I've decided to take on a rather ambitious race schedule for next year, and with good reason. I have found that I am recovering quite fast after every marathon and 50k and that my body is able to handle the stress of such a long distance. Also there is the fact that setting forth to accomplish this many long races will step up my training and put me one step forward to becoming an endurance runner, one that can run these distances without wondering in the middle of it "Why the hell am I doing this again?" Of course, if I ever get to the point where I am not wondering this then I can of course run faster. Alas, there is much I will learn from the upcoming new year, and I hope this schedule will assist with this learning process. One major lesson will be whether I can finish my first 50 miler, a major stepping stone. Another one for this year is to run at least one marathon or longer distance every month. All of this is quite doable because I am making sure most of them are all trail runs which are much easier on the body than road marathons. So quite doable.
This is, of course, quite tentative. Scheduling conflicts (such as June's Muddy Buddy and the Santa Cruz 50k) or finding out where all the money will come to pay for these are the two major stumbling blocks, or finding out when the actual date of the run is (if Nisene Marks takes place in June then I won't do the Santa Cruz 50k, for example). Without further ado:
1/1 Resolution Run 5 Miles
1/19 Pacifica Trail Run 50k
2/2 Woodside Trail Run 50k
3/2 Napa Valley Marathon
4/5 Golden Gate Headlands Marathon
4/19 Ruth Anderson 50m or 50k
5/10 Quicksilver 50m or 50k
5/31 Forest of Nisene Marks Marathon
6/14 Santa Cruz Mountain Trail Run 50k
6/15 Muddy Buddy
6/21 Lake Almaden Mountain Bike Triathlon
7/5 Angel Island Trail Run 50k
8/3 The San Francisco Marathon
8/23 The Golden Gate Headlands 50k
9/6 Stevens Creek 50k
9/21 Almaden Times Classic 10k
10/5 Cowtown Marathon
10/12 Rock n' Roll Half Marathon
11/2 Silicon Valley Marathon
11/29 Woodside Trail Run 50k
12/20 Rodeo Beach Trail Run 50k
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Last minute goals?
Can you have a late year goal? I feel like I have one in my sights, one that I didn't know that I would be able to have a chance to do, which is run my first 100+ mile month. The most I've ran in a month has been 95.6, so I came close, but it didn't happen. Now, as the year is coming to a close, I have already ran 58 miles with 19 days left to go. I think it can be done (well I know others do it with ease, but it will be a milestone for me). So away I go. 42 miles to run in the last 19 days of the year.
And while I'm at it, why don't I set another hopeful goal? If I run a total of 106 for the month than I can break 800 miles for the year, well above the goal I set for myself on January 1st.
So to all you runners out there, lets set some year end goals and achieve them in the last 19 days. What could it hurt? Log in some miles, burn some calories (build up the calorie deficit for Christmas) and be healthy: a good way to lead into the New Year.
And while I'm at it, why don't I set another hopeful goal? If I run a total of 106 for the month than I can break 800 miles for the year, well above the goal I set for myself on January 1st.
So to all you runners out there, lets set some year end goals and achieve them in the last 19 days. What could it hurt? Log in some miles, burn some calories (build up the calorie deficit for Christmas) and be healthy: a good way to lead into the New Year.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
8 on the (weekend of the) 8th
I had read about virtual races before and have always wanted to take part in them. One where people all across the nation, and some in different countries, would all run on the same day and then report back with how they did and where they ran. I, unfortunately, couldn't run it yesterday because of how fortunate I was to have been able to walk 18 plus miles in the beautiful and lush surrounding of Saratoga Gap and the Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains. So I pushed it to the 9th.
8 on the 8th - 1:05:55 - (8:14 pace)
I was bummed to have not been able to do this on the 8th, so I was sure to do it on the 9th. When I woke up I wasn't too sure if I would be able to because my toes were sore and the balls of my feet were tender from all the rocks on the trail and the rocks that were in my shoes. So I played it by ear and waited. Sometime after lunch I knew that I would do it. At the least I would DNF, but I would still log in some good miles. After all, that is the beauty of virtual runs because they motivate the runner to get out there and run!
So I started out and knew that I wanted to run the first half at a nice even clip. I started at the trail entrance to the Coyote Creek trail at the Blossom Hill and 101 intersection. I've ran this many times before, so I was very familiar with it. It is a bike path that follows Coyote creek. Add to this beautiful trees and hills off to the left (uh, and subtract the freeway to the right) and you have an idyllic setting. Oh, and it was mid to high 60s, so I couldn't complain.
