Love to Run Archives ~ TRAILMOMMA

May 1, 2019May 1, 2019

2019 CANYONS 100k (Race Report)

You know that race when everything just falls perfectly into place? Yea well, this wasn’t that race. As near perfect as my 2017 Canyons race was, 2019 was the total opposite.

The uncertainty with this race started early. We received emails from the Race Director that there was too much snow out there and that the Snow Course would be the route for 2019. That eliminated Devil’s Thumb and added Gorman Ranch Road which I had never been on before .

Add to that, the fact that in 2017 I trained almost every single weekend on this course but in 2019, I hadn’t stepped foot anywhere near Foresthill or its canyons. Throw in a clavicle surgery for Vans, soccer coaching conflicts and well, just life in general and my life’s been a little nutty this training season.

Finally, the topper were the emails we received the week of the race that drop bags would not be allowed at Rucky Chucky which was mile 47.8. This is kind of a big deal, at least for me, as someone who cannot typically eat the food provided at aid-stations. The race only allows for two drop bag locations total and they had just eliminated (due to State Parks and Rec decisions), the second drop bag. Luckily, I have the bestest friend in the world who loves to crew and does a pretty bang up job at it! Stonegate came through for me in more ways than I can count for this race. Pretty much eliminating the fact that in 2017 she overslept when she was supposed to drive me to the start. 🙂

Race morning Stonegate arrived at my house at 3:40 ready to roll. We picked up Not Chris and were on our way. She was going to park and stay until we started the race. We grabbed our bibs, used the facilities and then just waited for the race to start. We ran into Pigeon and it was nice to see her face because it had been forever. We text every other day or so but we haven’t seen each other in months.

Pretty soon it was time to line up. Not Chris had decided beforehand that we were going to run together. I assured him that he could pull ahead any time and run his own race. He didn’t need me. This was his first 100k after having only ever run one 50 miler last year, so he was understandably nervous and told me that no matter what we were sticking together.

The course starts off semi flat and then makes a right hand turn onto Bath Road where you run down…down…down. Not Chris and I were keeping a decent pace the whole way. I had no idea what to expect with the new Gorman Ranch Snow Course. In my mixed up head I was thinking we ran up to the aid-station and then down when in reality, it was the opposite. As we were descending down, my stomach was starting to turn. This happens to me in races where a downhill is right off the bat. MUC started on an uphill so I didn’t have that problem.

We did have to cross Volcano Creek which was roaring pretty strong. As I was crossing however, I thought my foot was secure on the bottom of the creek bed but instead it must have been on a rock as I slipped. I slipped big time and my whole lower half was submerged in the ice cold water and my left shin nailed a rock. If I wasn’t awake yet, I was now!

Mile 8 Gorman Ranch

We arrived at the aid-station and neither one of us needed anything. The guys from The Auburn Aid-Station were running this pit-stop and were a sight for sore eyes. They directed me toward an area would I could take care of business.

I found Not Chris hiking back up Gorman Ranch Road and together we power hiked and ran. I was feeling tons better.

Mile 12.5 Michigan Bluff

Not Chris’s wife was at this aid-station which was great. He also had pointed out that the porta potties had no line. I decided to go since I had the opening. I am glad that I did because at that moment, Mother Nature decided to bless me with my period (sorry guy readers). What the!? Now?! Luckily I was prepared. Training partners share a lot and I shared with Not Chris the new lovely situation that I’d have to deal with all day.

We said goodbye to Not Chris’s wife and left Michigan Bluff on our way to El Dorado Creek. We downed the next 3 miles at a pretty good pace, passing quite a few runners.

Mile 15. 5 El Dorado Creek

When we got to the aid-station we didn’t really stop, we walked right through and started the four mile climb up to Deadwood Cemetery.

It was then, that my energy died. I was leading a pack of guys up the climb and just lost all my steam. I went from feeling pretty good to feeling like I could not take another step. I let the guys go, including Not Chris as I needed to hike. Not Chris took off like a rocket and I did a death march almost the whole four miles to Deadwood Cemetery.

