. I kept pushing until we were going up yet another never ending hill and I realised that we had three miles to go and I was definitely not getting in under 12 hours. For some reason it suddenly really mattered to me, and I felt really defeated. The wheels fell off and I found myself a nice tree stump to lean against. I realised that I could feel my pulse in my eyeballs and my ultraddlement (the brain addling that occurs in an ultra) was not allowing me to remember how to fix it. Thank you to the red jacketed runner who came by, said something that I don't remember, and got me moving again. I checked my watch and saw that I still had time to beat my PR even if I wasn't going to get my 12 hour goal. After that no matter how much I wanted to I wouldn't let myself stop completely. Walking up, shuffling the flats and downs. Keep moving forward. Soon I heard runners behind me, and decided that I was NOT going to be passed in the last 2 miles. Whenever I heard voices I forced myself to run even a few strides. 1.5 miles from the finish I took a completely unposed picture, and my suck-it-up happy face picture. Quite the difference! Finally I was startled by a lady waiting just off trail, who said I was nearly there, half a mile to go. I started getting a little emotional, and pushed on. A few minutes later I was again told it was a half mile. This was going to be the longest half mile ever! This person said I could start celebrating, which pretty much made me start sobbing (I was told that was cool too...) It also occurred to me that these people don't know how klutzy I am, and there was still every chance I could fall over, smack my head on a rock, and still DNF. I started watching the ground like a hawk, as emotional Cyd thought this was a very real possibility. I had to give myself a stern talking to when I realised that the heaving sobs were not helping me breathe, and WE WERE STILL GOING UPHILL DAMMIT! I could finally see the finish line, and a glance behind me showed someone was right there. I was not going to be passed within sight of the line. It was such a great feeling to run down the finishing chute, lined with spectators shouting and applauding and high fiving . One of the organisers and some volunteers were waiting there and hugs were distributed, directions to the finish line gear, drinks, and food were given, a chair found for me with strict instructions to not sit down yet (just cruel!). 

Don't believe everything you see!

Two days later and my quads are still on fire, and I'm still on a high. Technically I knew either a PR or a DNF were my options, since the cut off was 14 hours, and my official 50 mile time was 15:00:04 (Headlands 50, '14). Unofficially my PR was 12:25 (50 mile split at Ordnance 100k, '15). I completed Lake Sonoma in 12:15:40. I was really happy that I had managed to stay on track in the 2nd half, 15 minutes behind schedule at the turnaround, 15 minutes behind at the finish line. I estimate I took in about 2600 calories during the race: ~8 bottles of tailwind [24oz/250cals], 2 banana chunks, 8 oreos, ~1 can soda, absolutely no peanut butter!  I couldn't have asked for better weather, it cooled just enough once the rain started, and mostly the rain was a refreshing drizzle all day. I love theat my Suunto records the amount of time we spend going up and down. My hill stats for Lake Sonoma? 10946' elevation. 7:14:56 of ascent, 4:53:00 of descent. And flat time? 0:07:54! That's why they call this run 'Relentless'. 

50k Training Run

To round out my hat-trick of training runs, I planned my longest self-supported run. I have signed up for a 50k as a training run a few times, but my longest training run self supported has been 24 miles. I recruited some friends who all needed long runs that day in order to have company all the way. My chosen course? The Mendocino Coast 50k route! It's a beautiful course. Did I take pictures? Nope. Did I re-order tailwind in time? Nope. (Thank you T of former-training-buddy fame for saving me here.) Did I remember to eat appropriately the day before? Nope. Did I eat at all? Yes, six bananas blended with water. (Surprisingly satisfying, easy on my stomach, and helped me play fuel catch-up.) I was also convincing myself that my allergies were really bad, and that is why I had breathing/throat issues. I have since come to terms with the fact that I had some respiratory sickness, that finally made me take some time off. Being able to get through this run first was really good for my confidence though.

Love long runs with friends (Picture from D.L.)

Early start, picking S up at 5.15 (we had dropped his car at the point he would be finishing at the night before). The 2 of us ran the Headlands section around Mendocino, and met up with C and D at Russian Gulch. Through the campground, up North trail, and off to the waterfall, where B was waiting. The next section had a fun downhill, and a four mile section of mostly uphill. At the half way point, B and S peeled off, but H and M jumped in to run to the finish. They are both much faster than I am, but patiently toodled along with me. The wheels fell off a little in the last five miles, when I started experiencing a sharp pain in my shin. At first I put it down to having jabbed my shin into a fallen tree branch. I couldn't see any bruising though, and it had been a couple of hours. When the pain increased the further we ran, I opted to walk for a while, even though it was pretty flat terrain. Stress fracture was rolling around in the back of my head. Walking hurt it less. It did feel more like a soft tissue problem, and I went through a few range of motion tests to try and reassure myself. We ran some and walked some, and I finished my longest ever training run. If I had more time on Friday, I would have planted 2 aid stations instead of just 1. I was able to get by on what I had, but more would have been nice. I again found myself conserving in order to have enough to finish on.

