Friday, May 24, 2019
2 weeks out of SD100 - tough days at home
My legs are starting to feel better after almost no running and mostly short and flat. Today's was 7 miles.. 500 gain on smooth surface as the foot from stepping on rocks still hurts. Days at home are tough with a current family situation. We are working and praying for Isa every day as she struggles and we are praying its just a temp situation. She is my baby girl and it hurts to watch. makes it tough to find any running mojo. Trying to turn the struggle into a drive to push on so I can be an example.
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
PCT50 finish! 1 of 4 SD Ultra slam races complete on the way to SD100
After clock watching a bit for 3:15 alarm, I decided to get up at 3 am and just take a little more time getting ready. I was not going to sleep anymore anyways. Typical oatmeal, apple and banana and coffee to get things moving. Gear check and recheck that was laid out the previous night. Vaseline on the feet and into the car by a little after 4 am.
4:10 am on the road and driving. Drive time to the mountains from San Marcos was predicted to be an hour, to an hour 15. Being used to driving that route to the desert, I didn't even think about the drive and knew exactly the time and exit without thinking. At 5:20 I parked 50 yards from the start with a quick race check-in and number(255) and now wait 40 mins until the start. Kept eating a PB&J and sipping Gatorade.
5:45 am calm, overcast and no rain! Yee haw. Weather had predicted rain all morning and tapering off to the afternoon. This is when the first of several mistakes occurred. I decided I didn't need a drop because it wasn't raining. It was supposed to start at 3 am and there was nothing on the drive or even now at just before 6 am race start. I had a bag ready with a change of clothes, arm sleeves, shoes, socks etc. 1 minute before race start lined up and ready to go... it started raining.
For the first 13 miles up hill.. it rained.. and rained ... and rained. The trail became a stream of running water and non stop mud puddles and sloshing. Dan took this shot as a group of 6 of us worked to climb in non stop mud and rain. Then, right before the aide station it began to hail. The group of us were laughing at first and telling some bad jokes. But when the hail didn't stop and we started to run with hands over our neck and ears.. the fun went away. It only lasted a short time and made for a good story. Especially when someone in their best Bill Murray voice said... "I don't think the heavy stuff is gonna come down for a while yet". At one point we were running in all white as the ground was covered completely with hail. This is when I really understood why people run in trail shoes. For rocks, and mud. I had zero traction and was sliding all over.
The day continued rainy and windy through the 25 mile turnaround. From there I had another round of hail (while covering with a space blanket someone gave me) and then from here the rain about stopped. With partial clearing now, you started to be able to see into the canyons and the view. A drop bad would have been nice about now as my wet socks started to bunch up in my shoes. This kicked off the start for blisters to form on the balls of my feet. Again, lessons learned and a mental note. Even if you don't use a drop bag. Put one in place just in case. You can always change your mind.
From here on, the trails had dried enough to have little or no puddles and you were actually able to jog/hike and work with your footing when needed. Some more soup at Todd's cabin again on the return and then back at it. I met a guy and we ran quite well together working down the hill for 13 miles to the finish. My legs were tired but I could still hold some sort of trot and try to hold a tempo. My original goal was to break 12 hours. I came in at mile 50 in 11 hours and 24 mins. Not my best 50 time. But given the weather, at elevation, and climbing of 7300 feet. Not a bad day. Tough course with the climb up front and down hill on the knees at the end. This is the first of 4 races for the SD Ultra slam. And I guess technically a training run for and on parts of the course for SD100 in 22 days!
Tough day at the start, but after the turnaround I was good to go. Final Strava details for PCT50 below.
https://www.strava.com/activities/2362091743
4:10 am on the road and driving. Drive time to the mountains from San Marcos was predicted to be an hour, to an hour 15. Being used to driving that route to the desert, I didn't even think about the drive and knew exactly the time and exit without thinking. At 5:20 I parked 50 yards from the start with a quick race check-in and number(255) and now wait 40 mins until the start. Kept eating a PB&J and sipping Gatorade.
5:45 am calm, overcast and no rain! Yee haw. Weather had predicted rain all morning and tapering off to the afternoon. This is when the first of several mistakes occurred. I decided I didn't need a drop because it wasn't raining. It was supposed to start at 3 am and there was nothing on the drive or even now at just before 6 am race start. I had a bag ready with a change of clothes, arm sleeves, shoes, socks etc. 1 minute before race start lined up and ready to go... it started raining.
For the first 13 miles up hill.. it rained.. and rained ... and rained. The trail became a stream of running water and non stop mud puddles and sloshing. Dan took this shot as a group of 6 of us worked to climb in non stop mud and rain. Then, right before the aide station it began to hail. The group of us were laughing at first and telling some bad jokes. But when the hail didn't stop and we started to run with hands over our neck and ears.. the fun went away. It only lasted a short time and made for a good story. Especially when someone in their best Bill Murray voice said... "I don't think the heavy stuff is gonna come down for a while yet". At one point we were running in all white as the ground was covered completely with hail. This is when I really understood why people run in trail shoes. For rocks, and mud. I had zero traction and was sliding all over.