I was going through every scenario in my head. Was I eating enough? Was I dehydrated? Why on earth was I THIS tired only 16 miles into a 63 mile race? I never stopped but I felt like I was walking in quicksand and then add to that, the fact that every 2 minutes I would have to jump to the side (into a bush of poison oak) to let the lead runners who were coming back from Deadwood pass! I knew going into this that would happen but I didn’t factor in the toll it would take on my body. All the stopping, starting, jumping out of the way … it added way more physicality and mental toughness to the race.

Soon, I saw Not Chris coming down the hill. I told him to “Go get it!” and he yelled back, “I’ll wait for you at Michigan Bluff.” Ugh, not what I wanted. I wanted him to just go and run as I wasn’t sure what was going on with me and my lack of energy.

At Deadwood I grabbed my bracelet and turned around to run back down what I just had run up forcing all the uphill runners to jump out of the way as well. I noticed I was able to run down fairly well. Okay, if I didn’t have my uphill game, at least I had my downhill.

Mile 21.5 El Dorado Creek

I came into this aid-station pretty darn tired. I saw Dasie and Kuni behind the table and that gave me a boost. I grabbed a cup of coke because I was at my end. I couldn’t eat what I had on me and I knew I needed calories to climb the 3 hard miles back out of this canyon and it was getting hot.

Mile 24.5 Michigan Bluff

I arrived at the Michigan Bluff aid-station and didn’t see Not Chris. YES! He kept going without me, good boy! I didn’t want to slow him down and I knew what was ahead. I was in and out of this aid-station pretty quickly, eager to keep moving.

When I finally reached Bath Road, I was able to text Stonegate and let her know that Not Chris and I had separated and hopefully she had my stuff that I’d need at Foresthill.

Mile 31.0 Foresthill (the half way point)

I needed the excitement that was happening here. I had been having a conversation in my head the whole way up Bath Road, on what the heck I could do to get my energy back and finish this thing.

I spotted Stonegate quickly and saw that Not Chris was still here! He was almost ready to leave but it was nice to catch up briefly and hear that he’d had a good first half. He took off and I removed my pack eager for some ice cold water.

Stonegate was a machine. She filled my pack with ice water, she filled my bottles, she took my trash and she offered me ice to shove down my sports bra! YES please! My coach had reminded me to do this but I had completely forgotten until Stonegate asked. Not Chris’s wife also had an ice cold rag and that felt like heaven.

I removed the food that wasn’t working and pulled out some items that I thought I’d try in the second half of this beast of a race. I must have got distracted with something else or thought I had put them in my pack but didn’t and Stonegate assumed I wasn’t using them and put them away. I was that out of it that I had no idea until much later in the race when I realized I didn’t have any of the fuel I needed.

I left Foresthill and continued on. There was no point at which I thought I might quit but I wasn’t sure how the rest of the day would go.

Mile 35.5 Cal 1

Luckily I still had my downhill legs and the section out of Foresthill leading to the Cal 1 aid-station is a good chunk of downhill running. I motored on this section as best I could, passing quite a few runners.

When I reached Cal 1 I still had not realized that I did not have my fuel on me. I was drinking calories still and not quite eating them at this point but I was looking forward to what I thought I had in my pack.

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Somewhere between Cal 1 and Cal 2 aid-stations, I realized my error. I started to conserve my liquid calories a little bit and hoped for the best at the aid-station.

Mile 40.5 Cal 2

When I entered the Cal 2 aid-station I saw Not Chris! “I am SO happy to see you!” he said. I was little shocked to see him still there. He admitted that he’d started to hit a bit of a wall and that downhills were not his friend. I grabbed some fruit and some other odds and ends and then the best volunteer ever said, “Do you want me to refill the ice in your neck bandanna?” “Oh my gosh, yes please!” I said. She was great and another offered me a pickle which just sounded SO amazing the minute the words came out of her mouth. “Yes, can I take one with me?” and so she chopped it up and put it in the baggy that I had on me. Woah, I was starting to feel better!

The trails out of Cal 2 are awesome and so fun to run down. I went ahead of Not Chris as I knew that even though he didn’t want to run downhill, he would if I did. So we had some nice long “fast” stretches here. Every so often he’d ask if we could walk or I had to walk myself because my quads were on fire and had been for quite some time.