The first half was ran at an even 8 minute pace, which was right where I wanted to be. I was pushing it a little (it seems that ever since I started running the longer endurance runs my pace on the shorter runs has slowed down), but I wanted a fast pace in the beginning and then slow it down for the last half. So at the 4 mile mark I turned around and walked for a a few seconds to catch my breath. The return journey was just as nice, although the wind was now coming into me because of the the lake in between a highway and a freeway which acted as a funnel for the wind. Anyway, my pace slowed a little, and not because I slowed down, but rather because I was taking short walking breaks. If you subtract my walking breaks than I easily came in at a sub 8 minute pace:
8:21
7:59
7:48
7:50
8:19 (30 second walk break)
8:52 (50 second walk and water break)
8:24 (30 second walk break)
8:17 (15 second and 5 second walk breaks)
All in all, I was very happy to have taken part in Nancy's 8 on the 8th Virtual Race. My legs were a bit heavy from the long hike yesterday, and the sore toes and balls of my feet worked itself out during the race, so it was both a struggle and a joy to finish the 8 miles. I loved doing this; I loved reading other peoples thoughts and feelings about running a virtual run; and I loved the motivating essence that events like this create. All in all, a great idea and one I would gladly take part in again.
8 on the 8th - 1:05:55 - (8:14 pace)
I was bummed to have not been able to do this on the 8th, so I was sure to do it on the 9th. When I woke up I wasn't too sure if I would be able to because my toes were sore and the balls of my feet were tender from all the rocks on the trail and the rocks that were in my shoes. So I played it by ear and waited. Sometime after lunch I knew that I would do it. At the least I would DNF, but I would still log in some good miles. After all, that is the beauty of virtual runs because they motivate the runner to get out there and run!
So I started out and knew that I wanted to run the first half at a nice even clip. I started at the trail entrance to the Coyote Creek trail at the Blossom Hill and 101 intersection. I've ran this many times before, so I was very familiar with it. It is a bike path that follows Coyote creek. Add to this beautiful trees and hills off to the left (uh, and subtract the freeway to the right) and you have an idyllic setting. Oh, and it was mid to high 60s, so I couldn't complain.
The first half was ran at an even 8 minute pace, which was right where I wanted to be. I was pushing it a little (it seems that ever since I started running the longer endurance runs my pace on the shorter runs has slowed down), but I wanted a fast pace in the beginning and then slow it down for the last half. So at the 4 mile mark I turned around and walked for a a few seconds to catch my breath. The return journey was just as nice, although the wind was now coming into me because of the the lake in between a highway and a freeway which acted as a funnel for the wind. Anyway, my pace slowed a little, and not because I slowed down, but rather because I was taking short walking breaks. If you subtract my walking breaks than I easily came in at a sub 8 minute pace:
8:21
7:59
7:48
7:50
8:19 (30 second walk break)
8:52 (50 second walk and water break)
8:24 (30 second walk break)
8:17 (15 second and 5 second walk breaks)
All in all, I was very happy to have taken part in Nancy's 8 on the 8th Virtual Race. My legs were a bit heavy from the long hike yesterday, and the sore toes and balls of my feet worked itself out during the race, so it was both a struggle and a joy to finish the 8 miles. I loved doing this; I loved reading other peoples thoughts and feelings about running a virtual run; and I loved the motivating essence that events like this create. All in all, a great idea and one I would gladly take part in again.
Saratoga Gap to Horseshoe Lake
I woke up this morning knowing that I would have a full day ahead of me. The day would start out with a long hike through Saratoga Gap in the Santa Cruz Mountains and then, after that, take part in a virtual race called 8 on the 8th. Not a lot of activities, but a lot of physical activity.
I arrived at the intersection of highways 35 and 9 where I parked on the southeast corner. It was freezing out with the fog still filtering through the trees and it was in the low forties. My friend I was hiking with was running late so away I went to run a mile, heading towards Castle Rock. Immediately I realized two things: my hands were frozen and the trails were absolutely beautiful.
A few minutes into my warm up mile I was hearing the pitter patter of water so I stopped to listen. It turned out the fog was so thick that it was dripping off the trees. A great feeling as I ran up the hills. By the time I had finished the mile I had climbed almost 300 feet, so it was a decent climb. By the time I got back to the parking lot my friend had just gotten there.
