Big Sur Race Report

Two weekends ago I ran the Big Sur Marathon & I suppose I should say something about it. This was marathon #12 after all, and, as with my previous Big Sur experience, this was basically another non-marathon-turned-marathon. It seems like maybe I was keeping this race a secret, but I promise I was not -- I really had no plan to run it.

For the second time in my long life, I was signed up for the Big Sur 21-mile race. My plan was to walk the 21-mile course until Courtney, who was running the full, caught up to me, and then finish her race with her. And for the second time, I somehow magically got upgraded to the sold-out full (in 2011, I upgraded 12 days before the race, and last weekend I upgraded the day before the race). Both times I ran the marathon not really prepared to, but with a solid base of fitness under my belt, and both times having a really magical time.

This marathon fell in a peak week of my San Francisco Marathon training plan, and in my mind, the more miles I got, the merrier I'd feel. (Well, that's what I thought until I hit the extra 5.2.) After a massive week of big miles (for me) and a shake-out run before the race, Courtney and I headed down to Monterey, CA, for really crappy pizza, a solid 3 hours of sleep, and arguably the prettiest marathon in the world.

We sat on a fart-laden bus for about an hour, then sat in the cold for another 2 hours. Then we ran a marathon.

Since this race wasn't a "race" for either of us, we took our time, took pictures, took videos, stopped, stretched, and sat in awe of where we were in that exact moment. I wish all the pictures we took did the background of this race some justice -- so I will say instead, just once in your life, go run this race & see what everyone raves about for yourself. 

I know last year it was shrouded in a cold, miserable fog, but this year we had decent temps, prettttttttty minimal headwind (we were definitely smacked by wind from all 4 directions most of the time, but I can only think of a few seconds where I hated life), and really beautiful views the whole way. 

It's soooo pretty!

You'd think these views only come from vacations. NO. They come from marathons, too. Soooo pretty.

When I ran Big Sur in 2011, there was a weird Hwy 1-falling-into-the-ocean accident and the course was rerouted to an out-and-back for safety's sake. As a result, I never got to run the famous Hurricane Point -- a 2-mile uphill portion with super strong headwinds -- or across the gorgeous Bixby Bridge. I was so excited this year that I actually got to do it! Courtney & I powered up the hill, toward our sweet Bixby Bridge reward at the end of the climb. 

It was hands down my favorite part of the course. Slowest, definitely. But the best best best.

Photo courtesy of Kristen

At the end of Bixby Bridge is Michael Martinez, Big Sur grand pianist extraordinaire. I saw this kid at the expo and like a weird fan, I screamed, "Can't wait to see you tomorrow!" giddily. I ran away in embarrassment before he could respond to me.

And like an awkward teenage girl, I was too afraid to approach him at the race. I would have loved a pic with him, but he was too busy HOLDING CONVERSATIONS AND KEEPING RHYTHM AT THE SAME TIME.

He was playing "Hallelujah" as we ran by, and if I weren't so dehydrated, I would have actually shed some tears while I cried. Instead, I had a few weird dry-sob moments, where I exclaimed "This sh!t is so f#ck!ng beautiful, I can't stand it." I got a couple looks. :|

The course is SOOOO FRIGGIN' PRETTY. Pics aren't conveying this here. :(

Courtney & I ran together for the first 20 miles. She was having some major IT band issues and needed to stop and stretch quite a bit. She was gracious enough to send me off, as the stopping & starting on the hills was killlling my quads. Instead of getting injured myself, I pulled the ultimate dick move & left my friend. Thank you, Courtney, for not holding this against me. ;)

(I am a terrible person for leaving the friend who's stuck by me through so much, and will probably never be invited to run a marathon with her ever again.)

These tiny specs on the left are cows. THE LUCKIEST GOD DAMN COWS IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD. The course is so pretty and those cows just LIVE THERE! On the edge of the country! By the ocean and off the cliffs!

Runnnnnnnin'

Coming into Monterey, CA, toward the finish, just as it was getting pretty toasty out. The course is so, so pretty.

I finished my marathon-lengthed training run, immediately hopped into the massage tent, ate some cookies and beer like a good little runner-bee, and tracked down Courtney before heading back to SF. It was a wonderful, simply divine weekend. (Especially when I went to sleep at like 8p.m. that night.) 

Seeing that we were around the 4:30 pace group when I ditched out on my marathon buddy at mile 20, I'm pleasantly shocked at how much time I made up on a dead legged/peak week, hard course, not marathon-ready, casual run.