I told him the next aid-station was pretty far away (7.5 miles) but that we’d see everyone there AND after that, we were running towards HOME which made him feel much better.

We ran into the same problem on this section as we had on El Dorado. The trail heading into Rucky Chucky is SO narrow that we were stopping and starting and jumping up on rocks or trees to let runners heading back pass. It was hard. My quads would get into a nice rhythm and then I’d have to slam on the brakes. Not Chris was not loving it.

Mile 47.8 Rucky Chucky

Getting into Rucky Chucky was awesome. I had a huge smile on my face when I saw our crew with the best shady spot and our stuff ready to go. I had decided to change my socks. This was a last minute call when packing my drop bag too. My feet were wet and I had rocks in them or so I thought. Turns out, it was the start of a blister! I never get blisters except for this race. The sock change felt amazing though and I refilled up on ice water and removed some items from my back and made SURE that I had the food I wanted. Stonegate again poured ice down my sports bra and I was ready to go! Not Chris was not quite as ready. 🙂 He did give me a mini use-and-toss travel toothbrush and that felt great to clean out my mouth and refresh my taste buds.

I was ready to get this thing done. We left Rucky Chucky hiking out. It was 7.5 miles back to Cal 2. We probably hiked 5 of those miles we were pretty tired. My quads and energy was starting to dip again just slightly.

Mile 55.1 Cal 2

When we were hiking the switch backs up towards Cal 2, I was getting excited. It was this and Cal 1 and then we were DONE! I wish I had more fire in my legs but my heart and head were definitely in it. We thanked the volunteers and left. I had told Not Chris that there were some VERY runnable sections from here to the Cal 1 aid-station and that we should really take advantage when we could.

We had to pull our headlamps out not far before Cal 1 which also cooled things off and changed the dynamic a little. It doesn’t seem as hard when you can only see a small portion of the trail in front of you.

Mile 60.1 Cal 1

We had agreed not to stop at the aid-station. I threw away whatever trash I had on me and started out. Not Chris grabbed a tortilla and was right behind me. I was leading us at this point, I could sense his tiredness and just kept moving.

There is one stream crossing before you reach the pavement and head into Foresthill. I had managed to avoid getting my feet wet at all the other crossings on the way back because my dry socks felt amazing. I could not see a way around this one and went through only to watch Not Chris find a way to get around and keep his shoes dry! That punk! haha I wish I had dry feet for the finish!

When we reached the pavement, I texted everyone and said that we had less than a mile left to go. Not Chris realized at this moment that this “100k” was actually more than 62.1 miles and was in fact, 63.3! Ooops!

We made our right turn onto Foresthill road and ran. All of a sudden I felt like I was stepping on shards of glass! We both had to stop and walk just a couple of steps and then we started running again. I think we had one more brief two step walk and then said forget it, and just ran into the finish!

We did it! We had finished this thing and we had finished together. Our time was 16:03! I was a little bummed as I was thinking that we could possibly have had sub 16 but considering the day I had, I was happy with my time and SUPER happy to be done!

Stonegate was there and so was Vans! After her crewing us at Rucky Chucky she drove home (showered) and picked up Vans! That’s how long we had been running. hahaha

I could not have survived without this girl. She saved me by getting to Rucky Chucky and having my drop bag. She kept me laughing and moving all day. So grateful for our friendship through the years and the passion we share for racing and being there for each other.

Vans was happy to see me and even brought me some gluten free vegan soup to sip on at the finish. Always my number one fan. He had left me good luck notes which always makes my day and he sent me funny texts when I was near the finish.

I am also SUPER proud of Not Chris for conquering his first 100k! It wasn’t easy either. He battled his way out of the pain cave to finish this beast. He’s been a great training partner these last few months. We push each other which I think is a good thing but we’re always supportive and have a similar mind set. Big things are in store for him, I have no doubt. I am sure he’s excited to get his first Western States Qualifier too.

I will say, the race swag for 2019 rocked but you definitely earn it at this race. There are no short cuts. You sweat, you bleed and you have to give 100% to conquer the Canyons.

Now is the time for rest. I am looking forward to the recovery ahead and running with my friends and my kids. I am also looking forward to a little cross training and having some mini adventures with my crew.

