San Diego 100 Miler

Warning, this is a looooong post..

I have a theory, my theory is that whatever a race I have planned for a long time is around the corner, work gets really insane and I barely have time to pack and get to the airport, literally. I am usually able to guess pretty well what I will need and in most cases I have what I need, well that changed in this race and it wasn’t a good experience.

I had traveled to Spain previously for work after Miwok and I didn’t have time to train more for this race. When I came back, work was crazy and it remained like that until the day I left for San Diego, it was Thursday at 9pm and I was still at work and I hadn’t packed anything yet. I made it home sometime during the night and I put in my suitcase everything I thought I needed. The basics, flashlight, gels, salt pills, a change of clothes, a warm shirt, my running tights, a hat, water bottles, gloves, extra batteries, nuun and a few bags so I can make them my drop bags, a few other random things and I was “ready”. Janet had sent me a list of thing she was packing so I used that as a guide.

The next day I drove early to the airport, met Janet and soon we were in our way to SD. And we learned that apparently you can blow up a plane with peanut butter and jelly, as the security guys wanted to confiscate this from Janet’s bag. LOL. She checked her luggage and made it to the gate on time. And then we were airborne. Landed in SD, got our car and drove to a running store to get some last minute stuff (compression socks) and finally to the race site for the runners info meeting.

Race Director giving us the last minute info and instructions..

The thing about these things is the friendship among all runners. This is the first ULTRA I do where the only distance is 100 miles. I have done others where there are different distances being run, so we knew that these guys, all of them were in for the long haul. It was awesome to reconnect and talk about “what else have you done lately”?

After we got our registration stuff we drove back to town, stopped at a grocery store to get food and we went back to our hotel room. I had to do some work and then started packing my drop bags. One thing about drop bags is that I usually get scared because I feel that I never have enough stuff in them. For the most part it is not true, but this time I actually needed more that I didn’t have. Finished packing my stuff took a quick shower and went to bed. It was 9:30 then and for some ungodly reason I started thinking... “What the hell I am about to do?” This thought kept me awake for a while and I was scared that I didn’t have it in me. And having those horrible thoughts in my mind, I finally fell asleep.

And then it was time to get up… Got up and I was excited, got my stuff ready, showered ate a bagel, a protein smoothie and some other stuff I don’t remember now. We decided to stop at the nearest Starbucks and get some caffeine before heading to the starting line. Got in the car and stopped at the local Starbucks… we checked the website before and it says that it opened at 5:00 am. Well, it was 5:00 am and it was closed. There were not posted hours and the guy inside looked at us and complete ignored us. He kept doing his stuff and not even acknowledging us or a little sign saying that they were closed would suffice. Nope, not even a wave, or a nod or nothing. We were pissed (it was early in the morning and no caffeine yet, can you imagine?). So we decided to drive to the race and stop at another Starbucks location. We found one, got our coffee and after a 45 minute drive we were at the starting point. We got our bibs, made final preparations, applied sunscreen (note to self, remove the arm warmers before I apply the sunscreen to my arms), filled our water bottles, went to the bathroom and just like that we were ready to rock and roll. And then it was 3 minutes to start, at this point I was beyond nervous, I was excited and ready to run, 1 minute to start and I was thinking.. “OOHHYYYEEAAA!!” 10, 9, 8, “holy shit here we go” 7, 6, 5, 3, “ok, here goes nothing”, 2, 1 Whooohooooo!! And we were in our way. I knew that there would be more than 24 hours before we were coming back to that place. But I was excited… and scared.

3 minutes to start.. yay!! Gulp

Ok.. here goes nothing.. :)

At the beginning of the race we took it really easy, people knew that it was going to be a long day so there was not hustling for position, there was just a bunch of people going for a “little” run and everybody understood that it was going to be a long day anyway.

