“Do you think we should turn around and run somewhere else? This is crazy,” I said as my death trap of a car made its way fairly nicely (for once) down the snowy curvy road. “Nah, let’s go back and get my car!” Stonegate offers … done!
Weekend long runs are always an adventure but throw in some snowy conditions in an area that doesn’t typically get snow, paired with just my friend Stonegate and well, anything can happen.
Before we turned around to get Stonegate’s car, we pulled off the side of the road to discuss our options. We just happened to stop at the gates to the “Safari Estates,” a place we’ve passed a million times. The Rhino just looked so lonely and cold in the snow. We gave him some love.
We were only about a half hour off our intended schedule but we had no plans or obligations tying us anywhere today so we wanted to be safe rather than stuck. The snow wasn’t letting up either.
We changed our plans slightly and parked at the Cool Fire Station rather than trying to navigate the windy roads down to the confluence. We were also trying to avoid the Fourmidable races that were happening today as well but did not succeed there.
Our first few steps were met with mud. The kind of mud that’s about to rip off your shoe and makes that slurping noise as you try so hard to keep from losing it. The crazy part is that it was a mix of snow and mud so half the time we were stepping in what we thought was just snow and was actually a covered up quagmire.
Oddly, it was not THAT cold outside. Sure there was snow on the ground, but I was in shorts and I wasn’t cold. My toes however, were soaked but even that eventually subsided the more we tried to run.
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It was so beautiful though. We don’t get snow like this often here in Northern California, maybe every 7 or 8 years it seems and definitely not this much.
We were also the only two crazy people out there for a while. We just ran, jumped over what we could and laughed. We took a million photos between us. Eventually we reached No Hands Bridge and saw the aid-station volunteers set up for the Fourmidable Half Marathon and 35k that was happening.
We made our way over to the Confluence and started running. The snow was still falling but quickly changing to rain. Here we ran into quite few people out just experiencing the crazy weather, taking photos, going for a walk etc.
We were like two kids in a candy store with the snow. I was trying super hard not to slip in it (been there, done that and was out from running for a while) but it was everywhere!
The rest of the afternoon was spent bombing downhills, avoiding puddles and crossing waterfalls. It slowly got warmer too. I had ditched my hood pretty early on and packed away my gloves as well.
We had a set mileage in our head but realized the trail conditions were not exactly stellar and decided we’d take it a few miles at a time. Once the snow and rain stopped, the sun came out!
That view above stopped me dead in my tracks. “Oh wow, that looks like Ireland!” I said to Stonegate. Have I been to Ireland? Um, nope! I just assume that’s what it looks like. 🙂 With the sun making its way out, the snow had melted adding even more mud and water to the trails.
We decided to make our way back to Cool and it was then that we realized we would be running into the traffic of the Fourmidable racers as they made their way back to No Hands Bridge.
In a way, this was kind of nice. We’d pull off to the side, letting them pass as safely as they could in the muddy conditions. Some still had smiles on their faces, some looked like they were pretty done for the day. Stonegate and I just clapped and cheered. We told them they were total bada$$ runners for being out there.
The route back to Cool is uphill. We avoided K2 because that was the course the runners had to take and well, we were certain it was probably a wet dangerous mess. Instead we opted to go up rollercoaster, continued to cheer on runners and stop in the waterfalls.
Pretty certain that was the last image of my shoes being clean because after rollercoaster we headed straight into the muddy gully trails that lead you back to the fire station.
The snow as you can see, had cleared from the trails but was still covering the grass making everything look so pretty.
See what I mean about my shoes? 🙂 The trails leading back to the fire station were even worse. It was hilarious, slurp slurp “I almost lost my shoe!”
Overall, it was a perfect day. Even though the intended route and plan did not happen, we still ran some crazy miles and more importantly, had a great time out there.
At some point that morning, I had texted Vans to let him know that I had brought the car back home but was heading back out there to run. I told him about the snow and so he took the girls when they woke up to find some.
When Stonegate dropped me off, this was sitting in my driveway ….
Not bad for a Sunday fun-day. 🙂 Snowmageddon 2019.
Another personal favorite was the guy handing out tissues yelling, “TAKE THE SNOT HOME WITH YOU!”