Big Sur is a very Boston-runner-friendly race, thanks to the Boston-2-Big Sur Challenge. We saw lots of Boston runners, supporters, and colors. <3

 

Marathon #12 proooooobably couldn't have been any better, and I friggin' loved it. LOVED it. It's soooo pretty. 

The end.

On Boston

I don't really have anything to add other than agreeing to what's already been said, but I'm just going to say something anyway because it feels better to do it than to not.

I have never run the Boston Marathon, I've never really had a real drive to want to run the Boston Marathon, and I've never been nor have I made plans to go to Boston. But I am a runner, I know what runners put into our sport, and I know what runners especially put in to run Boston, whether it's qualifying or raising enough money for a coveted charity slot. And because I can relate to everyone at that finish line yesterday -- runner, spectator, family member, volunteer -- I feel like I, and the sport I participate in & the way I choose to live my life, was attacked yesterday.

I don't follow sports at all, but from what I can tell, this is one of the few sports that don't "boo" the "other team." It's a sport that has a constant stream of clapping and cheering and cowbells and high-5s and hugs and celebratory beers. It's an individual sport in that all runners I know are really just trying to better themselves. And it's a team sport in that we all cheer one another on through good days & bad. We don't kick each other when we are down, but instead try to boost one another back up to see the better days ahead. We pick up stragglers along the way and help them to finish. Runners are a driven, determined, and extremely passionate crew who are always moving forward. And races are our hours to show off our hard work, perseverance, and triumph. Races are a celebration of our lifestyle.

Because of all the good I see in running, I cannot wrap my mind around why someone would want to bomb a marathon. I cannot wrap my mind around why someone would want to destroy people who are there to better themselves or celebrate people who want better themselves.

Perhaps I'm seeming a bit dispassionate because I haven't addressed other bombings or murders or tragic events, which I know are just as senseless. I generally try to stray away from offering my opinion there because stories always change, facts are always released, and one too many times I've opened my mouth before I should have. But I think it's safe to say I'm really angry & upset about the attack at Boston. My heart aches for the spectators that were hurt & killed, because I so appreciate spectators who come out to cheer me on. I feel protective about my friends who were running & cheering at Boston yesterday, & I'm so, sooo mad that someone wanted to harm them. 

These are my people. 

This is my life.

I don't really have any other words to express that will change anything, past or future, and nothing I can say will ever be enough anyway. But runners & the whole race community is the most supportive family ever, and I am doing my best to find the positive stories & acts of heroism coming out of this.

And in the present, I can keep going out there, doing what I love & giving right back to this community that gives so much to me.

We run a little harder today.

Wrapping up March/Speedwork

After running long, slow, & on trails for the majority of my 2013 running, I've finally started moving my way back to the pavement & into some more speedwork during the month of March. I had a really great time exploring so many new trails and giving my body a break in preparation for the Way Too Cool 50k, but I'm feeling ready to go back to my roots... road races. And mayyyyybe shooting for a goal marathon later this fall. We'll see, though, as I'm kind of just dabbling with higher mileage and more speedwork again. I'll come up with some solid goals once I figure out where I want to be with my running. (Which I am kind of not in a rush to do at the moment.)

As strange as it sounds, I really learned to love running slow -- I figured this out during ultra training. Sure, "slow" is a relative term, but one of my favorite things about Way Too Cool training was the complete lack of speed work. I loved all of the casual paces -- both on trails and off -- and I'm kind of not sure how much speedwork I want to add back in quite yet. 

I know ultra training and all the elevation gains I covered probably did pretty well for my endurance. But my speed? -- Yeah, that's another story. What used to be a casual pace for me now feels like a hard sprint. On days when I'm actually trying to push the pace, this is discouraging. But on days where I'm not trying to run hard, I kind of couldn't care less about how fast I'm slogging along.

Sooo, figuring out my goals for the rest of the year will be interesting with my now-blase attitude regarding pace.

But for now! That speedwork I am trying to add back in. I am already finding that on my speedwork days, I'm not very good at pushing myself. So to hold myself accountable, I've added in the most-dreaded race distances: 5ks and 10ks.

Last weekend Cate and I ran the Walt Stack 10k in the Marina district of San Francisco. It's relatively flat except for the mother of all hills, Fort Mason, where I actually felt like I was having a heart attack at the top of the hill.

But the payoff? 6 solid miles of sub-7:45 pace & a fun day with a friend.

This morning I ran the Easter Roller Coaster 5k for the second time. The first time I ran it was back in 2011, and this was the fateful day where I met Alisyn and Tony the Endorphin Dude. 