Mile 1-25

These were the happy miles. We were fresh, we had company, we were happy and we simply were elated to be there. And it was very nice to talk to other runners and simply enjoy the views. You know... just being out there. I don’t really know how to express this, but being out there, putting one foot in front of the other for hours at end is really therapeutic. I know some of my friends might disagree, but the truth is, that is what keeps me going, what motivates me and what, I believe, makes me really happy. Ok… so back to the race. We started at the back of the pack and like in Miwok I started to keep score, every time we passed someone was a point, if we were passed it will deduct a point. For this particular race, I just wanted to be in the positive side and we did. It was because we probably started at the back of the pack or we simply were moving pretty well… And then, the heat showed up… and my God it got really hot out there.

Oh.. this was a fun time.. Snake was just chilling, Janet almost stepped on it and have it on film.. awesome.

The views were amazing

Mile 25-50, happier miles...

These were awesome, the views were amazing. We were running by ourselves and like we always do we tried to pace each other without killing each other. For some reason from the start of the race, I would lead a section until we got to the aid station, and then Janet will lead the next section. We kept that “unspoken” rule until mile 64, but more on that later. During this time we were actually moving well. There was this section around mile 44 coming out of the Pine Creek Aid station that had a really steep section, and it was paved too. I hate pavement, my IT bands don’t like it very much. The sun was high and we can feel the heat irradiated from the pavement. Not very happy about it, but we power through and made it to the top just to find out that they had popsicles up there. Well, the heat was so bad that even the cooler and the ice weren’t cold enough to keep the popsicles hard. We drank ours, and they were so refreshing. Sometime during these miles we found these creeks, it was awesome to dunk my hat in the cold refreshing water and put back on, Janet would do the same with her shirt, that cooled us down a little. And then… just like that we hit mile 64, and it was time to get ready for the night...

Happy times

Mile 64 -80 unhappy miles

There is a rule in ultramarathons… “If you are not feeling well, don’t worry, it will change, and if you are feeling great, don’t worry that too will change”. This was our worst time and the time when I realized that I didn’t packed enough stuff for the race, I didn’t have enough cold gear. The weather changed dramatically from being hot as hell to being cold as a freaking freezer. It was so cold I couldn’t hold my flashlight as it is made of metal and it got really cold. Janet wasn’t happy also and we seriously thought we were going to have a case of hypothermia or something worse. We couldn’t help each other, the only thing we could do was to keep moving… and we did. We made it to mile 72, they had coffee there and I drank tons of it. They also had spare shirts (from previous races) so I put one on since I only had a thermal and a windbreaker and I was freezing. We said our goodbyes and kept on going… at this moment we couldn’t run anymore. We were freezing and the next few miles were the worst. Somehow we made at around 5 am into the Sunrise aid station (mile 80.3). Heather VanNess was there and she was like an angel for us. She took care of us in many ways; she truly made us feel awesome. We sat down around some heater, warmed our poor selves and realized that our state of caloric intake and sodium was pretty down. Our hands were puffy and fat, a clear sign of lack of electrolytes. I took 3 and soon enough I started to feel a lot better. Had hot pancakes and coffee and after a 30 minutes recovery break, we decided to keep on going. And we did, left that aid station and ran all the way to mile 87, we were back.

Mile 87-99 (coming home)

The last miles were really runnable and cool, but my legs were toasted... I could barely keep moving forward.

When we got to mile 87 aid station, the sun had made its appearance and it was getting hot again. I changed my clothes into more comfortable cooling outfit, ate some, drank tons of coke, took another set of ibuprofens (I believe I took about 12 during the race) and just like that we were in our way home. We walked some, I hurt a lot (had some bad blisters), but it didn’t matter, we were almost there. We got to the final aid station at mile 96, we talked to some of the runners there, ate some, drank some and we ready to call it a day, just needed to do 5 more miles for the final leg home. We left the aid station and we knew we were done; it was just a matter of keep moving until the end. The good thing about this section is that it made me realize that we were in much better shape than other runners out there. We were finishing thing strong. And just like that we made to the sign that read “1 mile to go”.

The final Mile

OMG… we were almost there, just one more mile. Janet started to move a bit faster, then she started jogging and finally we actually were running. We tried to keep the pace but after 99 miles, it was hard. We walked some and then we saw the finish line. I took a deep breath, put a big smile in my face to hide the pain I was in and kept moving, we got to the finish line and just like that we were done.