Image: www.runsra.org
This year was a big CIM year for me as it was my 10th CIM. Last year was the celebratory 35th for the race and the swag handed out was awesome. This year, we were back to our usual long sleeve shirt but that’s okay, that is not what makes CIM so great.
Last year I ran CIM with my coworker, the year before that with my boss. This year, I ran with Stonegate who wanted to attempt CIM again after a back injury 6 years ago caused her to pull from toeing the line and ultimately shying away from road races all together.
As usual, we hit packet pickup on Friday. This expo is one of the biggest I have been to and it is so fun to watch everyone taking photos and checking out all the booths.
Saturday I spent my morning at the Western States Lottery in Auburn. Another one of my favorite things to do. I love seeing people’s faces as their names are called. Looking forward to 2019’s race with many familiar faces attending the big dance.
Sunday morning came quick for me. I did not get the usual amount of sleep I normally do for CIM but I still felt rested when I woke up.
After a few years of dialing in some things, I didn’t change much this year. I wore the same exact clothes as last year, made the same breakfast and had the same start routine. I picked up Stonegate and brought her back to my house so she could leave a bag in my car for the finish line. TiggerT came to pick us up and we were on our way!
The starting area was different this year for CIM. If I had to pick one thing that didn’t sit well with me about the race, this would be it. They divided the starting line into sub 4 hour and longer than 4 hour sections. We had no time goals but we knew we would not be sub 4 hour with the little to no training we put forth this year.
Since we were on the other side, it took a full 10 minutes after the gun went off for us to even start walking toward the starting line. I realize it is a chip timed race and totally get this alleviates some insanity at the start. In MY mind however, this ate at me not being able to run when the gun went off. Yet, I do think this was a great way to mitigate 30,000 runners.
The other bonus to this divided start is it really allowed you to start off conservatively instead of being caught up in the crazy fast wave. Stonegate and I just ran, bobbing and weaving through a few runners to find a less crowded position. We got into a groove.
It was as if we were just out on a normal Sunday getting some miles in. The starting temps were on the chilly side but I knew it would warm up. We started with our cover-ups on but lost those a few miles into the race.
We enjoyed the spectators cheering us on, the funny signs along the way. We cracked up when the guy with the megaphone by the clothing drop yelled, “We are looking for a size large sweatshirt please to complete our Christmas shopping!” Seriously, I saw some nice stuff just tossed roadside!
Honestly the first few miles flew by. I made a conscious effort to not talk to Stonegate this week so that I had stories to share while we were running. That was probably the hardest thing as we usually talk or see each other daily.
Before I knew it, the first half of the race was behind us. We’d only run 13 or so miles in our “training” leading up to the race so anything beyond 13 was new territory for us.
Stonegate was looking forward to mile 17 where her mom would be waiting. Her mom had some extra fuel for her and it is always a boost to see someone you know along the course.
I did not see nearly the amount of people I usually see the first few miles of the race. Aid-stations it seems changed around and so the few I usually look forward to, were being run by another group. Don’t get me wrong, the aid-stations are stellar and they are always motivating.
After Stonegate’s mom it was my turn to look forward to some family faces. Vans and the girls were supposed to be their usual spot, mile 20 which is a crazy spot in the race.
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Clearly beyond excited here. 🙂 We stopped for hugs and Stonegate started chit chatting and Vans was like, “Um no chit chat. There is a race going on!” So off we ran after my Peanut wanted our photo.
Miles 20 to 26 are my least favorite. Not really because of the ‘wall’ but because the streets usually just seem to take forever. However, maybe because I had Stonegate by my side and I was talking her ear off, these mile just flew by and before we knew it, we were making our way down L street towards the finish!
The spectators are fantastic along this section as well. You can’t help but help feel the energy and the music they have along the course is just fantastic and motivating. I was whooping and hollering the whole way down L street. Poor Stonegate must have wanted to shoot me. 🙂 I just get caught up in it all.
I kept telling Stonegate that we only had a few short turns and then we’d cross that finish line. The final turn into the shoot is just so exciting. They called our names … I tried to “jump” over the finish line but I have no idea if it worked.
We did it! Stonegate’s first (and hopefully not last) CIM done! I am proud of that girl. She had some rough miles mixed with some good miles. Our training (if you call two runs training) was less then stellar thanks to my hamstring tear and her crazy mom-life but we did it!