I love to run, I love to challenge myself, I love to problem solve and this race definitely forced me to problem solve to get out of my energy dip. Time to reward myself with rest, sleep and good food.

Thanks for reading this monstrosity! Sorry for the lack of photos! I am also sorry that I have to turn the commenting feature “off” on here. My blog has been going through some issues and the commenting has become a haven for spamers. Feel free to comment on my Facebook page or Instagram page though any time.

Happy Trails!

~Trailmomma

March 14, 2018April 29, 2019

MARIN ULTRA CHALLENGE 50 MILE – MUC – (RACE REPORT)

Photo from Inside Trail Racing

“This climb is nothing. Wait until we get to Willow Camp! That climb will kill ya!” That’s what the runner in front of me told me as we were climbing up a hill called Cardiac … a name that already implies some sort of death by exertion. “Bring it.” is what I said in my head … but my body was silently screaming, “What the fork!?”

The Marin Ultra Challenge (MUC) 50 Miler has been a bucket list race of mine. I’ve run the Headlands Marathon twice and the Mt. Tam 50k already out in Marin, so I knew what those trails involved but I wanted more, I wanted to test my limits, test my fitness level and honestly, test myself.

Stonegate told me a while back that she’d come and crew me which is something I rarely have – my own personal crew! We both love those trails and we have a dear friend that is always gracious enough to let us crash when we tell her, “Hey! We’re coming your way. Can we sleep at your house?” I think sometimes we sign up for races just for the social time with her. 🙂

When race week arrived, I was nervous. While not my goal race of the season, I’ve been training for this and was in a taper period … which I hate. It is hard to go from running a lot to not much running and paying attention to all the OTHER important things like eating, sleeping, resting and recovering.

After a great evening of playing catch up with friends, I went to bed fairly early. I was eager to get this adventure moving. Race morning I was awake and doing my usual routine. I felt rested but my feet hurt.

I’ve been having various feet issues lately. Long story short, I have a cyst (or random bone) on my foot and these crazy aches and pains in weird places – not my norm. I usually don’t have feet issues but these problems have been building over the last month or so.

Since I am a nerd and plan excessively for my races, Stonegate knew exactly what to do and where to go during the day. What we didn’t know however, was how the heck to get out of our friend’s new neighborhood! 🙂 We drove around for 15 minutes completely going in circles, passing her house once. While Stonegate and I were both quietly freaking out, we were both laughing on the inside knowing that we’d laugh like hell once we finally did get OUT. 🙂

We arrived at the race start which was ocean side. The parking lot at Fort Baker was flooded so the race director had to move the start/finish area to Rodeo Beach earlier in the week.

This move unnerved me at first, but I preferred Rodeo Beach as I was more familiar with this area.

At the start, the weather was super warm and the energy was high. This event has four different distances: a 50k and a 50 Mile race that starts at 6 am and a half and 35k that started at 8 am.

Before I knew it, we were off and running up hill. This I was prepared for as I have done this climb a few times.

The first thing I noticed was how easy it felt. My legs felt great and I wasn’t out of breath. Having battled allergies recently, this was a fantastic feeling.

The trail was a bit congested to start, especially when we hit the stairs. A lot of people, myself included, stopped to take photos.

One of the hardest parts of running in Marin, is trying really hard NOT to fall while taking in some of the most amazing views.

I was just moving along running most of the time, including the up hills. I worried momentarily that I might have been going out too fast, but I just felt good so I went with it.

The Golden Gate behind me. Photo from Chasqui Runner

Around mile 10 my one foot started to burn, like I had some hot spots on the bottom of my foot. I rarely get blisters or have blister issues so this was strange.

I just kept running telling myself that Stonegate would be at the top of Cardiac and that I just had to get to her. I decided that would be the best spot for her to hang out all day as I would see her at 19.8 and then again at 29.3.

Just before the Tennessee Valley Aid-Station (mile 10.5) I ran into Miss P and Pearls both of whom were doing the 50k distance. So nice to see and run with them for a bit. They were motoring at a good pace and I just hung on enjoying the company.

After the aid-station, Miss P ran up ahead and I ran with Pearls for a few miles before she just disappeared. They both went on to have great races. They are crazy strong runners.