We sat down for a little, drank some water, waited for some of the runners, cheered them, drank more and then I went to take a shower... I had some blister issues; I was in pain so I headed to medical and got my blisters treated.

This race was tougher than I imagined, this race showed me that I need to take my time to plan my gear next time. This race showed me that I should take care of my feet better. But most importantly this race showed me that I am alive and that I love my life.

Miwok 100K 2011

This is my third Miwok 100k in a row.. The first time it was cold and wet, the second time it was hot and beautiful and I had a horrible time. This year was a different more challenging course and I wanted to redeem myself.

This time, I was actually looking forward to this. I was excited to the fact that I was going to have a pacer, Janet was coming to pace me the last 20 miles of the run. I knew from last year that people with pacers were passing me, I was on my own and I wasn’t in any shape to run faster of try to keep up with people and their pacers. In any event, I was excited.

The day of the race I woke up at about 2am and started my prerace routine, some canned fruit, a scrambled egg and a fruit smoothie, and a cup of earl grey tea too. I also made sure that I was going to take care of my feet; I didn’t want to get any nasty surprises. I have been running wearing compression socks, and I totally swear by them. They are awesome, they make feel so good and most importantly, I do believe it helps to keep my plantar fasciitis on check.

So after a healthy high glycemic breakfast, my ride arrived. Jason Jones a terrific ultra-runner came to pick me up. I got into his truck and drove away to the city to pick up yet another ultra-runner. I was planning to sleep during the ride, but I couldn’t. He and I had a great conversation and after we picked up the third runner, we talked some more.

We arrived at the start line with plenty of time, I got “dressed” went to pick up my bib number, delivered my drop bags and visited the boys room… and just like that it was close to 5:30 so we headed to the beach for the start of the race. And after a great speech of the race director she sent us away…. And that was it, Miwok 100K 2011 had begun.

Just Before the start... Awesome

Check the morning.. how beautiful was it. About to start Miwok 2011

The course was changed this year, and the first miles of the course it seemed pretty hard and steep. Within the first two miles I was already drenched in sweat ( and I sweat a lot) and my HR was up the roof. But I knew it was going to be a long day so I took it easy, last year I went out too fast and I paid dearly at the end . This time I didn’t want to make the same mistake.. .

The first five miles were brutal.. This is a new course, and my God it started uphill.. really uphill..

The views are amazing... check this out

The glorious SF Golden Gate bridge from above through the fog.. awesome!!

Coming back from to the starting line after the initial loop was great, I hate running in sand, but I managed to keep sand away from my shoes. I passed a few people coming out of the beach and then it occurred to me, I will keep a score. I will keep a point for everyone I passed, and if I was passed then I would deduct a point from my score. 1, 2, 3, 4... it was a great way to keep me motivated and tackle the course with earnest. I arrived to Tennessee Valley aid station and I promise myself I was going to take it easy there, which I did. One thing I like the most about ultrarunning events are the volunteers… these people are amazing, they really give it all and for what ? Just to see a few crazy people running very long just for the fun of it.. At Tennessee Valley I took my time to drink, refill and get something to eat. And just like that the first few miles of Miwok 100k had gone by. I kept keeping score, 12, 13, 14… and I was passed a few times but my score was still positive.. That was a good feeling. At the aid stations I actually stopped counting, but it did not matter.

The downhills were brutal.. the hills did not disappointed at Miwok 2011..

A “few” miles later I reached the Pantoll aid station, in there I saw my dear friend Leigh Mooser, and she really took care of me. Gave me all I needed, it felt like she was crewing me. I am sure she did that for all runners, that is why she is so awesome. And then I was off again..