My girls racing to the finish line to see us.
Vans was delayed getting to the finish line (new parking rules downtown). The weather was beyond perfect and glorious so Stonegate and I were content to sit with her mom and just chill.
Finally Vans and the girls showed up and I couldn’t have been happier to see them. I love that my kids know this race after years of finding me at the finish line.
Those two smiling face right there motivate me each year. Some day, I hope they decide to run CIM either with me or on their own.
A special shout out to this guy. He sacrifices every first Sunday in December to see me on course and be there at the finish. From sticking notes in my fuel bag to taking photos during the race, I could not do it if he wasn’t in my corner.
CIM number 10 is in the books. I have no idea who I will run with next year. 🙂 I enjoy not racing it, I enjoy running with someone who is either running it for the first time or who just wants to get some miles in on a beautiful sunny day.
Maybe some day I’ll get back to “racing” CIM the way I used to. Maybe some day I’ll get a PR or BQ but for now, number 10 goes down as a great day, a fun race and a fantastic memory.
“What did you think of the race?” a local Joshua Tree resident asked me. I replied, “I didn’t like the sand! There was SO much sand!” An odd smile emerged on their face, “Well, you ARE in the desert.” Point.Taken. 🙂
Last week Stonegate and I went on a road trip. We like to go on these adventure road trips once a year because I believe that everyone should be allowed to escape on a little mini vacation with their friends doing what they love. For us that is exploring, running and laughing.
I am blessed to have a friend who enjoys doing this as much as I do. This year our adventure took us to the desert, the desert of Joshua Tree.
A while back we signed up for one of Vacation Race’s events called The Joshua Tree Half Marathon. It was supposed to be night race which appealed to us and it involved camping which is something Stonegate LOVES to do.
We loaded her car as much as humanely possible with all kinds of camping stuff. I’ll be brutally honest, Stonegate provided 99.99% of all the gear. Like I said, she loves to camp.
As always, I plan to be honest in my race review (it’s coming I swear) but I’ll also share some of the adventures we had while there.
The drive was supposed to take us somewhere between 7.5 and 8.5 hours. We left town early and we made really great time getting there.
Then, we hit the desert. Like REALLY the desert.
The road literally just disappeared from view and became this sandy mess.
We knew when we signed up for this race that the race itself was going to be held, “just outside of Joshua Tree National Park.” That’s true, it was. It was actually held 21 MILES outside the park. The camp ground that was suggested we camp in (and where the race started and ended) was called Joshua Tree Lake RV & Campground. Again, not fully researching, reading, understanding, we arrived and were a little taken aback by it. First of all, I think the big word that SHOULD have stood out to us was LAKE. Remember, we were in the desert. What lake?
The camp ground, was more or less a large sandy parking lot. HOWEVER, it was perfect for the race and perfect for what we needed for race day and race night … but we had arrived on THURSDAY and the race was not until Saturday evening so we had lots of time to kill in this parking lot location 21 miles outside of Joshua Tree National Park.
However, I do think the point of these Vacation Race events which I fully support, is that it encourages the participants to go and visit the actual national parks for which these races are named. We have to continue to support our National Parks and this organization does a great job at bringing people to these gems scattered about our country.
Stonegate and I spent the Friday before the race exploring inside of Joshua Tree National Park. We hiked to the top of Ryan Mountain which was 1.5 miles straight up.
As usual, we laughed and had a great time doing what we love best even if we quickly realized while there, that we are NOT desert people.
It is a beyond gorgeous place but I do truly prefer mountains and pine trees but I am happy that we took the time to visit Joshua Tree because otherwise, I don’t think we would have ever made the journey.
Saturday morning it was suggested that we not leave the camp ground because racers would be arriving all day and we might not be able to get our car back to our campsite.
The race expo was also on Saturday and it was pretty neat. Some really neat vendors had set up tents and we shopped and picked up our race bibs and packets … and then, we just sat and waited ….
and waited, and waited and waited. Although, one of the highlights of waiting all day is that we saw our very first (and only) Road Runner!! That little bugger was FAST!
Finally at 5 pm we could wander over towards the race festivities and be part of the pre-race raffle. Just us and 3,000 of our closest friends! Say what? 3,000 runners were doing this half marathon?! Wow.