The next aid-station after Tennessee Valley was Muir Beach, another aid-station I am familiar with. This is also the point in the race where the 50ks went one way and the 50 mile runners went another. From here on out, anyone you saw on the trail, you knew was a 50 mile runner.

After the Muir Beach aid-station, I was on a mission. Climb Cardiac and get to Stonegate because my feet were killing me at this point.

Climbing Cardiac brought back so many memories of when I ran the Mt. Tam 50k with Stonegate and Burning Girl. We had a lot of laughs during that race and while at the time, Cardiac was a tough moment, I was laughing my head off during this race thinking about it.

I had a runner behind me who would occasionally get too close but not want to pass as he said I was pulling him up the mountain. Finally, I just made him go ahead … that’s when he told me that the next climb, the climb to Willow Camp, was by far the craziest climb of the race.

That big lump in the middle, that’s Willow Camp. Ouch.

I arrived into Cardiac and saw Stonegate hollering to me from on top of a cliff. She came down to check on me. She had me in and out of that aid-station fast but I told her my feet hurt and to grab the spare pair of shoes that I had in the car. I’ve never changed shoes in a race before like this, but I figured it couldn’t be much worse than what I was dealing with. I could feel hot spots all along the bottoms of both of my feet.

Before I left, she asked me if I had gotten her text. “Nope, but I haven’t had much cell service,” I said. She goes, “Ok! No worries! You’ll get it. Had a little issue but it’s ALL okay now. You’ll laugh.” Uh-oh. 🙂

Off I went down the trail to see what this Willow Camp climb was all about.

The trail eventually dumps you into the town of Stinson Beach. It’s an adorable little town, but you have to run the streets of it and particularly this big hill to get back to the trails. My legs were just not having it. I had run up a good portion of Cardiac, but after that, my legs were finally feeling the day’s efforts and starting to revolt.

The climb up Willow Camp was by far, one of the gnarliest climbs I have done. Maybe it was the fact that it comes at mile 24 of a 50 mile race or the fact that it goes straight up with no switch backs like Cardiac, whatever the reason, it can crush your spirits if you let it.

All I could do was laugh at what was before me and keep moving. I put my feet out of my mind and kept climbing. Then, after what seems like forever, you are presented with this …

What you can’t see are the single track trails just rolling in and around these hills. It was the most spectacular part of the whole course. I ran and ran and ran. I had the biggest smile on my face. I passed a few runners and caught up to a group I had been near earlier.

These hills were just breath taking but I was also on a mission to get back to Cardiac so that I could change my socks and shoes.

Right before I came into the Cardiac aid-station I passed about 3 runners. I was moving so fast they even commented on it. I just wanted relief for my feet!!

Stonegate had a chair set up and my new shoes ready. By “new shoes” I truly mean brand new shoes. I just had got them Thursday night before the race. I wore them in the car to Marin and packet pick up but I’d never run in them. No better time than the present to start.

I changed out my socks, added some blister stuff to my feet and put on my new shoes. It felt like I took forever at that aid-station but truthfully, it was probably less than 5 minutes. Off I went thanking Stonegate immensely for being there for me.

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It took a little while for me to get used to my new shoes and right about this time, I started to get this terrible pain in my toe. This is one of those familiar pains I’ve been battling lately.

Down down down down we went. These trails had lots of hikers on them and some really cool bridges but you had to follow the ribbons closely or else you might get lost.

I was part of a group and it was clear we all were tired and struggling just a little. We were more than half way done with this thing, but we still had a long way to go.

For me, I play mental games with myself. Whenever I get half way through a race, I start counting down down miles, not up. It makes the distance seem less daunting. I also just think about aid-stations, and at this point, I knew I only had three more aid-stations to go before the finish.

I don’t recall much about the next aid-station, Deer Park (mile 35.9) but I know in my head I was thinking, “Maybe I’ll see deer there?!” hahaha My brain was doing anything it could to occupy itself.

These trails are pretty remote but it was riiiiight about here that I did get that earlier text from Stonegate that I mentioned above ….

I was DYING!!! Boy did this text come through at a great moment. I am sure the stress she had to deal with was way more than my day. Crewing is never easy and can be nerve-wracking … clearly … but she also took this photo ….