So here is the funny thing, before I reached the Bolinas Aid Station I saw the guys at the front coming back… OMG… they had almost 20+ miles ahead of me… Unbelievable.. What gave me a good feeling is that I saw the Elites pretty much at the same spot I saw them in previous years, which meant I was going at a good speed. Bear in mind, I was NOT wearing a watch as I wanted to just “listen to my body”. When I reached the Bolinas Aid Station, I saw George Miller, and a few others I knew, that made me happy. And the thought that when I was coming back I was going to find my pacer Janet to take me to the finish line gave me some more needed gas. And I was off again, going down to the turn-around I found Abe, he was having such a great race. We talked for a few minutes and then we were off again, I downhill, he uphill. J I was wearing a belt that holds a bottle of gu, well I forgot to close the damn bottle and gu was all over my shorts, Pretty nasty. As soon as I go to Randall Aid station, I used some water to wash the gu off my shorts. Drank, ate, drank some more (Thank God for caffeine) and I was going up again. When I reached the Bolinas Aid Station again, I saw Janet my pacer. She had just arrived, she ran all the way from SF to meet me there. And after exchanging a few pleasantries we were off.

My Awesome Pacer Janet..

It was such a refresh to have someone to talk knowing that I had just over 20 miles to the finish. We kept, what I thought, was a good pace. Reached Pantoll aid station once again and Leigh was there to cheer us up. She had some avocado that I ate with earnest, I also had some pickles, cookies, and whatever they were serving.... and… of course coke… lots of it. My score was in the high 20’s and it kept getting better, but for some reason in the aid stations is where I got passed quite a bit. I spent too much time in there, but in reality it was all good.

The day was beautiful, the company was awesome, it was a great day and I was running.. I wasn’t having a bad time at all, I was in good spirits. When we got to the Tennessee Valley once again I knew the worst was over, we thought, we will have just 3 or 4 miles tops. But then we asked and it happened we had almost 5 miles to go.. my spirts just went down and I was like. OOOHHH SHIT… So after taking some Tylenol (I took 12 in total during the whole day), had some coke (probably drank over 2 litters of that stuff) and some gel we were in our way. The afternoon was georgous and we just kept the good pace. People passed us, but what the hell, I was about to finish my third Miwok 100K anyway.

Then we turn a corner and a couple of guys were there directing runners, and one of them told us, you guys are almost done, just over a mile to go. I heard that and I bolted, I took off like a bat out of hell. I ran so hard that mile that no runner could keep up with me, I passed a few in that last mile. Janet and I were breathing hard, I could hear her breathing so hard next to me, but I was on a mission. I wanted to make the last mile memorable. And then I started to see little lights, my vision was blurry and I wasn’t focusing, I just kept on running as hard as my body could. And with that last effort I crossed the finish line, I put my hands on my knees and started to catch my breath and little by little my vision started to come back. Rujeko was there and she came to give me a hug and that made me feel so much better. She is just amazing, I was happy. We ate, we talked, we ate some more, I took a shower, changed clothes got in the car and Rujeko drove us back to the city. First to drop off Janet and then we went to grab a bite to eat. She took me to a Ethiopian restaurant, pretty cool and I was so hungry I left her not much to eat. Then fall asleep in the drive home and when I woke up I was in our driveway. Took my things inside, took a shower and went to sleep. Oh, what a great day, Miwok 2011 is done, now lets wait for 2012.. oohhyeaa!!

Great photo after the finish.. OK.. I am officially pooped.. :)

Rujeko came to take us home and she just made me feel so much better.. :) she is got a way to do this all the time.. :)

Headlands 50

Last Weekend… Janet, Abe and I went to the Marin Headlands and ran our very own 50 miler. We were registered to run Lake Sonoma 50, but it got cancelled. They said it was the weather, I was disappointed, and apparently the Lake Sonoma Gods were not going to have us run that race this year. In any event, we were pissed. What to do? What to do? Within an hour of the cancellation we had plans... We planned our “un_Sonoma” trail run. Abe, Janet and I decided to go run 50 miles in the Marin Headlands. We followed the course I know well from Headlands 100.

If you want to see the course, click on the picture above, this is a link to a google flyover.. Pretty impressive..