We had our headlamps ready. We had reflective gear on. We were sporting tank tops because despite being in the evening, it was still pretty darn warm outside.
The sun was setting and the skies were turning their standard desert fire colors. I do admit, the desert does provide some stunning sunsets.
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We made our way to the front of the pack into the second or third wave of runners. We wanted to get out ahead because during the raffle we found out that for many, it was going to be their very first half marathon OR very first “trail” half marathon which, to be honest, “trail” was not and is not an accurate description of this race.
They counted us down and sent us out in timed waves because there were just so many people. Finally when it was our turn to start, we ran. Stonegate took a minute to start her watch and BAM! She had tripped over a railroad tie on the ground that was really out of place and should have had a cone or reflective marking on it.
Seriously, one minute she was beside me and when I turned she was gone. She had full on super-manned at the race start. Luckily she wasn’t seriously injured but that’s a terrible way to start a race.
After she dusted off the sand, we started trying to get a position within the crowd so that we wouldn’t trip over everyone’s feet. We ran about a 1/4 mile on pavement, made a right hand turn onto another road and was met with about 6 to 8 inches of ankle deep loose sand.
Picture running on the beach but without the ocean. That was this race.
We had heard prior to the start that we would be running on sand. The race description when emailed out had said, “hard packed sand.” This was in no way shape or form, hard packed. It was terrible.
Plain and simple. Tire tracks from trucks were on either side of the road and walkers and slower runners were using that hard(er) packed area to walk or run pushing the rest of the sand into the middle like a giant mound.
The only way to pass another runner, was to run through that giant mound of sand. You step into it and your shoes instantly filled with sand.
I kept running. Stonegate said she was right behind me every time I tried to make a move to a clearing or spot where we weren’t on someone’s heels about to face plant again.
We did this probably for the first 6 miles or so it seemed. It was slightly up hill but not enough that we were bothered by it. Apparently the rest of the runners thought this race was entirely uphill. It was not. It had a little over 500 feet of climbing in it, that’s it. The hills didn’t make it tough, the SAND is what made it tough.
There was little talking between Stonegate and I. This was my first long run and race since my hamstring injury. I was focused very much on my footing and form.
Stonegate was suffering from the sand not really being easy to get footing on and just wasting unnecessary energy on trying to stay up and not slide all around.
We stopped to walk a few times. She would stop and use the aid-stations that were frequent on the course however, not where they said they would be. A pet peeve of mine is to say there is an aid-station at mile 10 but have it really show up at 10.5.
This race could not end soon enough for either of us. No one around us seemed to be in good spirits. It was dark (duh, a night race) but there was no moon and you could not see the stars otherwise you’d fall or trip. I am also 95% sure they held this at night because the views were nothing to look at. We were in the middle of no where at night. It was just not fun.
When we crossed the finish line I think we were both beyond relieved. We went back to our tent, took care of post race business and I sat back and watched all the runners and headlamps coming down the road. Our campsite was right along the race course and all I kept hearing was people asking the course marshals, “How much further!?”
I am proud of us though. This was not an easy race at all. We did it and we did it after camping for 2.5 days in a tent on cots prior to starting the race.
My hamstring held up great which made me super happy. I am feeling almost back to normal. ALSO, the medals and shirts we received glow in the dark. That’s kinda cool.
The day after the race, Stonegate and I went back to Joshua Tree National Park to explore a different section. I am so happy that we did as we saw some pretty neat sights and just had a great time. For me, it made up for the terrible 13.1 miles of sand we had to sludge through the night before.
Overall, if you are a desert person, I recommend visiting Joshua Tree. If you are passing through the area, definitely stop and check it out. I know that for Stonegate and myself, we had a great time regardless of the race situation because we can always find the fun and laughter no matter where we go.
That’s what adventure friends do and for that, I am grateful.
I know, I KNOW! June?! Seriously? That was my last post? My apologies. Life has up and taken me away on so many adventures (both good and bad) that I just have not had much time or energy to post here.
Today, I decided to change that and give you (whoever is left anyway) an update on what the heck has been going on.