The day continued rainy and windy through the 25 mile turnaround. From there I had another round of hail (while covering with a space blanket someone gave me) and then from here the rain about stopped. With partial clearing now, you started to be able to see into the canyons and the view. A drop bad would have been nice about now as my wet socks started to bunch up in my shoes. This kicked off the start for blisters to form on the balls of my feet. Again, lessons learned and a mental note. Even if you don't use a drop bag. Put one in place just in case. You can always change your mind.
From here on, the trails had dried enough to have little or no puddles and you were actually able to jog/hike and work with your footing when needed. Some more soup at Todd's cabin again on the return and then back at it. I met a guy and we ran quite well together working down the hill for 13 miles to the finish. My legs were tired but I could still hold some sort of trot and try to hold a tempo. My original goal was to break 12 hours. I came in at mile 50 in 11 hours and 24 mins. Not my best 50 time. But given the weather, at elevation, and climbing of 7300 feet. Not a bad day. Tough course with the climb up front and down hill on the knees at the end. This is the first of 4 races for the SD Ultra slam. And I guess technically a training run for and on parts of the course for SD100 in 22 days!
Tough day at the start, but after the turnaround I was good to go. Final Strava details for PCT50 below.
https://www.strava.com/activities/2362091743
Saturday, May 11, 2019
Friday, May 3, 2019
What a $4^i&&7%* show of a week
My goodness what a week. Seems the usual reoccurring April shitstrom spilled over into May. Better to write it out huh? Shorter runs if any at all. Even those seemed bad at the time.. but my pace is waaay faster than it should be in the 8s. WTH?
Long work days, not much of a lunch break and when I am on one I seem to be cooking or cleaning to try and help out more. But .. it is what it is. Had a nice 20th anniversary last week. But no long run again as Heather said shes sick right before I was getting in the shower at 5:30. Stayed home and ran 8 with Sarah later in the day. Sarah again the next day when she crashed on her bike. So a few 8s, 7 walking at D-land.
Weight just under 200 and where it should be I guess. Although for how much running I do you'd think Id be lighter. But I'm a big frame. Week long head aches persist. Assume it is just no break or rests and some stress I hold from work. Stupid that I do as its just a job!. But .. apparently how I am built. Allergies are better as I ended 10 days of antibiotics and steroids and doing three nose sprays plus an allergy pill. Maybe that causing all the head aches and stomach issues. Weight? Just feel off. Then again awakened 2 hours into sleep last night from not so fun dreams again and fell, you don't close your eyes much after that. Weird I wok up with a weird pain as I felt it happen. Or so I thought.
How am I am I to run 50 miles in a week feeling blaaa? I know I will snap out f it and first leg of SD Ultra Slam so I gotta do it. But man... Feeling like Brian's comments from Cuy100 last year. Just don't get it. Why the same thoughts?
Onward and updward.. get your shit right man!!! PCT50 7 days out! SD100 4 weeks out!
Long work days, not much of a lunch break and when I am on one I seem to be cooking or cleaning to try and help out more. But .. it is what it is. Had a nice 20th anniversary last week. But no long run again as Heather said shes sick right before I was getting in the shower at 5:30. Stayed home and ran 8 with Sarah later in the day. Sarah again the next day when she crashed on her bike. So a few 8s, 7 walking at D-land.
Weight just under 200 and where it should be I guess. Although for how much running I do you'd think Id be lighter. But I'm a big frame. Week long head aches persist. Assume it is just no break or rests and some stress I hold from work. Stupid that I do as its just a job!. But .. apparently how I am built. Allergies are better as I ended 10 days of antibiotics and steroids and doing three nose sprays plus an allergy pill. Maybe that causing all the head aches and stomach issues. Weight? Just feel off. Then again awakened 2 hours into sleep last night from not so fun dreams again and fell, you don't close your eyes much after that. Weird I wok up with a weird pain as I felt it happen. Or so I thought.
How am I am I to run 50 miles in a week feeling blaaa? I know I will snap out f it and first leg of SD Ultra Slam so I gotta do it. But man... Feeling like Brian's comments from Cuy100 last year. Just don't get it. Why the same thoughts?
Onward and updward.. get your shit right man!!! PCT50 7 days out! SD100 4 weeks out!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
Wine and an MRI
Wine, and an MRI to see if there is a brain tumor! Awesome. That is obviously a stock photo and not me because it didn't go well when th...
-
I wanted to wait a week or so to write this so I could try to accurately recall the race weekend. So here is it. Just the thoughts and memor... -
No running for a week, slight jogging made it mad, trying to stretch and roll out again.
-
Lots of good running, but I dont feel like writing about it. 24 and 3k gain, then 16 and a failure on a run with Brian. Lots of good base an...