USATF National 50k Champs- Bootlegger

11/9/13

After the Headlands 50k, I was pretty jazzed about ultra running and excited to be jumping in. I soon after signed up for the Bootlegger 50k.  My attraction to this particular race was because it had less elevation, was in a desert canyon outside of Vegas, and was the USATF National Championship race for 50k.  Pretty great incentives, right? I pitched the idea to my roommates to see if anyone was down to road trip to Vegas and split gas money, two of my friends even signed up for the 25k.

Training for this race was a little less than ideal. After headlands, I had huge notions of training even harder and longer and doing more.  I guess I didn't really take into consideration how time consuming school would be.  After all, I was literally just studying to get my A's in 18 units of hard science, sleeping a decent amount, spending some time with friends (not much), and getting in some runs.  I thought I'd be running so much more, but I only really had time to average 50 miles a week.  There were some weeks I had a stellar workout or tempo, a great long run (22-23 miles was my max unfortunately), or I got some more mileage.  One such example was when I went up North back to the bay. I ran with the SFRC crew and added on to get 23 hard trail miles on Saturday and then double with a hard, but somewhat conserved NWM 1/2 marathon effort on Sunday.  However, there  were also the not so stellar times that comes with training, no matter what level you are on.  There were the weeks I only got 40 miles, was very tired on a lot of runs, didn't get a quality workout, or just plain didn't have the time to run because of studying and class. Another example was about three-four weeks ago. I was very very sick for a couple days and felt awful on the (probably) 9 miles I got out of that week.  Nonetheless, I did what I could and tried my best. I now know how to manage my time better and commit for the next one.

Ian Torrence counting down

Pre race chit chat!

On Friday the 8th, we all packed into my car and drove the 7 hours to Henderson.  I ate the dinner I had pre made and pretty much went straight to sleep.  I woke up at 5:15 to get ready and check out of our hotel.  We arrived at the start at 6:15 and got my bib. I was just relieved to get to the start after stressing about traveling and worrying about the logistics.  It was fabulous to see Alex Varner and Dylan Bowman at the start and I got to chat it up with several others.  When the race finally started, everybody started very fast, but I kept with my pace and bided my time.  I didn't need to run 6:30s at the beginning of a hot, desert 50k.  I was in 7th place through the first climb, which was pretty challenging, but very cool.  The red rocks were incredible, 

and climbing up to a ridge just after the sunrise was amazing.  I passed the 4 mile, first aid station and had a pretty good clip going. After that aid station, the course meandered through the desert for a couple miles.  There were a couple steep pitches, but it was pretty manageable and even fun.  It was very rocky and technical though.  That part was a bit unexpected and added a lot of difficulty to the course.  After the second aid station it started to get pretty hot out.  We were running back and forth on these really sharp-turned canyons up and down.  The out and back to the last aid station on the loop felt decent at that point, but I was starting to feel tired and dehydrated. I hadn't gone to the bathroom at all that first loop which seemed concerning since I filled up my 18oz bottle twice and had two cups of water or heed.  When I was two miles out, I could see the cars lined up next to the start in the distance and that was such a relief. Just the thought of being halfway done and seeing Taylor and Ashley was pulling me onwards.

Taylor, my fabulous crew!

Off on the next lap!

I ran through the start line, Taylor squirted her water into mine (I was halfway done and it had only been two miles since the last one). She smeared Aquaphor on my face and everybody cheered me onto the second lap. I had passed one woman and moved into sixth place at that point.  A highlight was having Hal Koerner cheer me on! I settled into pace next to a man named Andy, who I found out is from Marin as well! It was great talking to him for a mile, but I felt good and pulled ahead.  The first climb the second time around was pretty brutal. It was so so so hot and there were tons of tourists watching me suffer.  At one point I pulled down my pants to pee, pretty sure 20 people saw my ass, and noticed that the little that came out was dark brown. (shit). Sorry if thats TMI, but this is my account of what happened during the race, and that includes all the nitty gritty gross details.  Once over the climb and down in the back area, where I before felt fast and strong, I felt flat and tired and dead.  I only saw one man in that stretch and I passed him at the mile 19 first aid station.  Heading towards the second aid station was probably the worst part of the race.  I had to climb and meander through canyons and sketchy turnoffs.  It was hot, I was dehydrated, out of water, and just wanted to be done. I knew I wouldn't have the time I had hoped for as the course was a lot harder than expected, but I just kept telling myself to be "ultra tough" and finish and set an age group CR and have two ultra finishes under my belt.  Also, quitting was not an option for me, so just finishing as fast as I could muster was my only goal for moving forward.  However, finding that second aid station was exasperating.  I kept thinking it would be around the next turn and when it wouldn't, I felt like crying (but I didn't; because I was trying to be "ultra tough"). When I finally got to them, I had passed another man and was so thankful to finally see people.