First the good news! If you follow me on social media then you already know that I have joined the Engine 2 Team as a blogger! Can we say DREAM COME TRUE!? I get to write about plant-based eating, traveling, running, living and come up with recipes! Hopefully you will follow them on Instagram and/or Facebook so you’ll get word when a new post hits their site. I am beyond grateful for this opportunity.
So writing for them has been keeping me plenty busy. In addition to that, I still work full-time at my regular job and occasionally I host Plant-Based Challenges for any employee that wants to participate. Last challenge blew me away.
In June I had 25 participants and overall we lost a total of 114 pounds in just 10 days! Some people reduced or dropped medication and all of them realized how beneficial plant-based eating can be not only for their body but also their heart and soul.
What I did not share way back then, is that post run (race or training) I had been having some nagging pains in my hamstring, my high hamstring to be precise.
After Quicksilver I promised myself that I would take a month off and I did. Nothing improved, if anything, the pain got worse.
Fast forward with a visit to a sports therapy doctor, an x-ray and an MRI later here I am. So what happened? Back in February I was doing a trial at a pilates place near my house. While in the reformer, the instructor had us open our legs into a V formation. Well, I wasn’t properly warmed up and that pull was a bit too much for me and I felt a pop. I pushed it aside as a normal “oh the body pops and aches all the time” but from that moment on, my hamstring hurt but only after I finished a run or when I sat for long periods of time. It wasn’t excruciating at first, it was more of a gradual pain until after Quicksilver when it wasn’t so gradual anymore. It hurt.
As it turns out, I most likely created micro tears in my high hamstring from that not so graceful pilates move. My MRI showed some stressed and damaged muscle indicating there was some trauma to the area. Awesome.
First I had Shockwave Therapy done. That’s painful and usually quite effective but unfortunately, your high hamstring is so embedded in your bum, that it is REALLY hard to reach that muscle. Trust me when I say having this procedure done on this part of your body leaves you in a most unflattering position.
My next option was some physical therapy. Now I have been blessed to be able to visit the Kaiser Golden One Center Sports Medicine Department.
This place rocks in terms of therapists and the equipment available. I did a few weeks of PT without much improvement so my next option, in order to try and “speed things along” was PRP or Platelet Rich Plasma. And most cheap levitra of customers are now taking it as a full faced treatment of impotence and other sexual problems. Your healing canada cialis 100mg would be in your medications, with your doctor’s help and in your hands. Keep Lappy Away from Your Lap This might surpise you, but laptop is one of your top ten most palatable foods available in the amerikabulteni.com sildenafil in usa modern world now. In people with diabetes, a online cialis http://amerikabulteni.com/2011/08/23/virginia-depremi-washington-dc-ve-new-yorku-da-salladi/ absorption involving glucose is normally absorbed inside the various cells within the body where it happens to be broken lower for electricity and regulating body’s temperature.
Click on the link above for a full description of what exactly PRP is but the gist of it is this: A doctor drew blood from me and put it in a centrifuge. He removed all the platelets from my own blood and inserted them into a HUGE needle. He then took that needle and using an ultrasound as a guide, injected the platelets straight into the micro-tears inside my hamstring. Yup, that was fun.
The thought behind this process is that platelets are what heals our body so by injecting them directly into damaged area, the area should heal faster. Think of it this way, Platelets are the glue and the glue is being injected into the damaged muscle in hopes of gluing it back together.
I was on crutches and off my leg for 3 days following the procedure. The procedure itself didn’t hurt (for me) but the days following were VERY uncomfortable.
So here we are now. Next week will be six weeks post procedure and technically my window to start running again. Since the procedure I took two weeks off completely. That meant NO stairs, NO hills and NO stress on the hamstring (which is really hard when you think about it). I then resumed PT after those two weeks and have been progressively improving with each PT visit. So much so that my physical therapist says I am “ahead of schedule” with my range of motion and my ability to bear load or weight (I attribute this to my plant-based diet 😉 ).
truth
So here we are. I am doing my daily PT homework and making strides in the right direction.
I do think my return will be slow and even though I am hopeful that I will be 100% some day, I am not having the highest of hopes as I am still in a lot of pain when it comes to sitting. My hamstring does not like that one bit.