As soon as we started I began recognizing certain landmarks. I knew that the Stevens Creek 50k I had ran in September ran through Saratoga Gap at some point, but having never been there I had no clue where that was. It turned out that where I started this hike was the 10.9 mile aid station, but I didn't know this until the end of the hike.
As we were going through the lush forest I was continually amazed at how beautiful everything was. Deep green moss was on every tree with huge towering giants that left you protected from the sun (if it had come out at least). Eventually we got to an intersection and I just had to stop. I'd been there before and yet I didn't recognize the 2+ miles I had just walked at all! I can't believe how different everything looked from summer to winter.
Soon enough the trail led us up to the ridge and opened into a valley with fog billowing around and swirling with the wind. Very Tolkienesque and I expected Tree Ents at every corner. Here was yet another amazing change in landscape as we moved from the cover of the forest to a ridge line open to the sun and full of grass. My hands were completely numb at this point and there wasn't anything I could do to warm them up. That's what I get for leaving the gloves in my room, right? Won't make that mistake again.
We eventually moved past a private pond , down a fire road to a Christmas Tree farm where there were a ton of people having picnics, playing and cutting trees down. The smell was amazing. Eventually we made it into Horseshoe Lake, which I most certainly recognized from the Stevens Creek 50k because this was where the 19.3 mile aid station and where the finish was. And it really looks like a horseshoe!
So here was where things kind of went wrong. We had hiked 9 miles so far and since I had inadvertently traversed the same route that I had ran the 50k and I thought, lets return back to Saratoga Gap via the route I had ran from the start of the race. I mean, I hadn't recognized anything to that point and had still managed to take the same route from mile 10.9 to 19.3, so the same would happen, right?
Wrong, and we were lost within a mile, walking trails I absolutely didn't recognize. Eventually we were on Grizzly Flat trail and had our first creek crossing. But the peaceful atmosphere turned sour when Grizzly Flat turned out to be the trail from hell: straight up for almost 2 miles and it seemed never ending.
After 18.3 miles we eventually made it back to Saratoga Gap and it took all day to do, what with the stopping, resting and admiring our surroundings. We had to cross a creek, avoid the slow meandering and clumsy salamanders on the trail, hear deer jumping along the side of the mountain, huge and alien looking mushrooms. It was absolutely amazing, with the exception of the extremely numb hands.
And I couldn't believe that unbeknownst to me in the beginning I had ran Saratoga Gap, which was about 10 miles of the Stevens Creek 50k. Perhaps it was the dry and brown conditions compared to the lush and green conditions; perhaps it was the fact that the last time I ran through there I was tired and focused on one foot in front of the other. Who knows, but if you ever get a chance you should definitely walk the trails before or after a race and truly experience the trails. Or, better yet, take time to smell the flowers when you run trails. I know I was absolutely floored and amazed at what I had experienced when I took my time.
Of course, since this took all day, I had to move the 8 on the 8th virtual race to another day.
I arrived at the intersection of highways 35 and 9 where I parked on the southeast corner. It was freezing out with the fog still filtering through the trees and it was in the low forties. My friend I was hiking with was running late so away I went to run a mile, heading towards Castle Rock. Immediately I realized two things: my hands were frozen and the trails were absolutely beautiful.
A few minutes into my warm up mile I was hearing the pitter patter of water so I stopped to listen. It turned out the fog was so thick that it was dripping off the trees. A great feeling as I ran up the hills. By the time I had finished the mile I had climbed almost 300 feet, so it was a decent climb. By the time I got back to the parking lot my friend had just gotten there.
As soon as we started I began recognizing certain landmarks. I knew that the Stevens Creek 50k I had ran in September ran through Saratoga Gap at some point, but having never been there I had no clue where that was. It turned out that where I started this hike was the 10.9 mile aid station, but I didn't know this until the end of the hike.
As we were going through the lush forest I was continually amazed at how beautiful everything was. Deep green moss was on every tree with huge towering giants that left you protected from the sun (if it had come out at least). Eventually we got to an intersection and I just had to stop. I'd been there before and yet I didn't recognize the 2+ miles I had just walked at all! I can't believe how different everything looked from summer to winter.