Desert Sunrise!

I started towards the last aid station much happier and had a better pep in my very slow step.  I finally got to the third and my legs and feet were sooo exhausted and beat up from all the sharp rocks.  The volunteers were all very excited to see me and were incredulous that I was 19 years old.  They also told me they thought I was in third place because some women dropped out. This was the caffeine boost I needed and I eagerly grabbed my water bottle and booked it out of there. I only had 2.5 miles left and was ready to be done. Also the prospect of getting third place and making my first podium at A. a race. B. an ultra race. and C. a national championship ultra race.  It felt fast compared to my previous miles but I was still pretty beat and tired on those last 2.5 miles. I pushed forward though and gave it everything I had.  I passed one more man that was not having a good day and about 1/4 mile away I stepped on a rock and felt like I split my foot open.  When I got onto that downhill homestretch… no emotion could describe how excited and happy I was. Everybody was cheering and my friends were lining the way screaming. I dropped my water bottle and flew.  I was high on emotion and finishing that I powered over the line.  I sat down and was immediately surrounded by DBo, Alex and my friends, which I couldn't be more content to be surrounded by.  I ended up getting 5th place and a very cool medal to show for it! I don't think they did age group awards, or they did it later but we had already left since it was getting pretty late to be hanging around the finish.  However, I am now the youngest finisher ever for that race and hold an AG CR for the course.  I set a new PR by only a minute, but hey, it's a PR in unexpectedly tough conditions.  I was told that it was over 100 degrees at various places along the course, which is just unfathomable.

Clearly giving everything I've got towards that finish

As far as nutrition goes, I think I had a pretty good handle on it. I never experienced any cramps or feeling sick. I had a tropical punch shot block every half hour and a salt cap every hour for the first four hours, then I took one every half hour after that.  I took heed at the aid stations and coke the last lap.  Right before the second lap I took a double espresso shot GU, too. I filled my water bottle every station except the very, very first one.  I would like to blame my "bonking" (was it even a bonk?) or just my tiredness and slowness on the middle part of the second lap on lack of hard training and dehydration, which I couldn't have really helped.  I felt like maybe I could've eaten more and I would've had more fuel, but I don't think that was the solution, especially because I felt like I was eating a lot.  However, it was only 46 calories per hour and 16g of carbs.  I will have to learn to either eat more or figure our my exact caloric needs.

"That area over there was hell"

In terms of the competition, it was definitely faster and tougher than Headlands, as it was the national championships. However, there were several females who took it out fast and raced each other way ahead of me.  I saw that one woman that I passed on the first loop maybe twice in a three mile span.  In that sense, I felt like I was only competing against the clock and the elements.  I barely saw anybody out there; it was a very lonely race.  One reason for getting to the next level is that I'd have more competition and can challenge myself in that sense. At Headlands I was constantly leapfrogging with women and chasing them down.  I felt like Bootlegger was almost like a well supported very long run that had others than a competitive race.  

Glad to be done!

After this, I am looking forward to putting my feet up and resting for a week and taking it easy before gearing up for the next one! I just want to say Thank you to EVERYBODY who supported me in this and my endeavors: My family and zealously caring friends, Ian Torrance & USATF for putting on a fabulous race with great volunteers and definitive course markings, SFRC and Red Rock Running Co, and everybody else cheering me on- you all inspire me to push further and explore the physical, mental, emotional, and geographic limits.

5th Place medal!

Photo creds: Ashley Fisher

Call Me Ultra

The headlands 50k. 8.24.13.