I miss running. I miss the woods and the trees and the dirt. I know that I am doing the right thing right now and I am listening and following all the orders that the PT gives me. Trust me, that’s hard as I don’t generally follow direction well. 🙂
Vans has been great and has been patient with my moodiness and allowing me to go on long ( PT approved) hikes on the trails in our hood. We even took a special trip to Tahoe one weekend to see Dave Matthews Band AND spend the night WITHOUT the kids (thanks to some family that was in town visiting and who are awesome).
I am very grateful for all that has happened though. I have a great doctor, I have a great physical therapist, a patient husband and a healing body. I can’t ask for much more. I just have to wait and be patient and let the magic happen. Soon though, soon I will be back on the trails with the wind in my hair and the dirt all over my shoes and it will be that much sweeter when it happens.
I don’t even know where to begin with this race. I guess an apology should be first. I failed as a blogger by not really taking very many photos. My focus was to finish and at some point during my 62 mile adventure, my focus became “just survive.”
Photo from: www.quicksilver-running.com
The training road leading up to Quicksilver was long. Back in March I had run the Marin Ultra Challenge (MUC) mostly as a training run but it also was a bucket list race for me as well. However after MUC, I found myself not being as excited to go out for a long run anymore. That’s pretty rare in my world. I love running on trails. A lot.
To be fair, April and May have been insanely busy months for us. Birthdays, vacations, swim team, soccer team, volunteer duties and oh yeah, that full-time job that I have too. I was truly starting to feel like I was burning the candle at both ends some days but then other days, I had boundless energy.
Packed and ready to go!
When race week arrived, I had finally started to get excited. I spent the week using my dining room table as my race headquarters, adding and taking away things that I wanted to pack.
I had planned for three drop bags one of which would be a “safety” bag – a bag that I could use if I absolutely needed but wouldn’t mind donating to the post-race lost and found either.
When I ran this race 2 years ago, the biggest concern was inventory at the aid-stations. If you were near the back of the pack, as Pigeon and I were back then, you were &hit out of luck if you wanted soda or water at an aid-station. This time around, I planned my drop bags accordingly.
When Friday rolled around, Pigeon and I left town. Our first stop was at Pushkins (a gluten free and partially vegan bakery) for sandwiches. It was Pigeon’s first time. She dug it.
San Jose is about a 2.5 hour drive for us. Leaving as early as we did, we missed a lot of gnarly traffic. .
We picked up our swag from the Sports Basement, grabbed some food from Whole Foods for post race and then headed to our hotel to chill. We both were spouse-less and childless for the next 24 to 48 hours.
With a 4:30 am race start, 2:15 am came pretty quick. Surprisingly I actually slept quite well. The hotel bed was heaven. We dressed, ate, packed our drop bags and headed to the race start.
This year we didn’t get our bibs until the morning of the race which caused a bit of a back-log and resulted in the race starting 15 minutes late on what was already going to be a VERY hot day. The sky was clear, every star visible which meant the sun would be beating down on us as soon as it came up.
The race director gave us a quick pep talk and at 4:45 am we were on our way, a line of headlamps heading straight up the mountain.
Photo from: www.quicksilver-running.com
The course this year differed quite a bit compared to two years ago and to how it was listed in their course description (which differed from their turn-by-turn directions). I was a little thrown off by this but the mileage was panning out as expected. I was also running with people so I knew I had not made a wrong turn.
One familiar part was running around the cemetery (it is so cool). Someone yelled, “Trailmomma!” and whoever you were I apologize! I was still adjusting from removing my headlamp and I have no idea who you were but you made me smile so thank you!!!
The first aid-station we came to is Hicks #1 (mile 6.1). I was in and out and on my way.
My legs were feeling pretty good. I had been running quite a bit of the uphills and going slower on the down hills to preserve my quads (which would benefit me later in the day).
The second aid-station was Wood Road #1 (mile 12.5). What a lively bunch! I think I stopped briefly here to see what they had. My goal was to just keep moving and eat what I had on me, what I knew I liked and what I knew worked.
I just kept running and bobbing back and forth with a group that seemed to be running together. I was chatting with a guy who was asking me about Dogmeat. I inadvertently told him that it came around mile 15. Pretty sure it was more like mile 20 or something. Oops
The trail then dumps you out onto the pavement and you’re directed up the hill to the Lexington aid-station (mile 17.9). The girl directing us was none other than Amelia Boone! I totally fan-girled her and said her name and she turned and looked at me like, “Do I know you?” and I just had to say, “You don’t know me, but I follow you on Instagram.” HA! That’s a TOTAL “I carried a watermelon” line!! (Dirty Dancing reference for those who don’t get it).