As the name implies, the course goes up and down 2 large hills, turns around, and heads back on the same hills: Essentially 4 hills, 500 feet of of elevation, all in 3 miles. It doesn't look like it in graph form, but it's a bitch when you're trying to go fast. 

Last time I ran this race I stopped to walk the hill after the turnaround. With an 18.4% grade, even walking is a challenge. I managed a 4th place finish with 25:59. 

This year I went back -- the day after a long run, no less -- to push my tired legs with some more speed. I finished in 24:55, a personal course PR by more than a minute -- and a 5th place finish. I imagine the hill training I did in preparation for the ultra is serving me well, but clearly I've more work to do in the "going fast" department. 

I'll get there. Just not sure when...

And a promise is a promise: I met a nice runner from the UK who kindly introduced himself to me after the race. He shook my hand & said "he recognized me from the internet" -- kind of funny and not at all awkward. ;) Paul finished in a blazing fast 18 minutes, good for second male, I think.

Save travels back home, Paul, and thanks for introducing yourself at the race! I hope San Francisco treated you well.

Race Report: Way Too Cool 50k

First things first: The price increase for The San Francisco Marathon is tomorrow, Friday, 3/15/13. Use discount code DSC10AMBAY2013 (exp. 3/17) to save $10 on registration & see you there!

Second things second: This past weekend I finished a 50k ultramarathon.

I had a fun weekend with friends who also became ultramarathoners and/or who PR'd the crap out of their existing 50k times and/or gave up their entire day to cheer like crazy people at a kinda-far-away race. I ran smart (whatever that means), I ran strong (once my legs finally woke up at mile 17), and I finished quite a bit faster than I anticipated (6:12 instead of my estimated 6.5-7 hours).

I crossed the finish line with a huge feeling of accomplishment & with tears in my eyes when I was enveloped by so many friends -- friends who came up just for me! Amazing. 

But I also crossed that finish line with the feeling that this isn't something I need to do again -- at least not in the immediate future. I felt instant gratification from finishing, but I'm not feeling that urge to "better it" like I have with other distances.

The rest of my race report, I'll maybe save for another time. For now, some pictures can tell the story better than I have the desire to.
 

I wish all race photos happened within the first 30 feet. (From Cate)

So many paparazzi friends at Mile 8, I didn't know where to look!

(From Alisyn)

(From Jana)

(From Inside Trail)


Where's Waldo?

 
I am an ultramarathoner! (From Jana)

Hugs from Jana, Michaela, Jess, & Cate

Me with Jess & Aron (PR queens) and Kristen & Layla (new ultramarathoners)
 

Overall, the race was well organized and supported, and it's one I would recommend entering the lottery for if you want to run a trail ultra. I had a good race out there, and being supported by my friends was the best way to top off a great day.

Official time: 6:12:52

Average pace: 11:59 min/mile

Overall place: 504/853

Gender place: 164/342

AG place: 66/114

Another Back-to-Back & Taper?

This past weekend I did my forth back-to-back weekend in this training cycle: a 19/11, a 17/18, a 20/10 last weekend, and now this:

Saturday: Inside Trail Racing's Chabot Trail Run 30k

When so many of my Bay Area friends signed up for this race, it took no time at all for me to be convinced to join. I had never run Lake Chabot, I could stand to use more miles on the trails, and any reason to see friends is a good enough one for me.

I ran the first two miles or so on my own, until I caught up with Kim, a friend of Aron's. What started with a few basic life questions turned into 16 more miles of truly great company. As Aron always says, "To really get to know someone, do a long run with them." Kim & I really connected on this scenic trail run, and we had a great day chatting, hiking, and having a good time. She is training for a 50 miler & I got to pick her brain a bit about ultras. It was a lot of fun!

Kim & me approaching an aid station.

At the top peak, we could see the Bay (way in the distance) and hills forever.

Funny. I am missing a picture of Lake Chabot. I swear it was there.

Friends in the sun! 

18.22 miles/3:22:50/2,245' climbing

Sunday: San Bruno Mountain Ultramarathons' Half Marathon

A few months ago, Alisyn won an entry into an inaugural race just south of San Francisco. She had tried to convince a few people to join her, but after looking at the website and seeing how disorganized it was & how many details were missing, I wasn't sold. I planned on doing my second long run on my own & save my hard-earned dough instead, until about 6pm Saturday night... I decided I would give it a shot & join Alisyn for my second long run of the weekend. I signed up for this inaugural race despite not even knowing where the starting line was (yes, those kinds of details were missing), and let me say, I am SO glad I did it!

