Category Archives: Running

A funny thing about running in the rain. I don’t mind it – as long as I don’t have to start the run in the rain… but if it’s pouring before I’m even out the door, it’s really hard to get out the door.

Pacific Coast Trail Runs put on another fabulous event. You can really count on them.
http://www.pctrailruns.com/Woodside_Feb.htm

The sub-header on the page reads “Rain or Shine”. I think it was mostly rain.

The Background:

Back in December of 2007 I ran the Woodside 35km run. It was pleasant enough… Cold at the start, pretty in the woods… and then I got stung. Stung by yellowjackets at about 3 miles and then again at about 11 miles. Stung. In December. In freezing weather. Could someone please explain this to me?

Anyhow… When I reached the second aid station that year – at about mile 11 – I remember feeling really good. I remember thinking, “Golly, that 50 km is only one 15 km loop away.” And then I ran the rest of the 35 km. My stomach had issues. My hips and knees were a bit unhappy. Still, I finished strong and in 4 hrs 7 min. I felt pretty good.

Then life happens. Distractions and the thought of that two hour drive each way put me off a bit.

In 2008 my brother convinced me to run the Timberline Marathon in Oregon. It started at Mt. Hood and ran south on the Pacific Crest Trail. As much as I hurt at the end, it was really pretty fun. 4Hrs 35 minutes. Note: I just looked up this race to provide the link. Apparently they can no longer do the one directional southern route and instead do two loops around Timothy lake now. I am SO glad I was able to do this before this change was put in place.

In 2009 I started running with this great local group of psych… er.. long distance runners. They meet every Saturday and usually run at least 12 miles – with trails and a nice big hill. A happy group. No rush, just distance. After a couple of longer runs that were really not intentional I realized I could probably do a marathon… this was around June. So I ran the Nisene Marks Marathon with a few of the guys from the Saturday group. It was a lot of fun. I had some hip issues but still finished in 4:15.

Somewhere from 2008-2009 I lost about 15 pounds.

And then late in 2009 my mileage was creeping up. Runs of 15+ no longer seemed like a big deal. I started thinking about a 50km. Thinking about doing one before I turn 40 (next month).

Then in early January on an 18 miler up Jack’s Peak I mention to one of my fellow runners, Matt, that I’m thinking about Woodside and would he be interested. He seems interested and says he’ll get back to me.

Next thing I know I get an e-mail from another guy, Vince, saying that he, Tom and I are all signed up and would anyone else like to join in. What? I just mentioned this to Matt… where’s Matt? Turns out Matt was lamenting not being able to go to Vince and Tom and they were like, “What? Where? That sounds fun!” and signed up. Next thing I knew, I’d signed up too – without really thinking about it.

January Run Total: 178.7 (most ever for me in a month)
biggest week: 42 miles
longest run: just under 20 miles
pain? A little in my right hamstring… twinges.

The Day of the Race/Run: February 6th, 2010

Up at 4:30. Breakfast (grape nuts, outmeal squares and yoghurt), coffee, throne room. All is well.
Weather forecast. 40-50 degrees. Light wind. uh… is that a lightening cloud I see in that forecast? Why, yes it is! Chance of thunderstorms. 70% chance of rain… pretty much all day. Hmm.

6:00 Vince and Tom pick me up. It’s raining.

8:00 We get to the start. It’s raining. Hard. It’s cold. A visit to the throne room. I eat half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
I’m wondering if I have enough clothes. I put on everything I brought with me and decide it’s going to be muddy – I better wear my trail shoes.
Long sleeve shirt covered by short sleeve shirt covered by biking windbreaker vest thing.
Light gloves
bright orange running cap
Short tights covered by shorts
Handheld bottle (water) with a little pocket (2 nuun’s stashed inside)
Belt with 2 PowerGels, a pouch of peanuts and raisins and a smaller bottle filled with prepared Nuun.

One last visit to the throne room. Third time is indeed the charm after eating a ton of food the last 2 days. Feeling good. Garmin on and ready. Wendel gives us the instructions….