Lake Sonoma Training Run

Last Saturday (now a few weeks ago...), the organisers of the Lake Sonoma 50 planned a training run on the course. It was a free event, open to all runners, not just those registered for the race. We were meeting at a parking lot near the turn around point, and shuttling to the start line in however many cars we needed. There was one aid station about half way through, and the turns were marked, but no confidence ribbons. A while back the RD had sent out an email telling us where they had stashed 10 gallons of water for runners training on the course, and which of the horse troughs had potable water. They also laid out a rope for the deepest creek crossing. It was determined a week before the training run that it would be safer to do an out and back from the turnaround point on the race. Since this is the section of course I wanted to run that was ideal for me, I always start my training runs from the Start/Finish area, so am familiar with that section.

Misty start, already climbing

Not staying there the night before meant getting up a stupid o'clock and leaving shortly after. I didn't eat sufficient breakfast at home or in the truck, which didn't help later in the day. After a quick briefing from the RD about important things to note for the day, we were off. It was a like a race start with everybody tearing away, and it was so hard to pace myself and watch everyone leave. A little up, a little down, and it was lake crossing time. We had been forewarned that a couple of days ago, the RD had to swim this section for about ten yards. They gave directions for a way around by going back up the hill, um no thanks.

Uh, there's some lake in my trail..

It turned out to be not that deep, as long as you didn't wander into the lake bit of the lake - a few runners did get very wet trying to take a short cut. On the way back it was very refreshing, I was hat-dunking at any water stop. Keeping cool is going to be a big part of my race day.

Wading across

The Orange Mud pack was great, although not quite enough for the lack of aid stations. I really could have a used a third bottle on the way back. It was comfortable and didn't chafe even though I was in a t-shirt all day.

At least we'll have amazing scenery to enjoy

Cloud cover would be welcome on race day

There were some fun people on course to share miles with, so I had company for more than half the run. It was fun to hear lots of excited chatter about S's Mendocino Coast 50k.

It was very reassuring to feel strong on this run a week after a hard effort at Marin Ultra Challenge 50k. I was certainly tired at the end and ready stop, but on tired legs and under-fueled it was great training - 26 miles and about 5000'. I'm excited for the race this weekend, but due to various things, I've only run once in the last ten days. Guess I'm going with well-rested?

Marin Ultra Challenge - Race Report!

Please excuse the radio silence. I promise I'm not dead, I'm running! Running like a crazy person. Although right now I'm stuck on my couch trying to figure out how to fix my lungs. Which means I'm sitting down long enough and awake enough to actually hammer out a couple of catch up posts. Yippee!

Beer-consuming Cyd should not be allowed on UltraSignup. Beer-consuming Cyd's finger just happens to slip a few times and before she knows it, the 50k entry is paid for. Oopsies. Well I did need a long training run, and I love running in the Marin Headlands. The next day I decide to further look into the race I signed up for on a whim. 7100' of climbing? Eep, time to get my hill legs ready. I read a few race reports and decided this was going to be really tough, but a lot of fun, and it was just a training run so I had nothing to prove. I planned a short taper, but that got skewed when my poorly friend had to spend a couple of days in the hospital. Training is important, but so is cheering up and driving for your sickly buddy (she's doing great now!). So more of a taper than I hoped. Oh well, let's go run a really hard 50k.

The week before there was plenty of stormy weather - yay rain! Everything is so green and beautiful. Except it doesn't make for great race conditions. A couple of days before the race we got an email from the RD that the Start/Finish line was moving to Rodeo Beach since Fort Baker was underwater. An extra loop was added to make up for lost distance. Mileage was then 31.5, with a total elevation gain of 6900'. I left town early on Friday to give myself plenty of time to drive down. I opted to save some money by sleeping in the back of my truck at Rodeo Beach, and knew there were several other runners doing the same. It rained occasionally during the night, but wasn't too cold. The wind was a different story, the whole truck was wobbling around and woke me up a few times. It was still one of the better night's sleep I've had before a race. Also, it was great having my alarm go off at the same time as most runners were arriving. I heard lots of people talking about getting up at 3.30, some even earlier. All I had to do was change into running clothes and roll out the truck. Definitely the way to do this. 

Stormy skies on an early climb

Check in was cold and windy but there was that great pre-race buzz from runners anxious to hit the trail. They kept the pre-race briefing short, and soon we were on the way. I started near the back, and still had a few people passing me in the first mile while we all found our stride. We soon hit our first climb of the day and I settled into a good hiking rhythm. It wasn't long before I was passing people, and there was plenty of amazing views and excited chatter about the trail ahead. I got a little carried away coming down the first descent, and rolled into the aid station more than a little ahead of schedule. Whoops, bad Cyd. Training run, training run, training run... A dixie cup of coke and back off up Coastal Trail for the second time.

I was surprised to find myself power hiking by people on the climb. I got to spend a few minutes chatting with J of Pacific Coast Trail Running fame, who is heading back to Zion 100 next month - good luck! I then caught up to P, who I've run with at a race or two in the past and will be seeing at LS50 in a few weeks. Nice chatting with you, P! 