Lake Chabot was fun and a great challenge, but the San Bruno Mountain half marathon was another story. It had the same amount of climbing in 13 miles as we did in 18 miles the day before. That phrase "what goes up must come down" definitely did not apply to this race. I don't know how this race director did it, but we had us running various routes around the San Bruno Mountain State Park, and somehow made the course nearly entirely uphill. What downhills we did have were so steep they were nearly unrunnable and completely unrelenting.

But, despite my slow pace, I charged up almost every hill on the course & had a really great confidence-boosting race, especially coming off a challenging run the day before.

Teeny tiny San Francisco to the distant right. 

This was the biggest downhill we had. It's hard to tell from this angle, but people were trying not to tumble down toward the water. I slid a few feet a couple times and miraculously kept my balance -- it was so steep that it would have been easier to crab-crawl than walk.

Then we turned around at the bottom & went back up for endless climbing toward the finish.

The hills were hard, but the views did not suck.

More up.

 More, more up.

 Alisyn, her friend Shannon & I all crossed the finish together!

13 miles/2:55:04/2,195' climbing

This race was wayyy harder than my longer race the day before, but I felt great the entire time. I'm so glad I went to do this race and when they hold it again next year, I'll be back. :)

Taper time!  
With this past weekend of races, I now start tapering... although I'd be lying if I said I thought I deserved a taper. My back-to-backs didn't hit the miles I wanted to hit and I didn't do as many of them as I initially dreamed of doing. My overall weekly mileage numbers were low compared to what I usually run. I only did one 20-miler whereas I usually do a few more than that for a marathon. But, excuses aside, I did what I could given my gimpy hip, life/work/apartment changes, & everything else that seems to happen when you're alive & trying to live that life.

And even though I have no goals for Way Too Cool other than to finish, I am happy to rest up a little bit & take on my first 50k in 12 days!

My Second "Big" Back-to-Back Weekend

Update: 50k Training

When I first penciled together my 50k training plan, I had big audacious goals: Back-to-backs every weekend! High-mileage weeks! Lots and lots of trail races! Hip pain that would magically disappear!

And then life intervened.

With a more-demanding job during the week, a commute, a tall gentleman that I spend my weekends with, and a naggy hip that I'm treating with caution, my lofty training plan is getting lots & lots of tweaks.

I'm okay with it. I am learning to find the balance I need on a daily basis. I think.

I've come to the realization that I'm training for a 50k... A slow 50k. Thanks to the affirmation from many of you, I know I don't need specific mileage or paces; I need time on my feet. I need more trail miles. And I probably don't need to have *much* more mileage than I would need to finish a marathon. (Again, this is my take on it, mostly because if I get to the start line of the 50k, I don't have any goals other than to make it to the finish line.)

In order to accommodate work, life, an upcoming move, friends, and my family, some of the unabashed huge weekends I had in my plan are disappearing. In fact, most of them are. I'll be doing at least one long run a week, but 3 back-to-back long runs should hopefully suffice in my 12-week plan. I consider my Pacifica Foothills 30k/11-mile trail run with Jojo one of them. This past weekend was another.

Saturday: Fort Ord 25k (trail)

During the chipper hour of 5 a.m., a few of us drove down to Salinas, CA, to run in the first-ever foot race at the Fort Ord National Monument. Erin & I were running the 25k, and Jojo, Jess, and Aron were running the 50k.

Fort Ord was completely beautiful... I wish it were closer so I could run there more often! We were given notice a few days before that the 25k was actually closer to a 27 or 28k with a lot more climbing than originally planned, but it was no deterrent. Erin & I ran with the 50kers for about 10 miles before we split off for our final 7. We covered every terrain possible -- tree-covered "enchanted" forrests, single track switchbacks in what felt like a barren desert, sand that was reminiscent of running on a beach, miles and miles of open hills, and lots of climbing and descending. It was nice to constantly have a change of scenery and terrain every mile. The weather was ideal and I can't imagine a much better long run.

We dressed in 49ers colors the day before the Superbowl. Wah wah.

 Expansive fire roads

 

Rewarding views that come from climbing

Finishers!

I definitely recommend this Inside Trails event -- the volunteers, organization, and route were all perfect & it was a great inaugural race.

16.82 miles/3:12:15/2,413' feet of climbing

Sunday: 18 miles, including the Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon

I don't have anything outstanding to note regarding this race compared to the one the day before, except that after 3+ hours of running (and 3+ hours standing/jumping around/cheering, AND 4+ hours of sitting in a car), I am surprised I pulled out 18 miles. I was definitely feeling tired and my legs felt heavy. By the end of my run, I had wonderful daydreams of eating an entire cake, but instead went home and took a nap.