Soon enough the trail led us up to the ridge and opened into a valley with fog billowing around and swirling with the wind. Very Tolkienesque and I expected Tree Ents at every corner. Here was yet another amazing change in landscape as we moved from the cover of the forest to a ridge line open to the sun and full of grass. My hands were completely numb at this point and there wasn't anything I could do to warm them up. That's what I get for leaving the gloves in my room, right? Won't make that mistake again.
We eventually moved past a private pond , down a fire road to a Christmas Tree farm where there were a ton of people having picnics, playing and cutting trees down. The smell was amazing. Eventually we made it into Horseshoe Lake, which I most certainly recognized from the Stevens Creek 50k because this was where the 19.3 mile aid station and where the finish was. And it really looks like a horseshoe!
So here was where things kind of went wrong. We had hiked 9 miles so far and since I had inadvertently traversed the same route that I had ran the 50k and I thought, lets return back to Saratoga Gap via the route I had ran from the start of the race. I mean, I hadn't recognized anything to that point and had still managed to take the same route from mile 10.9 to 19.3, so the same would happen, right?
Wrong, and we were lost within a mile, walking trails I absolutely didn't recognize. Eventually we were on Grizzly Flat trail and had our first creek crossing. But the peaceful atmosphere turned sour when Grizzly Flat turned out to be the trail from hell: straight up for almost 2 miles and it seemed never ending.
After 18.3 miles we eventually made it back to Saratoga Gap and it took all day to do, what with the stopping, resting and admiring our surroundings. We had to cross a creek, avoid the slow meandering and clumsy salamanders on the trail, hear deer jumping along the side of the mountain, huge and alien looking mushrooms. It was absolutely amazing, with the exception of the extremely numb hands.
And I couldn't believe that unbeknownst to me in the beginning I had ran Saratoga Gap, which was about 10 miles of the Stevens Creek 50k. Perhaps it was the dry and brown conditions compared to the lush and green conditions; perhaps it was the fact that the last time I ran through there I was tired and focused on one foot in front of the other. Who knows, but if you ever get a chance you should definitely walk the trails before or after a race and truly experience the trails. Or, better yet, take time to smell the flowers when you run trails. I know I was absolutely floored and amazed at what I had experienced when I took my time.
Of course, since this took all day, I had to move the 8 on the 8th virtual race to another day.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Woodside Trail Run 50k
This one was a hoot. From the long downhills, uphills, huge towering redwood trees, to bonking miles 14-19 in the middle loop and destroying my morale, to reviving at the aid station. This one was a very up and down race that, ultimately, I enjoyed very much.
Woodside Trail Run 50k - 6:39:16 (12:58 pace; 36/41)
As I had said before, coming into this one I was a little unsure of how I would do. Part of that was the fact that I was still feeling the effects of the cold that just wouldn't go away. So I took it easy Friday night and rested well, eating a large pasta meal and carbo load myself. Eventually I was able to get a solid 7 hours of sleep and was completely rested. After my standard breakfast of peanut butter and toast, two bananas and gatorade I set off for Woodside, about a 40 minute drive.
I had never been to Huddart Park and was floored as I drove through the hills. Towering redwoods with lush undergrowth made this an absolutely wonderful place to do a long run. You start in the park on the lawn and run down and through the redwoods, a la the Ewoks home in the third Star Wars.
So we toed the line, or around the cones as this was a very informal start. Instructions given, away we went. You run down the lawn for maybe a 100 yards before entering the the redwoods. I loved this beginning because we ran downhill for a little over a mile and this was a nice warm up, which was what I needed. The race started in 40 degree weather and it didn't warm up much at all because once you entered the towering redwoods you are virtually completely in shade the whole time, with the sun almost completely gone. This, of course, dropped the temperature some. So a warm up was good.
I got my first taste of what I was in for at about mile 2 when you hit a long stretch of uphill that went on for miles, almost for the next 5-6 miles. I am not the best at running uphill, so I walked a good portion of it, which drastically slowed me down some. By the time I reached the first aid station it had finally leveled out some. In fact coming into the aid station was a half a mile of downhill, so I was feeling on top of my game. I breezed past the aid station and didn't stop any longer than it took to thank the volunteers. I didn't eat anything, and to that point I hadn't eaten anything either. But I felt good, why stop? Huge mistake.