Last July I was sitting in an airport, bored, flying home after pacing Jon in the vt100. I was googling random things, mostly races. He had mentioned the Headlands 50k, which I had heard about before. Then after meticulously reading through the website, I found there was no age group record for females 20 & under. It immediately sparked my attention. I texted Mary and Liz right away and asked "what if?" The race was a month away and I was training to try and make D1 XC team at cal poly. No way was I in any shape to run a hard 50k race. So I let it go. 

Fast forward through the school year. I got injured and didn't make the D1 time standard the coach had, but rehabed my severely sprained ankle and ran club XC. In the spring I continuously increased my long runs and ran more hills, despite it being track season. I still had headlands on my mind and knew I'd run it this year. 

As soon as registration opened, I signed up. Two weeks later I also decided maybe I should run a marathon first in prep and signed up for a road one as well. That's a different race report though... :)

After track season and school got out, I came back home to work at SFRC and train on the course. With the great running community established at the store, I found many supporters and received a lot of advice. I also had some quality training runs on the course. 

Race morning I felt sharp, eager, excited, and springy. It was awesome socializing and knowing almost everybody there.

I lined up in front, behind Varner and next to the top ladies. I chased Bree from the beginning and held on for the first two miles. But going up coastal out of muir beach I fell back and decided it was smarter to race after the first half. So I kept running and enjoyed the scenery. I was still in about 6-7th place going up wolf ridge and I listened to a couple people's conversations. Coming down into rodeo beach was awesome. I had the folks on the sfrc group long run cheering me on as well as my grandpa on his bike. 

Going up miwok to Tennessee valley I felt confident. I just kept repeating my mantra: relax, be strong, be smart, be fun, be fluid. Once I hit Tennessee valley and started going up miwok from that side, I started feeling sick from all the sugars I was eating in the Gu and electrolyte drink. It was too much for me and I felt terrible miles 11-16. I just kept telling myself I'd see Mary at hwy 1, mile 14.5. Once there I switched to plain water in my bottle, which helped, and it was relieving just to see her and my friends there volunteering.

I had felt like puking up to that aid station and after down to muir woods. Strangely, I felt way better running up cardiac. It was hot and hard, but I ran most of the way up and passed several people suffering in the heat. It was like I had come back from the dead; a feeling unknown to me in my short running career. I got to the cardiac aid station and was welcomed by my friends there. They took care of me by filling my water bottle and giving me a cup of water to drink and half a cup of coke. I stayed for maybe less than two minutes and continued on to pantoll, welcoming the shade. I felt significantly better coming off of cardiac and one of the men I passed exclaimed I had, "come back alive". I felt like I was leaping and bounding down Matt Davis, which I always run with joy, towards Stinson because it is one of my favorite stretches of trail. And because I knew I just had one more big hill and a fast downhill to go. 

I passed a woman and apparently moved into 7th place according to a man who was counting on the side of the trail. She passed me again and I lost sight of her. I got to Stinson and I could feel what felt like a small rock in my shoe. I ignored it and headed through the aid station. I filled up my bottle and got some water splashed on my back. It must have taken all of 30 seconds; I don't even think I stopped! Then I started the long last trek up Stinson and steel ravine. It was hot, I was tired, and it felt hard. I power walked the hills on the moors with Andrea, a woman I had helped at the store and caught up to.  We chit chatted in between huffs and puffs. She told me I was like a little mountain fairy and would soon pass her. She pulled ahead for a little bit and I lost her in the switchbacks up Steep Ravine, but I caught up with a man and charged up the trail. I pulled him along with me and he talked to me, keeping me sane and present with my mind.  Thank goodness for that; I was starting to lose my racing mind! I caught up to Andrea and passed her soon after the ladder as if she were standing still. This did wonders to my self-esteem and confidence. I soon passed another woman at Pantoll who cheered me on. I was on fire at that point. I was ripping up the trail at sub7 min pace, anxious she'd catch me again as I had moved into 5th place.