This course is pretty steep, we were planning to do 2 - 25 mile loops “washer machine” style (reverse direction each lap). Each lap consisted of approximately 5000 feet of elevation gain, which is definitely a challenging course.

Got up really early and after a quick stop at Starbucks, I was on my way to pick up Janet. Like always she was ready to go and excited about this little adventure of ours. This time, we picked our third amigo, Abe. He is currently training for WS100 so he was motivated to get this 50 under his belt.. The weather was awesome, it promised to be a great day.

Nutrition prepared the day before, GU, coke, bananas, chips, coffee, avocados, canned fruit, pickles, water and power juice.

Abe an I after the first 8 miles.. ready to tackle the next 42

We arrived to Tennessee Valley and got our gear ready, we knew there was a race that particular day so we tried to stay away from the area and took the smaller loop first, an 8 mile loop. We did it no time, and just like that we were back at Tennessee valley. We refilled our bottles, took some nutrition, I thought I forgotten my second water bottle, so I got my hydrapck filled with water and electrolytes and we were in our way for the first 17 mile loop. The day was glorious… it was beginning to get a bit hot. And it had been raining for a while so there were many areas where the water had accumulated and the only way around it was to run through it… which we did. Of course this might be horrible for blisters, but I was lucky and did not get one until the end of the day.

Abe feet after finishing the run... ha!

We had been running for 20 miles+ and all of the sudden I started to feel my plantar fasciitis acting up, I adjusted my stride, and just like that, it was gone. I forgot all about it until the end of the day. Janet asked me for ibuprofen and I swore I had some, but couldn’t find it. We ran for a mile or so then I remembered that I might had some in my hydrapack, I slowed down, took my hydrapack off and found the little plastic bag with ibuprofen and salt pills… score!!. She took some, I took some and we were rejuvenated. We came back to the car, mile 25 or so and ate in earnest.

I had brought pickles, coke, avocado, tortilla chips, gels, larabars, bananas, oranges, and I cannot believe I was eating all of it. I even drank the pickle juice Abe left for me. J We ate plenty and after we were satisfied, we took off for the next 17 mile loop in opposite direction. There are a couple of sections in the loop that are pretty steep. They are murderous on your quads coming down, and horrendously hard and demoralizing going up. Coming down from SCA trail I realized that one thing I will never be able to do, keep up with Janet on the descents. She is an awesome downhiller. Going downhill form the SCA trail, I felt my left toe slamming against the end of my shoe. I knew that mean trouble, I knew I was probably going to lose a toenail, it was painful and at one time I had to stop for a few seconds because the pain was really sharp. I had taken ibuprofen earlier, so I didn’t want to take anymore, but the pain was really bad so I decided to take another dosage I took it and once it kicked in, I could run with no problem. Janet and I kept the same pace; Abe on the other hand was always going ahead and then running back to get us. He didn’t seem to have any issues… I guess, I am just getting old.

The downhills were really hard on my poor feet... :(

And then after 17 miles we were back in the car again. This was a very short break; just enough to get our lights, eat some and get ready with the night gear including a long sleeve or something else. We also ate some more. The last 8 miles were glorious. Simply because we got to see the sunset form the mountain, it is an amazing sight. We also got to hear the crash of the sea and I realized once again how lucky I am of being able to be there and having such wonderful friends. Definitely something we all should experience.

People asked me what do you do and talk during such a long run, Janet and I know each other pretty well by now. Obviously I couldn’t repeat many of the things we have shared during these trail runs; it is great to have a friend whose interest aligns with yours so intimately.

Janet at mile... look at that big smile... I guess we were close to finish.

At the end of the run, we gave each other a hug, changed and when we were about to get ready to go, I realized that the car battery was dead. Yep, there was no way we were going to start it. We were in the middle of nowhere. Two things we were thankful for, a cellphone that had signal and Janet's AAA card. We called the tow-truck and I even took a little nap in the car waiting for it. The tow truck finally arrived, we started the car and we were on our way home. It was a great day... can't wait to do it again.
Now I feel ready for Miwok 100K in three weeks or so... wooohoo!!