From here it was rolling hills. The majestic forest made me feel so small and insignificant as I ran under the hundred to two hundred foot trees. The trails were immaculate and the surrounding hills were so lush. All of this helped buoy me along as I kept up a decent pace, even on some of the hills. But in hindsight this was where I started feeling a little worse for wear. I ate 3 Cliff Shot Bloks, which was 90 calories and took a couple of endurolytes. I thought this would be enough to the next aid station. When I finally reached it I stopped and rested, drinking some water and eating some more Shot Bloks, but was still feeling pretty good. The second aid station is about 11-12 miles in, which was about 2hrs24 minutes. I should have eaten more and drank more water, but I was feeling so good. So I pushed on without topping off my water or eating anything else.
This was mistake number two, because this section of the run was the longest. A 14k loop until the next aid station. And this was a very difficult section of the run. The first half of it is one long meandering downhill that kills the quads. I started getting low on energy so I ate some more Shot Bloks and drank some water. To this point I had had about 20 oz. of water, not enough, so I made sure I kept drinking more as I went. Then I hit the killer portion, the part that almost destroyed my morale and made me want to DNF at the next aid station. What goes down must go up, so I now had to trudge all the way back up to the aid station, which meant miles and miles of nothing but uphill. At this point I started thinking I was the last runner out there and that I was really screwed, royally, because I had only eaten 300 calories and had ran out of water (40 oz. to this point). I had to keep stopping because I had absolutely no energy. I also had no clue how far I was because my Garmin kept losing its signal and, at mile 11.7, it lost it for at least an 1hr20mins, so everything was all messed up. This would play again later in the race, this time to my benefit.
Finally I got to the last of the uphill and take off running the short downhill to the aid station. I knew I didn't have any energy and that running that fast downhill could be bad, but I didn't care. I needed water and, more importantly, I needed food. When I finally got there the friendly volunteer was so supportive and cheerful that my spirits were lifted. It felt like I was swaying as goose bumps ran up my arms. I grabbed some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and forced them down. This, of course, almost made me throw up, but it didn't. I must have spent 5-10 minutes there stuffing my face with everything I could get my hands on. After a while I knew I wouldn't DNF, that with the calories came a renewed energy and I would push on.
Bidding the friendly volunteer farewell away I went. I still walked the hills but I ran all the downhills. There was only 10 miles at this point, so I knew I could make it. Steady, steady, steady. Just focus on the downhills and walk the uphills. I didn't get low on energy, but at one point I stopped to tinkle and as I looked out onto the forest it seemed that it was moving away from me! The strangest thing. Like some 3D effect of someone pulling a string on the landscape. Just imagine looking forward and then everything that was stationary seemed to be moving farther away. That was trippy.
I finally got into the last aid station and had the first surprise of the day. I still didn't have a clue how far I had run because of the lost signal on the Garmin, so I asked the aid station how much farther to go. I had assumed that I had over 6 miles to go, since it took that long to get there coming up. When they said a little over 4 miles I was floored. I couldn't believe it. Apparently the 14k loop made up the difference. So I was 26 miles into the run and received the best news possible! You have shorter to go than you thought! So as I stuffed my face, not wanting to make the same mistake I did at the other aid stations, another runner came down the trail. When he found out how long we had he pointed out the obvious, which I had written off for dead during the 14k loop. We could still make it in under 7 hours! Once he said it I couldn't believe it. He was right. We had 1hr20 minutes to make the last 4+ miles. My morale was boosted again and away we went, running together because it is always easier to run with someone.
This section was so amazingly fast because it was all downhill. For the first few miles most of it was downhill with some uphills, so I slowed a bit, but after that I took off. I swear I was on a full on sprint. I started thinking that perhaps I could make the goal I had set for myself, that just maybe I might be able to finish in under 6:45. So I didn't care about my aching joints, my almost cramping calves and my burning quads. I turned it on and went for it. So when I thought I had another mile to go I ran around the corner and saw some cars. Huh? Then through the trees I could see lawn, then around another corner I saw a bathroom. Now I thought the finish would be uphill, as the start had been downhill, so when I saw the bathroom I thought it was the one at the bottom of the hill. Granted, I was excited to know that the finish was right there in front of me, but I did not cherish the idea of an uphill finish. So as I cleared the trees I looked for the hill and, oh sweet jesus, the finish line was not uphill but across the grass about 50 feet away. I sprinted across and couldn't feel any more happy. I had just ran the 50k in 6:39:16 and set a PR by 1hr36min.