As I approached the 27.5 mile, last aid station at Cardiac, I thought, I'll finish in 22 minutes, it's not that far, she's right behind me, I don't need to refill my bottle or get anything! Wrong. Half a mile later, I stopped dead in my tracks as if I had been hit by a wrecking ball. I was hot and dehydrated. I continued running because then i'd finish sooner and get water and just be done. I wanted to cry I was so tired and dehydrated.  I painfully made my way down the switchbacks of Heather Cutoff with the finish line in sight. Two men were hounding me right behind, but wouldn't pass, so I felt pressured and even more anxious.  Moreover, the woman passed me in that last mile.  I almost cried when I saw Mary at the end of the switchbacks as she cheered me on to the finish. I ran 60 more yards to the finish.  I had absolutely nothing left. No finishing kick, no more motivation, nothing.  I didn't even have the strength to stand. I collapsed at the line and was half-crying, half-laughing.  My mom, friends and the race director, Tim, crowded around me congratulating me and asking me if I was okay.  I was carried over to the medical tent and examined by the EMT.  I was force fed a bagel, coke, water, and grapes.  But I was so incredibly happy to be done and beamed with joy.  Afterwards I enjoyed firetrails pizza (despite being gluten and dairy intolerant), and two huge chocolate chip cookies.

In just 5:45 hours, I had finished 6th female, 52 overall, and set a new CR in the 20& under age group as the youngest to ever finish the Headlands 50k.  I am beyond happy and glad of my experience. I would definitely have changed a lot of things and have a lot of "could have, should have, what ifs", but I chalk it all up to learning experiences. I can't wait to improve and get after my next ultra!

Western States 100 Pseudo Race Report

I had the absolute honor of accompanying my high school coach, mentor, best friend, and inspiration for the rest of the week to partake in her adventures as one of her crew and pacers.

Jorge's inspiration. A quote of mine

The week was awesome. When we got up there Wednesday night, Mary and I went for a short jaunt on the bike path to get accustomed to that mountain air; it was so unbelievably beautiful! We took some action shots in front of the Olympic Rings and picked flowers by the Truckee River.

Thursday morning I hiked up with many to the top of Escarpment, the highest point of the WS course at nearly 10,000’! We went up there as part of a long tradition for the flag ceremony. Along the hike up, I met many amazing athletes! Ian Sharman, a couple from Denmark, other racers, pacers and crew. My most exciting celeb moment was meeting and talking to Ellie Greenwood, last years champ and CR holder!! Wow. My heart is still racing; it was so exciting.

The Escarpment

The Champ and I!

After the ceremony, I went out for a “long run” out and back on the course. It only ended up being around 14 just because how tough it was! It was hot, high, and tough terrain. But man! The views!

Friday morning was the traditional Montrail “hill” climb “fun run”.  3 miles up that same mountain route. Racing.  I gunned it at the start, was right behind Stephanie Howes in F2 for the first mile. But then Ellie Greenwood passed me, and then some more women… I half ran/ half hiked basically the next mile and a half. But then I learned that it was only 3 miles and not all the way up to the top, so I sprinted the last ½ mi in. I think I was F10 or F9? Holy goodness; that was a tough one.

I spy a Girl with Green Spanx... Someday I'll start for 100 miles...

The rest of Friday was spent hanging out with Mary and her family, planning out the crewing, and getting a good meal in before the race.

I found a four leaf clover at the pre race meeting. Good Omen?

The morning came after no sleep whatsoever on my part. I was too excited! Mark, Mary’s husband, and I took her to the start. Mark and I raced up the hill before the gun went off and cheered her on. We started our journey soon after to the Dusty Corners (mile 38) aid station as it was four hours away and we had to bring the kids (Mary’s 6 mo old and 3 yr old).  It was a SCORCHER out! Once there, we sat around in the heat playing the waiting game. Mary ended up dropping there, but boy, was she tough! I am so inspired by her and her achievements! She is exactly what I want to be in the future.  It was a bit disappointing not getting to pace or fully crew, but that is selfish.  I really wanted to see her finish the race more than ever, as she has wanted to run this for a very long time and has waited patiently and sacrificed much to get in the lottery/necessary training.  She will have her day soon though!

Jorge, my coworker and Salomon International athlete, went on to tough it out and conquer the course after succumbing to the second hottest race day in history. Mad props. Huge respect and admiration for finishing!