I was actually laughing to myself as I ran into the aid-station. I was in and out of here pretty quick climbing up the hill to Priest Rock Trail (aka Dogmeat). I don’t think it even registered with me that I was even on Dogmeat until I was mostly done. It didn’t seem as bad as two years ago which is good because what came after WAS pretty terrible! 🙂
Me on Dogmeat Photo by: Sean McPherson
The next 8 miles were newly added to the course last year. You run four miles down (and I do mean down) to the Kennedy Road aid-station (mile 25.8). As I was starting my descent, Cat Bradley was running up the hill and told me she liked my hat. 🙂 Another fan-girl moment.
The descent down wasn’t too terrible, it was hot and exposed but what I noticed most were all the runners coming back up. They looked like they’d been hit by a mack-truck! Brutal.
I made it to the bottom and I over heard the volunteers talking about conserving water and ice. They wouldn’t open another bag of ice for a runner. Uh-oh. That’s not a good sign.
I got in and out of there. I wasn’t eager to climb back out but I did want to get it over with.
Photo by Chihping Fu
Once you climb up those four miles, you continue climbing on the Kennedy Rollers (another 1.5 miles of that I believe) until you are back to the Wood Road aid-station #2 (mile 31.3) which also meant you are half-way done with the race! Yay!!
When I was at the bottom of the hill the volunteer wanted me to call out my bib number but I was so happy to see him that I yelled, “I am so happy to see you I could kiss you right now!” He laughed and told me that was the best response he’d received all day. 🙂
Photo by CC Lee
I was really starting to feel the affects of the heat, the distance and the hills. I think I did well by keeping myself cool with my bandanna and my extra water bottle that I used to spray my head and face. My mouth however was not into chewing anything. Certain things that I brought with me I was really trying to force down as I knew at some point, there would be no more solids happening. Calories help make you go and if you can’t take them in, you’ll be in trouble.
Hicks Road #2 (mile 37.8) was next. Here I had a drop bag. Lucky for me I had frozen water bottles that were just almost fully defrosted. I pulled those from my bag and refilled my pack and extra bottle here.
I was some what on a high now as I knew I would be heading to the Hacienda aid-station (mile 41.4) next which was only 3 miles from where there would be a large crowd. Overdose of this tablet must be avoided which means that wouroud.com buy viagra online it is not sold by one particular manufacturer, and therefore, a competitive market exists, with vendors lowering their prices to attract buyers. To order buy pill viagra or place the order online you should log-in through proper website and buy as you want. It takes about three months to witness fully side effects viagra fledged results. NF Cure capsules cialis discounts increase semen volume, which is too much necessary for performing lovemaking acts.
I left Hacienda excited to get to Mockingbird aid-station (mile 44.5) but my legs wouldn’t have it. I had completely blocked out of my brain how many hills were between Hacienda and Mockingbird. Some runners were picking up their pacers at Hacienda too so they were all happy and coming back to life. I was just eager to get to Mockingbird because I needed the boost and the energy from the crowd even if I didn’t know anyone. 🙂
I arrived at Mockingbird, found my drop bag and did some switching in and out of fuel. I left what wasn’t jiving for me anymore and pulled some new items out that I hoped would help. As I was there, Cat Bradley came through winning the 100k race as first female. I never saw her but I heard everyone cheer. Damn.
I fully admit that I am bad at math. As I was leaving Mockingbird I was texting Vans and Stonegate on my status. I apparently for a little while in my head thought a 100k was 60 miles and thereby eliminated the fact that I had to run more 2 miles. 🙂 I eventually figured out my mistake and again laughed at myself.
When I came to Bull Run #1 aid-station (mile 48.4) I glanced at the table and saw the largest pile of freshly cut orange slices! I grabbed one, shoved it in my mouth and then proceeded to exclaim, “Oh my god this is the best orange in the world!” The woman next to me started laughing. I’m a dork, what can I say? 🙂
I was pretty eager to get to Tina’s Den (aka the mountain lion zone). I was excited NOT because of the potential of seeing a mountain lion but because it is a glorious single track rolling trail (in the shade) and I absolutely LOVE this section.
