Okay, not THAT final countdown but man, what a great song. The perfect pre-race song actually and quite fitting since this is the final week before the American River 50 Mile race.
Of course I have a lot of other things going on this week at work, with the family but AR50 has been in the back of my mind for the last two weeks of my taper. Never quite in the forefront but definitely there lingering, playing around in my head.
I haven’t felt much like blogging this past week (as you can tell) but a lot has happened throughout the week. Vans had his big Gold County Fondo (68 miles) riding with George Hincapie!
The ride was pretty ideal as it started and ended in Towne Center which is super close to our house. George was there too signing autographs and riding along with the other riders. The only problem was the weather. The above photo was taken before the monsoon started. Poor Vans, he spent 4 out of his 5 hours riding in a torrential down pour soaked straight through to the core.
He finished though! The girls and I joined forces with TiggerT and followed Vans around before we headed to the mile 45 aid-station to lend a hand. Vans surprised us by being way faster than he predicted (especially in that weather) and so we didn’t stay too long volunteering as we had to get to the finish.
After he finished the race, I had to race to get the Peanut to her friend’s birthday party. Not only was she attending the birthday party, she was going to sleep over their house! This friend (along with another) has been the Peanut’s best friend since she was 3 months old. To see them still the best of friends, is just amazing especially since all three attend different kindergartens.
So without the Peanut at home it was just Vans, Squeaker and myself. It has been quite a while since we’ve experience what it was like to have ONE KID … wow, seems “easier” in a sense but we all missed the Peanut. Squeaker got a nice night to herself complete with a cupcake, Frozen and some mommy cuddles.
I woke up on Sunday ready to meet Pigeon for our final run together before AR50. Normally we run on Saturdays but Van’s race had us bumped to Sunday. Pigeon agreed to meet me early enough that we could get our run in and I could still be home to get ready for work at Gold Country Run and Sport.
We met at the Auburn Dam Overlook and we ran down the hill for a ways and then turned around and ran back up. I wanted another glimpse of the final hill. I ran it last year with Pigeon when she did AR50 and I paced the last 8 miles with her.
I know this hill. I remember this hill. This hill is brutal. It is a 3 mile climb that could really play with your head on the last 3 miles of a 50 mile race.
It was gorgeous out though. Absolutely breath-taking at 7:30 am in the morning. The views will be quite different come Saturday but the hill is the same and the point of seeing this hill is to get it in our heads that we can conquer it and know where the runable parts are and where we should conserve some energy.
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We ran, we talked, we discussed AR50 and Tahoe Rim Trail. I haven’t run with Pigeon in two weeks so it was nice to see her and sort of feel that familiarity of running together again. Last weekend I ran 16 by myself on the road portion of AR50 and not only was it lonely, it was sort of eye-opening as to where the course will take us and where aid-stations will be situated.
This run however, reset my mind. Just running again with Pigeon, eased my thoughts, my worries and even some of my aches and pains. The problem with taper weeks is that you are forced to run low mileage which your body so desperately needs before a big race. Yet this can play games with your mind. You start to feel aches and pains or the “hint” of a cold coming on because you are worried about the race ahead.
Pigeon tried coaching me along on the way back as we were making our way up dam hill. She pointed out where I should run and what sections were more for hiking. I appreciate her advice. It has been four years since I have had to think about “racing” up this hill but in my own head, I know that in making it to this point alone, I have succeeded.
I am not out to break records. I don’t want to beat anyone. If I get a personal record, that’s a bonus in my book. So if I don’t want any of that, what DO I want? I think about that often on our runs sometimes. Pigeon is goal orientated. Pigeon is competitive and so was I back in the day. I am not sure what happened. Maybe it is the fact that I have kids now and I am too afraid to push, too afraid to not be able to be there for my kids post race. That’s on me and that’s ok. For me, completing this is all that matters. Finishing and finishing with a smile on my face is an added bonus. I did that in 2010Â which is what makes this time a little more scary. How can I have another almost perfect race? The odds are not in my favor. I am older, I am wiser and more importantly I know what to expect. This time around, I won’t have my “crew” popping in at various places along the course to surprise me. I won’t have a training group with coaches who show up at mile 26 to change my shoes and socks for me. I don’t even have a pacer this time around and I am okay with that. To me, that adds more to the experience. I’ve completed this race once before so now in lies the real challenge … can I do it with entirely different circumstances? Running with Pigeon for as long as I can hold on is one of my goals.
Where I stopped in 2010, she excelled. She has way more ultra experience under her belt and a ton more races too. To be completely honest, this will only be my third ultra. Yes I have run 30 or more miles a few times but not in a technical race. To many, I am still considered a newbie.
So, just running with Pigeon, will simulate in my head, our weekends and running together (hopefully). When we ran at Way Too Cool a few weeks ago, that didn’t necessarily play out as much as I had planned but I was content and happy most of Way Too Cool. If I can nip certain things in the bud that would be great and of course the terrain will be quite different.
No, I am ready. As nervous as I might be, I am equally excited for what Saturday will bring. The self-doubt in my head stems from a very busy schedule that limited my training and running time. I am a logical person and I can only anticipate and expect so much from training as I put into it. I am not doubting my ability or trying to self-talk my way out anything, I am just being honest. I know I am strong. I know what my strengths generally are and I just need to let it all play out. What happens happens … and in the words of Europe’s It’s the Final Countdown …
I guess there is no one to blame.
We’re leaving ground (leaving ground)
Will things ever be the same again?
It’s the final countdown!
If you want to see the video and hear the song click here.
PS: I am still jealous of their awesomely big 80s hair that I never had ….
Wish me luck!
Happy Trails!
~Trailmomma