This is the third time I've run Kaiser -- and I guess it's become a bit of a tradition as I've done it every year I've lived here. Despite not giving it a solid write-up this year (or last... whoops), I actually really like this race. RhodyCo Productions mails your chip and bib so there's no need to waste time at an expo. The race itself starts at 8 a.m., so runners in the area don't have to get up too dreadfully early. The field is limited to about 5,000 half marathoners & the same for 5kers. I totally love that the race feels busy, but never crowded beyond the first mile.

This year was par for the course & a reminder of why I enjoy running Kaiser: Good February weather, great water stations & volunteer support, a decently flat course (seeing that it occurs in San Francisco), and the fact I can talk Courtney into jumping in and running with me for a few miles since it goes right by her house. Renee was also at mile 12 calling out splits, and I loved seeing her twice (as it was during an out & back portion) and it gave me a nice little boost. In previous years Kaiser has been a PR attempt for me; this year, with my bad hip & lack of speedwork, I secretly wanted to get a sub-2. Holding a 9:09 pace is something that has been a bit of a struggle for me lately, and especially after a hard run the day before.

But, I did it.

This is fast for me these days? Yikes. 

I finished my cool-down miles and called it a successful 2nd "big" back-to-back for me: 18 miles/2:42:06

It'll be a few more weeks before I have time to do another solid back-to-back weekend, but I've got plenty more running to do in the meantime. I'm grateful my hip is holding up & I've managed to stay healthy.

Race Report: Pacifica Foothills 30k

This past Saturday I ran my 3rd Inside Trails race, the Pacifica Foothills 30k. This was my first 30k and my longest trail run to date.

I had no idea there was a massive park with gorgeous trails down in Pacifica -- just 20 miles south of San Francisco -- and with a mountain to climb, no less. Parking and bib-pick up were easy as per usual with this race company. We received a few instructions on the route, gave a round of applause for this being their 1-year anniversary, and off we went up the mountain!

The 30k course made one large 7.5-mile loop up the mountain and back down (2,007' of climbing), and then finished with two smaller 6-mile loops (1,275' of climbing each). For anyone counting, this is longer than a 30k, but I didn't care. It wasn't until I missed a turn on my first 6-mile loop that I started caring. ;)

The weather was perfect with temperatures in the lower 50s and just a few sparse clouds. It was super windy on top of the mountain and at points I really regretted not wearing sunglasses as I think everything imaginable got into my eyes. Once we got to the top of the mountain, the views were so crystal clear that I couldn't help but stop to take a couple photos.

Looking north to San Francisco -- a teeny tiny Golden Gate Bridge can be seen from up there.

Looking toward the East Bay. Mount Diablo is that peak in the background, although it looks much larger by naked eye.

 

On the way back down the mountain, we ran through some pretty heavily wooded areas that were just barely letting in the sunlight. There was a bit of mud, but otherwise the trail was mostly packed dirt. Running down the mountain was steep but there were a few places where I was able to pick up the pace a little bit. But after the first 7.5 miles, my legs were seriously feeling like jelly.

She'll be running down the mountain.

  

At the aid station near the start the 6-mile loops, I found Dennis, who so generously hopped in to "pace" me. Granted, pacing me meant he slowed to the slowest crawl ever while I hiked beside him. Ah well -- he was a good sport about my wimpiness. :) I am so grateful he was there as company! 

Also, Dennis is a bad MF-ing ass, as he never once walked during the 11.5-mile slow uphill crawl. I, on the other half, hiked almost half of it. Oh, and did I mention he doesn't normally do any off-road running?

Dennis leading the way.

 

Eeeeeeeeee.

Finishing up!

I ran a total of 19 miles in this 30k, which is cool by me. I'm taking all the slow miles on trails I can for the time being. Finishing up my first 30k with Inside Trails' 1st-anniversary race was a great way to do it!

Total distance covered: 19.01 miles
Total running time: 4:14:15
Feet of climbing: 4,557'

Sunday
I wanted to do back-to-back double digits trail runs this weekend, so on Sunday I woke up dark & early for an 11-mile trail run with Jojo. We had some pretty views of the Presidio and watched the clouds light up the Golden Gate from the sunrise on the east. We chatted & caught up while taking it nice and easy -- she ran a hard 26 miles on Mount Diablo the day before, and well, I am just a wimp. All in all, a successful long weekend!