“Good news and bad news” he says, “they are the same thing”. “These trails are used a lot by horses and the local folks have decided to gravel some of the lower trails. Normally this would be bad news for a trail run, but today, in the rain, I think it’s probably good news.”

Start Photo

8:30 It’s raining. Start is exactly on time. Go Wendel!

100 people – no more, maybe a few less.
We start out across the grassy field toward the first bottle neck. After the gate and turn we get a little spread out. Then after a bit of downhill single track we hit a fire road and start uphill. The mud isn’t too bad yet. The road is nice and allows everyone to spread out. Vince, Tom and I stick together. Sticking with them was the best thing I did. On my own I would have gone too fast the first 5 miles. But they’re both experienced at longer distances and know to keep it slow. Resist temptation. We walked the steeper parts. Jogged slow on the not so steep. The fire road gave way to single track covered in gravel. Wendel was right. The gravel was nice considering the rain and mud. I don’t think I’d like it in the summer. Too hard. I heat up a bit on the first up hill and unzip my vest. I think this just let me get totally soaked faster… I was pretty much zipped up from the first aid station to the end.

We pass a fair number of people up the hill. Many are adhering very strictly to the “walk hills” strategy. The grade isn’t too bad though so we largely plod along. We pass a fellow in his 60s with a shirt that lists about 6 100 milers… he says he hasn’t run them all, but he’s run a few of them a half dozen times. He looks like he’s been doing these things a long time.

At the first aid station (about 6 miles) Vince and Tom see someone they know working the aid station… a bit of chatting ensues.

Feeling very good at this point. Feet are still mostly dry. Tom wonders aloud why my legs aren’t muddier – accuses me of peeing on myself to stay clean. Excuse me???? I just bounce like a bunny around all the dang puddles!

We run the 5+ miles along the ridge to the next aid station. Raining off and on. The trail is not gravel here and I notice that it is already getting pretty muddy. I comment that it will probably be a real mess after all the 35km people come through. This elicits some groans from Vince and Tom. But then we turn a corner and see a dazzling creek gushing with rainwater. The hillside is covered with redwoods and at there base – along the trail grows a lush carpet of luminescent green plant life. I don’t know what it was, but it was surreal. As if from a fantasy – or a Thomas Kincaide painting (note: I don’t like his work much, but that’s kind of what it looked like). We run with a fellow for a while (maybe in his late 30s) that has done many 50 milers. He gives some good reviews of other big runs and comments at how slow he is… and how a 50km is bad training for a 50 miler because it messes with his discipline. He than passes us and we don’t see him again. At about 9 miles I creep ahead of Vince and Tom. I hit the aid station during a down pour.. after pounding some snacks they show up… I head out again alone, mostly just to keep from getting too cold.

I run the next 9 miles alone. It’s an down and up with a loop at the bottom through the Wanderlich park.. It’s raining pretty steady and the mud is a bit more serious. We have to climb over several trees and there are portions where the mud is so bad there’s no choice but straight through. I slow for a Powergel about half way though the loop. The course enters a gorgeous section of single track. Trees covered in Spanish moss everywhere. At one point there is a clearing through the trees and I can see a rainbow over San Francisco Bay. I can hear Vince and Tom behind me, but keep going. Still feeling good I trudge on back up the hill to the aid station. I almost run the whole thing – passing a few people. I get to the aid station, fill up my bottles and turn to see Vince and Tom. They had also kept running the whole time. It’s pouring rain again.

We’re at about 20 miles now… I start to think about how the mentallity of a marathon is a bit different. At this point I would be pushing, thinking it’s just a 10k left. But here – there’s more than 10 miles left. I know it’s 2 more hours. Just keep going. Just keep going. Enjoy the scenery.

We head out together along the ridge again – back the way we came. It’s muddy and slick. My shoes had done well on the down and up loop, but this single track was dicey. I’m starting to feel the distance, but doing okay. We alternate who’s in front for a while… about half way along the ridge Vince pulls away. I hear Tom behind me – telling me what kind of plane is flying overhead, but after a particularly gnarly section of mud and puddles (yes, the many feet of all the other runners had made the trail much muddier) I notice that he seems to have fallen back.