The climb out of Tennesee Valley towards Muir Beach was longer and steeper than I remembered, but I definitely felt stronger heading up than I have done on previous attempts. Once you hit the top, the trail is rolling for a while before dropping you down to the beach and the aid station. There are a couple of technical-ish sections, especially in the wet. There were a lot of people walking through here, so I took the kinda-trail to the side and passed at least 20 people here. It was a gamble - I was making up time, but if I fell it was going to be very very bad! I did my best to channel my inner gazelle (ha! right...) and managed to keep myself upright all the way through. 3rd Aid Station, 3rd dixie cup of coke. I wasted a couple of minutes in the bathroom line, but a wonderful volunteer came and got my bottles from me and refilled my Tailwind supply so I was on my way quickly. Not long from here was where the 50m and 50k runners separated. This whole loop was new to me, and I loved it! The climb gradually got steeper, and a few of us were close enough to egg each other on some as we wound up the switchbacks. It was around here that I started running some with H, who would be my on-off running buddy for a good chunk of the 2nd half. Thanks for the miles, it was fun running with you! See you at TNF50 in December.

Every now and again the rain dumped on us, sometimes the really cold spiky rain that hurts when it hits your bare skin. My jacket did a great job of keeping me warm and dry, and only a couple of times was I too warm or a little chilly, to be expected when you're not adjusting layers as you go. I still haven't found a running jacket that I completely love though. It was on this climb that we ran into J from Let's Wander Photography, who always gets great shots. Was I delighted at seeing a photographer 18 miles in and when I'm going uphill? Not really, but I am grateful that they braved the elements to come out for us, I love my race pictures. Thanks J!

Photo Credit: Jesse Ellis

Being on this side of the ridge kept us sheltered from the worst of the wind for a while, which was a nice break. The scenery is just amazing, and even on such a grey day the views were fantastic! This was the longest section between aid, just over 7 miles. Once back at Muir Beach we realised that somehow we only had 10 miles to go. How did that happen? Miles were flying by, I was feeling great, and having so much fun. It was nice that only cheerful people seemed to be on the course this day, maybe the storm kept the Debbie Downers at home? Thank you fellow runners for helping us all have an awesome day. I got two dixie cups of coke this time while a volunteer topped off my bottles for me. The next section was new to me too, another big climb (surprise surprise). I took this one a little slower. About two-thirds of the way up I went to take a step with my left leg and an adductor muscle completely seized on me. It was one of the most painful cramps I've experienced, and found myself thumping that leg to try and get it out of it's cycle. For the next ten minutes it would claw at me if I flexed either my left hip or left knee, which certainly affected progress. Have you ever tried to climb a mountain with a straight leg? I don't recommend it. I chugged tailwind as much as I could without making myself nauseous, and slowly kept moving, trying to stretch it out as I went. It was a short but intense section for me. For a few days after the race I had some pain in my right knee, so I'm wondering if I had subconsciously been compensating for something that I didn't notice in my through my race-brain and the additional fatigue along with dehydration was what set it off? Who knows, but it hasn't happened since and the knee was totally recovered in 4 days.

Not even faking it! 4 miles to go

Once we crossed the ridge and began descending back to Tennessee Valley the wind was back. It was strong enough that H was knocked off her feet. One of the problems many of us found was not just staying upright (or as close as we could) against the wind while making time, but as soon as it let up for a second, there was no need to brace against it, so it was hard to not topple over with no resistance. It was annoying and hilarious at the same time! There are so many reasons you have to be able to laugh at yourself in ultra running.

This was also the only section I had a little stomach upset. I'm not sure if it was the 2nd cup of coke at Muir Beach, or just a funny moment. I never felt pukey and didn't need to walk, but I did opt for a cup of ginger ale instead of coke at Tennessee Valley. In a new twist for me, the banana chunks looked delicious, so I went for it. The volunteer with the big jar of peanut butter got a good laugh at my response of "Oh gross, definitely not. Oh but thank you" when she offered out a big scoop of PB to slather on my banana. Just the mention of it turned my stomach. But the bite of food and ginger ale did the trick and I was steadily climbing up the last big hill of the day. It was such a great feeling getting to the top and still having gas in the tank. I knew the trail home and there were no challenges left! This was the only section I was really by myself, but there were a few brave hikers on the trail who all cheered as I ran by. At one point I was running right into the wind, and struggling to hit 12:00/mile going downhill. This was driving me crazy, and a little discouraging. But with two miles to go I wasn't about to start complaining. One foot in front of the other, just keep going. I cheered for the winning 50 mile racer as he cruised effortlessly by me a mile or so from the finish. The last little section is along the road, where faster runners were all congratulating those of us still on course as they headed back to their cars which was great for getting a last kick to the finish line.

What should you not be doing on a 50k race-come-training-run if you run smart? Setting a PR is not what you should be doing. But I'm still delighted with my official time of 6:45:06, besting my previous trail 50k PR by 8 minutes, on a much tougher course. And I didn't completely trash myself in the process. I managed to squeeze in a comfortable 7-miler between clients the next day. Maybe I'm getting a bit good at this running thing :)

With new trail buddies at the finish line, thanks for the miles!