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.

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.