We left for home soon after.  Liz and I drove home together and we decided we wanted to have a sweet ending to an epic morning; we were going to run my mile PR.  We picked a great road course, mapped out exactly a mile, warmed up lightly, then set off! I came away shattering my PR and building confidence for summer training.

 

103rd Dipsea Race Report

Sunday, June 9th I participated in the 103rd annual running of the Dipsea Race.

It is a phenomenal race. One of my absolute favorites.  The history is so rich and endless (the oldest footrace in the nation after Boston Marathon), the people and community are so dear (it is one of the biggest events in the county and everybody cheers, runs, or volunteers), and the race itself is awesome.

The Dipsea is a unique race.  It is only 7.4 miles, but shortcuts are allowed.  The course starts in the Depot in Mill Valley.  there are three flights of grueling stairs in the first 1/4 mile after the only flat portion of the course.  The trail keeps going upward through some houses up to Panoramic Highway.  The first descent is on trail with some stairs.  It is relatively steep and earned it's name "Windy Gap" for the gusts of wind always blowing.  The trail empties onto Muir Woods highway, which runners take the first shortcut- down the highway instead of on the "real" trail.  Runners get back onto the real trail and descend into Muir Woods.  There are two ways of getting down from the highway: The "safe" way winding down through the redwoods or the "suicide" shortcut.  It is aptly named suicide as runners bomb down a very, very steep, narrow single track, surrounded on all sides by poison oak and sharp bushes.  Once out at Muir Woods, runners cross a creek and begin the tedious ascent up Cardiac.  The first part is called Dynamite because it is very steep, narrow and runners have to navigate through tree roots and rocks.  Then the trail becomes "better" heading to the top.  It is a very long hill, about 2-2.5 miles.  Once at the top, runners meander around to where the next shortcut is.  Again, the option to go down a wider, much less steep trail is forgone to go down an even worse "trail" than suicide.  This shortcut is called the "swoop".  It empties onto Steep Ravine trail, which is all stairs downhill.  After, runners encounter "insult hill", named for the crushing feeling one feels when he/she realizes there is still more uphill to be run.  After, it is all downhill to the Beach.  There are, of course, more shortcuts.  One could take the a nice run through the Moors, or one could go down Panoramic Highway, and enter some more "trails" through blackberry bushes, poison oak, crossing a creek and navigating around felled logs.  Each of these shortcuts becomes more narrow, more steep, more dangerous in regards to the maintenance quality, and more taxing on the legs.  After, it is a short drop down to the highway and a 800 meter sprint to the beach parking lot, the finish.

On Sunday, I woke up at 6 am to eat breakfast and change into my race outfit and Skora Cores.  I went back to sleep around 6:30 and slept until 7:30.  At 7:45 am, we left for the depot. My mom drove me downtown and dropped me off, then she, my aunt, and my sister all headed over the mountain to the beach to meet up with my dad and his girlfriend to watch the finish.  I met up with some friends, chatted and caught up with all the people I haven't seen since summer when I left for school.  I did part of my warmup with Liz and Jon.  We watched the start at 8:30 am and cheered for all our friends.  Another unique fact about the Dipsea, the start is split into two groups: invitational and runners section.  The Invitational runners earn their spots place-wise each year and get to forgo the ridiculous entry procedures.  The start is further split by age groups.  The older folks and the youngest runners start first in Group AAA, then it gradually decreases to AA, A, B, C... etc until the fastest women and fastest men start, all the way at the back in group Z, and scratch.  It makes the Dipsea even more competitive because of all the people you have to pass to place well, and the older and younger athletes get an advantage; they are actually able to win the race!

To give you perspective, I started in Group Q of the Runner's section at 9:13 am, 43 minutes after the first group has started.  I actually cheated the system.  I turned 18 the day of the race last year, and I turned 19 yesterday (the Monday after the race).  The last group to start for women is group R, 19-40 age group.  So I had another chance!

When I stood at the start line, I knew what I had to do. I had to pass an incredible amount of people and race my heart out to get in the top 750, to make invitational before I lost a minute.  I stood at the front of the line, poised and ready.  My heart beating fast knowing it was a matter of seconds before I would experience incredible pain.

