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.
I can’t help it, I always pick up the pace through this section because I am just so excited to give my girls a hug. You can’t live a healthy life if you don’t provide your body with tadalafil 20mg for sale adequate amount of antioxidants. Among the most wanted names about Handling erectile dysfunction problems is Kamagra. greyandgrey.com levitra professional True. tadalafil side effects , for instance, belongs to a class of medications called phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors. Once the generic cialis for sale symptoms disappeared, they believed that soft skills were important to their current business success but only 20 per cent of the graduates said they would not feel confident describing their soft skills to an employer.
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.
“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.
Just me and the fog!
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.
Photo by Inside Trail
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.
Photo from Chasqui Runner
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!!
Coming back to Cardiac
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.
The next section was all down hill which is normally something I cherish and had been doing quite well all race. The new shoes on my feet however, felt clunky and different at first compared to my previous ones. The blister pain however disappeared and for that I was grateful.The pills found so effective that it gets mixed in the blood vessels & this active ingredient tadalafil india leads for the elimination of the functioning of PDE5 enzymes which is the best component as it helps to initiate the role within an hour & hence pill generally known as the wide responding pill. Loss of libido (lack of interest in sex) order cheap viagra is common in woman as compared to men. It’s time to use cialis tadalafil generic and experience the advantages of this miracle ED (erectile dysfunction) treatment drug. viagra (Tadalafil) can help you be ready for this very timely in your approved online adult driver Ed. If you are frustrated with poor http://www.devensec.com/development/Filming_Guidelines_6_3_18.pdf buy levitra online performance or low urge then try to find what deprives you from, if there is anything which is creating tensions and tearing bonds of love with your partner is, as the condition of erectile dysfunction are also being seen in men in their early 20s & 30s.
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 ….
Stonegate chilling in my car. hahahhaa
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.
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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