Vince is waiting at the aid station. I fill up and munch away on beef jerky… oh, it tasted so good. Tom comes in a minute or so later. The rain has slowed.

We stick together the last 4.5 miles… downhill along the gravel singletrack. It’s nice to be out of the mud but the gravel is sure hard. We zip along at a pretty respectable pace. I Vince and Tom know that my hammy is a bit tight and they’re welcome to take off if they want. They decline and say “This is your first Ultra – We’re finishing together.” Then out of nowhere the fellow in his 60s with the multiple 100 milers on his shirt zips by us. Zoom. And he’s gone. It makes me smile. We cross the finish together. 6 hrs and 15 minutes. We weren’t clever enough to get a photo of us with all our gear on, but here we are holding our shoes. I was able to get mine pretty clean with a hose… Vince threw his out.

Sara gave me a big hug when she saw me at the finish. I haven’t done a PCTR run in a while. They are good people. And as usual, this was a beautiful course – well run, well marked and great aid stations.

I collect my t-shirt and coaster. Feeling pretty good. Tom treats us to coffee and a pastry on the way out of town. I think we’re all still smiling.

Consumed during the run:
24 oz of nuun (lemon lime)
8 oz of Cliff Shot
20 oz of Water

1 PowerGel
½ Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich
1 chunk of mystery goodie
some cookie
1 chunk of potato with salt
3-4 pieces of beef jerky (oh my goodness did this hit the spot)

Hurts: blisters on the ends of each 2nd toe (the one next to the big toe)
twingy hamstring.
Joints are fine!
No funny runner rashes!

Here are my 5 mile pace splits from my Garmin. The slowest one includes two aid stations and worst stretch of mud.

The Next days

Sunday: Sore groin and back – I think from maintaining my balance in all the mud.
Monday: My quads are feeling it. I ran 5.6 miles easy and felt good. Just minor hammy twinges… can’t say it’s any worse than it was before the run.

Would I do it again? Yes, I think I would! While it is largely an out and back, I do very much like that it is not multiple loops. I also like that there is fire road early on – this lets all the different speeds work themselves out. Single track for the first few miles can really be a pain.

Yesterday my wife and I drove out the valley and hiked at Los Padres dam… It was cold and foggy at home and we were getting bummed!!! At the dam it was hot and sunny. Perfect.

We saw a ton of butterflies
fuzzy ants
red dragonflies
blooming yuccas
strange floating solar devices in the lake
and very few people

Halfway into the hike we came to the stream. It was cool and shady, a fine relief after the heat of the sun on the southern facing trail slope. We doused our hats and shirts and then managed to cross on some rock stepping stones. But then we came to main branch of the river. No stepping stones here. So we went for it. The cold water washed the dirt, grime and heat from our legs. On the other side we followed what we figured to be the trail and it crossed the river again…. since we were already all wet we went again… and then again… and then again. We managed to stay below knee high, keeping our pants dry – and the flow was never so strong we were in danger. And it was fun.. and I felt like a kid.
I also discovered that we have stinging nettles around here. I wasn’t really aware of that… my shins sure found out.

And it reminded me (both the wading and the nettles) of high school training for cross country. One of the last summer runs, before school started was an 8 miler that started at the high school and ran to the Deschutes river. The Deschutes is fed by the cascades – by the end of the summer it’s not too hard to cross, with water not usually above the hips.. We would run down the river for about 2 miles.. in any fashion we could. Mostly this meant tromping down the river itself.. in calf to thigh deep, glacier fed water. In the heat of summer – we’d normally go on a 85+ degree day, it sure was welcome – and fun. I don’t know that we could get away with it today with all the new developments and no trespassing signs that have popped up in the last 20 years.

The hike back yesterday – all wet and cool, was a bit nicer. The sun had moved closer to the ridge, there were a few clouds and the sun seemed a little less opressive. Fairy lanterns and creamsicle colored sticky monkey flower lined our way… as well as marvelously green poison oak. As nasty as poison oak is, it sure would be brown out there without it.

Today. I ran under gray skies along the coast. It seems summer here has already started. We’ll have to do some more trips inland to find the sun.