The rope dropped and we were off.  I let the 10 year old boys in my group sprint ahead, but I held my position at the front of the pack, knowing how crowded the stairs could be.  I passed those boys within the first 15 steps, and I kept passing more people.  I took them speed walking; skipping a step.  I ran between each flight and continued passing people, head down and gripping my quads or pumping my arms.  At the top of the stairs I straightened out my body and kept running up and outwards.  When I hit Windy gap, I sprinted as fast as I could down the stairs.  I think I only hit a few of them, it felt more like flying.  Sprinting down Bishops and jumping over all the rocks prepared me well.

When I hit the highway, I passed more people.  I felt my stride lengthen and I could hear some people I know say good job as I passed them.  I of course took Suicide shortcut and tried not to injure myself slipping and sliding down.  I accidentally grabbed a thorny bush to try to slow myself, and it raked through my hand. (I still have a couple thorns in there...) Glisading down High school hill and grabbing the side bushes also prepared me well! When I hit the parking lot at Muir Woods, I knew I had to push hard up Dynamite, but take it conservatively, so as not to die up Cardiac.  At the bottom, somebody counting told me I was 834th in the race.  It had a positive and negative affect on me.  Positive: I knew I was very, very close and still had a great amount of downhill to catch people.  Negative: the thought of maybe I won't make it, get passed on Cardiac, entered my head.  But it was quickly pushed out with the lactic acid seeping into my legs up Dynamite.  At this section, I had caught up to all the old people who were taking it slow.  I passed a lot of them, but many of them got mad and wouldn't let me through as they took their sweet time.  I guess they didn't want to be pushed off the trail, but it was annoying for me, and probably wasted a lot of energy going back and forth behind them, trying to find a way out.

 

Hurdling a log!

I came out of Dynamite and started up the fire road.  Within two minutes, a man covered head to toe in blood came running down towards me.  The 8 year old next to me shrieked in terror as his blood dripped all over the trail and some even landed on me.  I told myself that that wouldn't happen to me; I'm smart; I'm careful; I won't get hurt.  I kept pressing onwards.  I passed people on Cardiac, but some fast guys passed me too, which hurt my morale and let that thought come back into my head. When Cardiac got steeper at the top, I just had to remind myself there was a water station and people cheering at the top.  Mary would be there! It would all be downhill! I grabbed some Gatorade when I crested the top and started to lengthen my stride again.  Mary wasn't there, as I couldn't hear her.  I didn't dare try to search, as it would slow me down.  I passed by this woman, both of us running very hard.  It felt like the speed I did my 400m intervals at.  She was very encouraging.  I burped after the gatorade, and then she did right after.  We both laughed (well, as much as we could while at that pace).  When I passed her she shouted "you go girl! You're so fit and hot! I want your body! Well, not like that, you know what I mean! You're so tan, god!" haha it was very entertaining.

I finally got the the swoop shortcut.  It was even worse.  My legs hurt and I had to keep up a very fast speed, as an old man was hounding me. He couldn't pass me because there was no room, but he kept me pushing.  I tried to stay nimble and not break an ankle... We hit the bottom where we had to basically run down this steep mound of dirt onto the steep ravine trail. However, here it is a bit tricky because with the acceleration of running down the dirt mound, it is almost enough to run over the side of the trail-side cliff if you aren't careful. So in one motion I jumped on my butt and slid downward resumed running.  I didn't even slow or stop, which is awesome, but I got a little scraped up and got dirt all over my butt! The stairs on Steep Ravine were slick with the drizzle and condensation from the fog and I had to put extra effort into "flexing my abs and trusting my feet".  It was tough on my legs constantly going down steps as opposed to running. But thankfully I hit the bottom without falling or worse! Then, insult hill. Oh god how I hate this hill.  It is completely demoralizing.  It took every ounce of will power not to walk like the others, keep pushing, and not give up.  I just had to put my head down and grind.

Eventually, I hit the highway again and tried to pick people off.  This mother and her 12 year old daughter remained in front of me when we got back onto the trail shortcut.  The mother was very annoying, shouting at her daughter commands for navigating the trail, commands at me to move out of the way so her daughter could be out of harms way (because me, a 118 lb girl could do SO much damage...) But they were much slower than me, and again I kept trying to pass her, but the girl wouldn't move out of the way! So finally I had to shove her a little onto a "pullout" patch on the trail, much to the disgust of that mother.  But I didn't listen and sped up.