I learned a ton from this race. Eat, eat, eat. I only drank about 60 oz. the whole race, which I could have had a ton more, but that didn't stop me. What destroyed the morale during that 14k loop was that I had been out there for 19 miles and 4:21 and I had only eaten 300 calories. I've learned this lesson many times and I don't know why I keep having to re-learn it. As soon as I actually ate, my body responded immediately. In fact when you don't eat it is so gradual you shrug it off as the normal soreness from running for so long, when in fact it is that your body needs food! Soreness will be there, of course, but losing your energy, do to no calories, can be avoided.
Additionally, this was my fourth marathon or longer in a little over 4 months and I know I can do the distance, but if I want to complete them in faster times I need to spread them out more and spend more time training. And by training I mean proper training. The training I have done has been sporadic, kind of a minimalistic approach, so I need to start doing longer runs as well as hill running.
All in all, I absolutely loved this race. The great and beautiful redwood forest is the perfect place to do a long run. And although the elevation profile is deceptively difficult (it seemed more difficult than the Stevens Creek 50k, which had 1,000 feet more elevation), it was well worth the effort and time. Great weather, great forest, great organization. Rewarding in every way. Couldn't have asked for more.
Woodside Trail Run 50k - 6:39:16 (12:58 pace; 36/41)
As I had said before, coming into this one I was a little unsure of how I would do. Part of that was the fact that I was still feeling the effects of the cold that just wouldn't go away. So I took it easy Friday night and rested well, eating a large pasta meal and carbo load myself. Eventually I was able to get a solid 7 hours of sleep and was completely rested. After my standard breakfast of peanut butter and toast, two bananas and gatorade I set off for Woodside, about a 40 minute drive.
I had never been to Huddart Park and was floored as I drove through the hills. Towering redwoods with lush undergrowth made this an absolutely wonderful place to do a long run. You start in the park on the lawn and run down and through the redwoods, a la the Ewoks home in the third Star Wars.
So we toed the line, or around the cones as this was a very informal start. Instructions given, away we went. You run down the lawn for maybe a 100 yards before entering the the redwoods. I loved this beginning because we ran downhill for a little over a mile and this was a nice warm up, which was what I needed. The race started in 40 degree weather and it didn't warm up much at all because once you entered the towering redwoods you are virtually completely in shade the whole time, with the sun almost completely gone. This, of course, dropped the temperature some. So a warm up was good.
I got my first taste of what I was in for at about mile 2 when you hit a long stretch of uphill that went on for miles, almost for the next 5-6 miles. I am not the best at running uphill, so I walked a good portion of it, which drastically slowed me down some. By the time I reached the first aid station it had finally leveled out some. In fact coming into the aid station was a half a mile of downhill, so I was feeling on top of my game. I breezed past the aid station and didn't stop any longer than it took to thank the volunteers. I didn't eat anything, and to that point I hadn't eaten anything either. But I felt good, why stop? Huge mistake.
From here it was rolling hills. The majestic forest made me feel so small and insignificant as I ran under the hundred to two hundred foot trees. The trails were immaculate and the surrounding hills were so lush. All of this helped buoy me along as I kept up a decent pace, even on some of the hills. But in hindsight this was where I started feeling a little worse for wear. I ate 3 Cliff Shot Bloks, which was 90 calories and took a couple of endurolytes. I thought this would be enough to the next aid station. When I finally reached it I stopped and rested, drinking some water and eating some more Shot Bloks, but was still feeling pretty good. The second aid station is about 11-12 miles in, which was about 2hrs24 minutes. I should have eaten more and drank more water, but I was feeling so good. So I pushed on without topping off my water or eating anything else.
This was mistake number two, because this section of the run was the longest. A 14k loop until the next aid station. And this was a very difficult section of the run. The first half of it is one long meandering downhill that kills the quads. I started getting low on energy so I ate some more Shot Bloks and drank some water. To this point I had had about 20 oz. of water, not enough, so I made sure I kept drinking more as I went. Then I hit the killer portion, the part that almost destroyed my morale and made me want to DNF at the next aid station. What goes down must go up, so I now had to trudge all the way back up to the aid station, which meant miles and miles of nothing but uphill. At this point I started thinking I was the last runner out there and that I was really screwed, royally, because I had only eaten 300 calories and had ran out of water (40 oz. to this point). I had to keep stopping because I had absolutely no energy. I also had no clue how far I was because my Garmin kept losing its signal and, at mile 11.7, it lost it for at least an 1hr20mins, so everything was all messed up. This would play again later in the race, this time to my benefit.