Once I hit mile 52 on my watch, my brain chemistry changed. I went from “Oh man this race is never going to end,” to “Hell yeah, 10 miles to go let’s do this!”
Whatever I had left in my legs I used them here for a quite a while. I ran and ran. I encouraged some guy who I passed to run and he joined me happy to have me pull him (or so he said). I didn’t have as much energy and power as I had two years ago on this same section but I had also run the whole race faster this time around, I left more on the course. I was trying to remind myself of that.
McAbee aid-station (mile 54.1 formerly Tina’s Den aid-station) came a lot sooner than I remembered. I grabbed a drink here and left. The volunteer said I was the fastest person in and out of that aid-station. There were people laying on the ground, it didn’t look like a place I wanted to stay for very long.
Photo by me
The next 5 miles are some what brutal. You are back on the fire road on a fully exposed trail. Luckily it wasn’t as hot as it had been when I was on Dogmeat and on the Kennedy Rollers but it was still pretty dang hot.
I just kept running all the downs and focusing on the ups and running little stretches of them when my legs would work. I kept counting down the miles in my head. I was doing this! No stopping me now.
Photo by me
Sun, sun, sun … that photo just shows what the day was like. Hot and dry.
I could not wait to get to Bull Run #2 (mile 59) because I knew (even with my lacking math skills) that the finish was just 3 miles away and MOSTLY down hill.
When I reached the aid-station they called out my number and then I walked right past the table. No stopping. Not when there are only 3 miles left. I started hiking with this nice guy from Berkeley. We chatted about our past races etc. It was nice to have someone to talk to for a mile or so. He was one of the few like me without a pacer.
He mentioned that we could finish in sub 15 hours. I wanted to finish in 14:30 but I knew that was out of the picture with the last few hills that lay ahead. My legs had nothing to propel me up but they were doing a pretty bang up job of getting me down.
The minute we came to a down hill I just turned it on and ran. The guy stayed with me for a bit but then said goodbye. I didn’t want to stop. I wanted to run until I could hear the sounds of the finish line and not stop.
Of course I had to stop when I ran right into a massive hill. Darn it! I had forgotten about those hills near the finish line! I was still a little bummed my time was slipping away but was determined to stay under 15 hours.
Finally I heard the sounds of the aid-station. It sounded so far away but I knew it wasn’t, my watch was keeping pretty accurate distance all day and it said it wasn’t far.
Finally I saw it and I just tried so hard to run as fast as I could. I thought I was sprinting but when you look at my splits I think I might have been sprinting if I was in quicksand! 🙂
Finished!! Photo by Nina Giraudo
I crossed the finish line and threw my hands up in the air. I was so relieved to be done!
What a day!? I am proud of myself for gutting this out. I normally am a pretty positive up beat person when running, but I definitely had one or two internal dark moments out there. I never said the word “quit” but I did have some inner discussions with myself trying to figure out how to keep moving. Luckily I have the ability to laugh at myself a lot and that really helps.
Sadly I found Pigeon waiting for me at the finish line. She had been caught by the sweeps. Neither one of us wanted to stick around the finish line so we hopped on the shuttle and headed back to our hotel.
Luckily we had planned well and had dinner waiting for us. Plant-based pizza and a gluten free Sufferfest beer for me. I think I earned it.
Photo by me
I can’t end this without thanking Vans for all his support these last few months. Not only did he have to hear my whining and moaning about random aches and pains during training, he also stepped up and handled the girls’ mock meet while I was out racing.
I have to thank my Coaches too for seeing me through this and helping me over some hurdles and always reminding me to think about my form (I TOTALLY DID COACH!) and to remain positive and problem solve.
Shout out to Pigeon for sharing hundreds of miles of trails with me every weekend and for all the laughs that we have when we’re together.
Stonegate for all her funny texts and motivation during the race and for consistently getting up with me at the butt crack of dawn to run during the week.
Now it is time to rest. I am going to honor my body and give it what it needs. I’ve been consistently running/training since last summer. I think I deserve a little break and I want to find the joy again. I want to head out on a long run because I WANT to not because I HAVE to.
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