Sprinting my heart out

I was on an all out roll towards the beach.  I kept telling myself to push harder; it will all be done soon.  It was almost over.   I caught up to a woman who had passed me on the final part of trail and managed to pass her while hurdling this giant piece of wood, over a ditch and onto Panoramic.  A guy was right in front of me.  I sprinted with all my heart and soul towards him, trying to reel him in.  Oh how it hurt! I was in complete pain, yet I couldn't feel anything.  When I made the turn onto the final straightaway, I could hear my family cheering my name.  It felt like I was flying.  I don't think my arms have ever pumped that fast, and I don't even remember feeling the ground with each footfall.  My face had pain and exasperation written all over it.  My heart was in overdrive.  I caught up to the man and finished basically next to him.  As soon as I crossed the line, I was bent over hugging my legs.  The volunteers asked if I was alright; I took a deep breath, straightened up, and proceeded over to get a water and shirt.  I looked at my watch.  I had PRed by 15 minutes to run 1:13.  I smiled and jogged over to my family.

I was so happy to be done and to have finished well.  I assessed my body to find lots of mud and dirt, but no real cuts or blood! Which, considering, is a miracle! haha

I meandered over to the mass of people on the grass picnicking, despite the rain and fog.  I exchanged stories, talked and hugged all my running friends.  It was a fabulous morning.  We left an hour later, as I had to get warm, shower with tecnu, eat food, and study!

Later that night, once the preliminary results were posted, I anxiously scrolled looking for my name.  I had finished 638, qualifying for invitational by 102 places!! My time was good for 454th!! Also, I had passed about 200 people going up and over Cardiac, which is mind boggling to me!!!

I am very pleased with my results and race.  I gave it my all and finally am seeing results for my racing and training.  It's a great feeling, knowing that I am doing well and running stronger, faster, and harder than ever!

You could say I've made a comeback, but I say I am finally making an appearance.  I cannot wait to see what I can do next!

all smiles!

My tat held up well

These little girls are so cute! (coach's daughters)

Most Inspirational Player

Tonight I went to the Cal Poly Club Awards Banquet and my team had voted me the women's Most Inspirational Player award.

In High school I have received this award twice in track and my senior year in cross country. I am so happy and grateful to recieve it again, at the collegiate level.

For me, MIP is better than MVP. Sure, it's awesome to be the best, but to be the one working the hardest and as the role model in the eyes of my teammates, is the best I could ask for.

Over the year, I have poured in a lot of effort. I trained incredibly hard over the summer, only to start Fall Quarter in the stands with a torn ligament.  However, I wasn't just in the stands. I was on the bike (inside and out), the elliptical, the stairmaster, and in the pool for numerous hours every day pouring sweat.  I came back strong at regionals and went on to compete at XC nationals.  I diligently ran over winter break and it showed during the track season.  With long runs and tempos, I even completed my first marathon, a 3:30!

I am honored to have been recognized for all my hard work. But I am even more honored to be labeled Most Inspiring.

My number one goal in life is to inspire.

As an educator, I hope to instill an insatiable curiousity and quest for knowledge, purpose, and bettering the world in the future generations (science or not).  As a teammate, I hope to push others so that they can achieve their personal bests.  As a student, I hope to greet challenges with excitement and joy that will brighten my professor's days and outlooks.  As a friend, I hope to inspire my loved ones to love others, have fun, and be carefree.  As an athlete, I hope to encourage others and lead by example for those starting to run or during their running careers.

I hope to inspire greatness and the constant pursuit of self-improvement and knowledge.

Thank you to my teammates, my coaches, my family, my friends, Skora Running, and my cyber supporters! Without you guys, I wouldn't be in the position I am now! You all inspire ME!

Mollee (MVP) & I at the banquet! (photo: Mollee Huisinga)

Running is a Sin Wave

Triathlete Jesse Thomas said it best in his most recent blog post, "Without the lows there wouldn't be the highs."