Finally I got to the last of the uphill and take off running the short downhill to the aid station. I knew I didn't have any energy and that running that fast downhill could be bad, but I didn't care. I needed water and, more importantly, I needed food. When I finally got there the friendly volunteer was so supportive and cheerful that my spirits were lifted. It felt like I was swaying as goose bumps ran up my arms. I grabbed some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and forced them down. This, of course, almost made me throw up, but it didn't. I must have spent 5-10 minutes there stuffing my face with everything I could get my hands on. After a while I knew I wouldn't DNF, that with the calories came a renewed energy and I would push on.
Bidding the friendly volunteer farewell away I went. I still walked the hills but I ran all the downhills. There was only 10 miles at this point, so I knew I could make it. Steady, steady, steady. Just focus on the downhills and walk the uphills. I didn't get low on energy, but at one point I stopped to tinkle and as I looked out onto the forest it seemed that it was moving away from me! The strangest thing. Like some 3D effect of someone pulling a string on the landscape. Just imagine looking forward and then everything that was stationary seemed to be moving farther away. That was trippy.
I finally got into the last aid station and had the first surprise of the day. I still didn't have a clue how far I had run because of the lost signal on the Garmin, so I asked the aid station how much farther to go. I had assumed that I had over 6 miles to go, since it took that long to get there coming up. When they said a little over 4 miles I was floored. I couldn't believe it. Apparently the 14k loop made up the difference. So I was 26 miles into the run and received the best news possible! You have shorter to go than you thought! So as I stuffed my face, not wanting to make the same mistake I did at the other aid stations, another runner came down the trail. When he found out how long we had he pointed out the obvious, which I had written off for dead during the 14k loop. We could still make it in under 7 hours! Once he said it I couldn't believe it. He was right. We had 1hr20 minutes to make the last 4+ miles. My morale was boosted again and away we went, running together because it is always easier to run with someone.
This section was so amazingly fast because it was all downhill. For the first few miles most of it was downhill with some uphills, so I slowed a bit, but after that I took off. I swear I was on a full on sprint. I started thinking that perhaps I could make the goal I had set for myself, that just maybe I might be able to finish in under 6:45. So I didn't care about my aching joints, my almost cramping calves and my burning quads. I turned it on and went for it. So when I thought I had another mile to go I ran around the corner and saw some cars. Huh? Then through the trees I could see lawn, then around another corner I saw a bathroom. Now I thought the finish would be uphill, as the start had been downhill, so when I saw the bathroom I thought it was the one at the bottom of the hill. Granted, I was excited to know that the finish was right there in front of me, but I did not cherish the idea of an uphill finish. So as I cleared the trees I looked for the hill and, oh sweet jesus, the finish line was not uphill but across the grass about 50 feet away. I sprinted across and couldn't feel any more happy. I had just ran the 50k in 6:39:16 and set a PR by 1hr36min.
I learned a ton from this race. Eat, eat, eat. I only drank about 60 oz. the whole race, which I could have had a ton more, but that didn't stop me. What destroyed the morale during that 14k loop was that I had been out there for 19 miles and 4:21 and I had only eaten 300 calories. I've learned this lesson many times and I don't know why I keep having to re-learn it. As soon as I actually ate, my body responded immediately. In fact when you don't eat it is so gradual you shrug it off as the normal soreness from running for so long, when in fact it is that your body needs food! Soreness will be there, of course, but losing your energy, do to no calories, can be avoided.
Additionally, this was my fourth marathon or longer in a little over 4 months and I know I can do the distance, but if I want to complete them in faster times I need to spread them out more and spend more time training. And by training I mean proper training. The training I have done has been sporadic, kind of a minimalistic approach, so I need to start doing longer runs as well as hill running.
All in all, I absolutely loved this race. The great and beautiful redwood forest is the perfect place to do a long run. And although the elevation profile is deceptively difficult (it seemed more difficult than the Stevens Creek 50k, which had 1,000 feet more elevation), it was well worth the effort and time. Great weather, great forest, great organization. Rewarding in every way. Couldn't have asked for more.
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