Love this girl. By the time she took the above photo, her job was done. She just had to watch me cross the finish and drive my tired butt home – she deserved this chill moment by the ocean.

Muir Beach Aid-Station (mile 40.8) was next. “Less than 10 to go!” I screamed in my head. Unfortunately, I decided to stop and use the restroom here. It was convenient, open and well, I had to go. So, another few minutes were spent here that I had not planned on but it is always a good sign that things are working. 🙂

Tennessee Valley (mile 45.8) was the next aid-station and I just could not wait to get there. I was motoring at this point, or at least I was trying to motor. There were some stairs, a few decent hills to climb so honestly I probably was not going as fast as I thought I was. 🙂

I finally saw the aid-station and I just smiled. When I ran into it, the WHOLE aid-station erupted in cheers and screams … I looked at them, smiled and said, “So no one’s come through here for a while huh?” They laughed hard, “No no no, this is how we greet ALL runners. Don’t cut yourself short!” 🙂 I am not lying when I say, these volunteers are awesome.

I was there probably all of 30 seconds. I started smelling that barn and I wanted in.

I had asked the volunteers before I left, if the final two miles were up two miles and down two miles and a girl replied, “Yup, that’s pretty much it.” Um nope, not quite. 🙂 Not even close actually but it’s alright, it made me laugh every time I’d hit another hill.

Finally I hit Road 88 which I know would lead me down to the finish line. I glanced at my watch. I was a little bummed. I really wanted to finish sub 11 hours but with my shoe change and spontaneous bathroom stop, I knew it wasn’t in the cards but I know it is obtainable.

As I was cresting yet another hill, I heard “Woot woot!”It was Stonegate! She had climbed up the mountain and ran with me back down!!! So excited to have her with me that last mile!!

She warned me that I had a little up, some stairs to go down and then the rest was all downhill. It’s amazing what you forget you ran 49 miles ago. 🙂

I had been worried that I wouldn’t finish in the daylight but I totally had plenty of time and the sky was glorious as I was finishing. Stonegate took some killer photos as she was running behind me.

Finally I could see the tents and cars! I was trying to run fast but I am pretty sure it looked like I was running in quicksand.

“Just run down the big paved hill to the parking lot and turn left,” she said, “You got this!”

Besides some pain in my feet, I felt pretty good otherwise. I saw the finish arch and heard all the cheers from those still hanging around…a huge smile just permanently on my face.

Sadly, Stonegate and I didn’t get any photos of us together but the majority of these photos, unless otherwise noted, are hers. I can’t thank her enough for her support and encouragement all day. Having her there truly saved me.

I ended up finishing just over a 11 hours. Honestly, I was surprised by that as originally I thought I’d be closer to 12 hours but at some point during the race, I realized I could potentially make it sub 11 … but that wasn’t the goal. The goal of the race was to finish, finish smiling and use it as a training run. I succeeded. I was all smiles.

Sadly, I had to jet out of there as soon as I finished. We had to drive back home because I had to get on a plane Sunday morning for work (ouch, not the wisest choice but it wasn’t so bad).

Later I found out that I had won 3rd in my Age Group!! I was super stoked to hear that. The Race Director emailed me and said that he’d mail me my age group award and the finishers medal that I missed getting at the finish as they had ran out. I truly love Inside Trail Racing, they not only put on stellar events and have great volunteers, they seem like such cool people and their communication to runners is spot on.

I also have to thank Vans. He held down the fort at home not only during my racing adventure but he continued holding it down when I left for a 3 day work trip immediately after.

FaceTiming with these goofballs ... love them. — FaceTiming with these goofballs … love them.

Overall I am pleased with my results. My body, particularly my quads were pretty sore the next day but that was to be expected. I didn’t get a chance to truly rest having flown out of town but the adrenaline of the event was still pumping through my veins. I am still smiling even now.

“Don’t limit your challenges. Challenge your limits.”

Happy Trails,

~Trailmomma

Full Disclaimer: I am not associated with Inside Trail Racing at all and was not paid or compensated for writing this report. I have run two of their other events in addition to this one and I truly believe they host stellar, challenging and thoroughly top notch events.

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