Recently I posted about how great my week has going. I had some quality workouts and hill climbs! Then over the weekend I had planned on doing a 15 miler Sunday. I somehow woke up feeling so out of it- stuffy nose, phlegmy throat and a cough. Coupled with a whopping headache, I just wasn't feeling great. I had only gotten about 4 hours of sleep and 2 miles into my run with my teammates, I had to turn around. It just wasn't working out. I felt like shit and would feel even worse every step if I continued. I tried running again Monday, but my teammate tripped and we only ended up running 1 mile. Which is a blessing in disguise, because I really needed another rest day to fully recover.

It isn't that bad- three days off? But for some, it's terrible. As competitive runners, we are so concerned with the quantity of miles, the amount of tempo work, the certain splits we MUST run in order to climb our way up to our chartered success.  But then we get run down. We start feeling very fatigued. Running becomes a chore and not a diversionary source of pleasure and release.  Before you know it, we are burnt out, unmotivated, and underperforming, or worse, injured.

So, we must take these lows and embrace them.  Accept them for what they are- our bodies reminding us to have fun and also enjoy resting.

I came back and ran a quality workout on Tuesday. 400, 800, 1200, 800, 400, 800, 1200, 4x100 ladder. I felt steady, strong and awesome. Then I took it easy Wednesday, and had a inadvertent 7min pace tempo for 5 miles.  I had an awesome tempo to the Dipsea 5mi mark and back.

It was an awesome week of quality running. I didn't necessarily hit my target amount of miles, but I am very pleased with all the work and quality running I had put in.

Monday (yesterday), I ran 20 mi on the headlands 50k course. I started just outside the parking lot of Muir Beach, ran through Green Gulch to the start of Coastal heading South. I have always struggled with this trail as it is very steep and hilly. But I was able to complete it sucessfully, a huge plus.  Then I bombed down the hills towards Tennessee Valley, cut through and started the arduous climb up Wolf Ridge.  I'm going to have to do repeats up this. Its soooo steep! I was exhausted half way up.  I started walking but only made it 50 ft before I started running again.  (i was uncomfortable walking haha). But instead of doing a loop in the headlands as the course routes, I cut across the ridge to Old Springs trail and bombed that down to Tennessee Valley parking lot.

Then comes the hard climb up Miwok.  I took that slow and steady until I got to the flat part, where I could open my stride up again. I was able to hit sub 8 min mis on the downhill and flat sections, which is pretty awesome considering.  Then I crossed high way 1 onto Diaz Ridge.  I was supposed to keep going on Miwok down into Muir woods, but I got a little turned around.  After that had sorted out, I bombed it down.  The trail was gorgeously green and I had a little fun hurdling logs along the way. (should've been a steeplechaser!) I made it down to Muir woods, crossed Muir Woods rd, and started the even more arduous climb up Cardiac. (Deer park onto Dipsea trail). In the 50k course, I cannot use the shortcuts, so I had to take the long way up.

I'd have to say, I felt pretty awesome throughout the run, not struggling and definitely managing the climbs.  But the climb up Cardiac was the worst point in the course. Mile 15-17.5 were when I "hit the wall". I made sure to hydrate regularly and consume shot bloks so it wasn't too bad. After getting to the top, the course normally makes a loop down Matt Davis to Stinson beach and back up the dipsea, very hard climb but super rewarding trails.

After that, I was able to race down the resumed course on Heather Cutoff.  This trail is great. Super beautiful and a lot of fun on the switchbacks.  I was definitely smiling.  Then it empties out onto Santos Meadow.  The start and finish of the 50k.  I stopped for a second to take it in, memorize it, and then picture myself breaking the tape.  I smiled and raced back to my car.  (the very start of the race goes from the meadow, along Redwood Creek tr to where I had parked).

My stats: 20 mi, 3:34 hr, 4100' of climbing.  I burned close to 3 kcal and stopped to do leg swings after each climb.  (bottom of cardiac too)

Fabulous run. I had a lot of fun, but I was also humbled.  I still have a long ways to go and a lot of work.  But I have three months to ready myself for mountain climbing.  I can't wait.  I will emerge victorious!

Some pics from the run:

Heather Cutoff

My watch and Skoras after

Santos Meadow!

View from top of Miwok with tam and Diaz Ridge in distance