Since I started running five years ago I had always run by myself. Along the way I found some people here and there to hang out with me but it was more of a fluke than a regular occurance. Most recently, during Cal Poly's last football season, my friend Anthony started hanging with me more and more. Cool, until football ended and now our schedules don't mix. I have always been alright with solo running. I most often thought I was too friken slow to keep up with any decent runner anyway. Afterall, while out on my usual midweek runs, the Cal Poly cross country team smokes by me like I was walking. It would be depressing except they are half my age and most have been running twice as long as I have and race against fast people. It's humbling and funny at the same time because I have heard some of these twigs shoot turds at me because I am slow yet only one will be an all-american. And he is as cool as they come. OK, it's funny to me...there pace is my PR and they make fun of me even though they aren't that good! I think it's funny. So that's my midweek thoughts while I am out on my runs...'when am I gonna get passed?' Running alone isn't that bad. Running with people is just awsome! Now I know why the 'twigs' always go out in packs of 8 to 15...shoot the bull while you're turning it over for an hour or so.
After the Born to Run get together in Los Olivos a couple weeks ago, one of the peoples running, Tim Cullum, let me know of a new running group in San Luis. He said they can be found on Facebook, so I checked it out. Yep, pretty new alright, started this year. Thanks Thomas and Heeva (and whoever else got this going) what a great idea. This town needs a good trail run group and now it has it! Complete with varying running abilities and accomplishments (lots completing 100 milers, some with jaw dropping course records and all with some good advice to share). This looked like the type of group that would help me push my running to the next level. To an elite level? surely you jest! hahahahaaaaaa Laugh My FAO. I like middle of the pack, lots of people to talk to. I wouldn't know but it seems that if you're infront...there are only people behind you and that would be cool, just highly unlikely for me. I signed up. So easy, all I had to do was click "Like" and tada!!! I am a member. Now I got to get involved. This weekend Thomas put the word out for an 18 mile run starting at the bottom of the Cuesta Grade on Stage Coach Road. I'm game!
Getting out of bed at 5am is alright if you're used to it, I like 6 better, and I think it would have been a struggle if I had to go to work. Since I was heading out for a group run I didn't wana be the new guy and the last guy otherwise I would be 'that' guy. Making my pancakes I kept thinking about the thunder that had taken some sleep from me and I wondered if running along a ridgeline would be such a great idea. Leaving for the run I can see some clear spots and I forgot about the thunder.
On Stage Coach, Heeva waited while Thomas and I drove up at the same time. I formally met Heeva and then we all started chatting about stuff. Next Dusty showed, then Bryan and finally Erik Dube rounded out the group. We were to meet three more at the top so we headed out. The cloud cover kept the temperature from freezing our nuts and pikin an easy pace we made our way along the somewhat saturated dirt road. The road was nice and soft and definitely wet. This was kinda fun. My first real group run. I felt obliged to keep up with these guys, so I pushed it a little bit more than I normally would have if I was alone and yet the pace was still somewhat within my comfort zone. Stage Coach Road is exactly what it sounds like, an old road going up a hill that hugged a mountain which serviced a horse drawn coach. It's mostly dirt, hill on one side, drop off on the other with an oak canopy and sharp canted turns. On the way up Erik and Thomas answered my questions and offered advice about where to stay and how to run the Miwok 100k. Good Stuff!
At the summit, for cars, we picked up three more peoples, Larry, Cody and Kristin. We made introductions, shared some words, then I said I have to keep going...I know I am the slow one in this group and I had been up this once before...on a bike and I knew the first mile or so is up. As it turns out the first five miles were up. Great way to start a run. No really, most trail runs have this agenda...beat you up early then see if you can hold on. On the way up we were treated to some views that only those who earn it and time it right get to see.
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| Looking south. (photo Thomas Reiss) |
...a rainbow. Really? This day is super fantastic. It's not even 8am yet! So, we enjoy the endless views as we run, heading north on west cuesta ridge making our way to the botanical gardens area...also know as the entry point to Morning Glory.
A general meeting was called at the top of Morning Glory. Erik had to go but wasn't ready yet, Thomas needed more miles, Dusty and Heeva are along for the ride, Kristin, Cody and Larry weren't sure about the extra miles but also didn't want to go down yet and Bryan turned around a mile ago. I remember thinking "OK! shit or get off the pot." Actually I said it outloud, in a sarcastic and mild humored sort of way. I think Heeva laughed at it and somewhat agreed. So, we kept going. Just a couple more miles then turn around. Now we are on an adventure. The views kept coming. At one point we were up from Cuesta Tech and there was a path that shot straight down to it. I remember my friend Anthony ran up this (almost to the top) last week or so and said it was a 10 mile run from the athletic training room at C-tech. That would make this long run an even longer run. Before too long, as it seemed, we made it to the turn around, which was about 8 miles, with a reasonable amount of elevation already gained. So heading down towards Chorro Regional Park or Cuesta would add eight to ten miles and tack on another 1000 feet at minimum. Maybe next week...maybe not. Either way it will be done sometime this year.
The ridgeline offers pretty even running. Small changes in elevation to keep it interesting and currently sported lots of puddles to jump. Before we turned around we managed to head down one last longish (maybe 600 meters) hill with a decent grade. So we hit the bottom of said hill, cruised for a few then said 'OK time to turn around.' I remember thinking this is the kind of run I have been needing and I was just along for the ride so stoked about it is an understatement. Heading back to the climb I still felt really good and the cool weather certainly helped keep me going. It was on the way back up the hill when I knew the company I followed is light years ahead of me in ability and conditioning. They ran up the hill, I hiked. I am good with that, I already knew Thomas and Erik were exceptional runners and now I know Heeva and Dusty are too. At the top of the little (huge climb) hill I noticed the color of the rain changed. And, I thought I would share the information with the guys waaaaaay up front. They had already stopped and Thomas had his camera out ready to document the answer to my question, "Hey guys is it me or did the color of the rain turn white?" Yeppers, can you believe it? Snowing on the grade. We were up pretty high (for San Luis) and it was cold but I didn't think it was that cold.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=1852822206072&oid=192493257431200&comments
I hope this link works. This is proof, sorta, that it snowed.
So the climb was done and we continued on. Providing we weren't climbing anything too steep for too long I could keep up. I probably could have left 'it' out there, I just didn't. We dropped into Morning Glory and Erik headed on his way along West Cuesta Ridge. This is the one place I know I could pace everyone and since I hadn't been up front all day I just went with it. MG was mushy and despite its somewhat loose rock foundation you still sank a little. The single track forced a lot of lateral movement and we sorta danced around the trail as we let gravity take care of the rest. We (I) had a good time and Thomas took a video toward the end. Once again I felt compeled to go a little faster than normal due to the company.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/video/video.php?v=1852845606657&oid=192493257431200&comments
This is the video of the last part of MG. The pace obviously isn't too taxing to Thomas. At first I thought he was talking to his wife on the phone giving her a play by play of our run. Video of us running is fun. Next time I am taking my camera...well I did take my camera so next time I am going to make sure my battery is charged.
Where Shooters and MG meet we stopped and waited for everyone else to join before we climbed. Dusty told me we hit the little woopties or inclines a little fast and all I could think to myself was, yep I did go too fast and I am gona pay on the way up Shooters.
I waited for everyone to go and chose to be the caboos up Shooters. I know I know, I pussed it, what a sandbagger....I'll just say I prefer gravity assisted running. I started slow, then found a rhythm and fell in behind Kristin. I could see Heeva, Thomas, Cody and Dusty up ahead. They had a really good pace going. I think they managed two or three minutes on us just in that short climb. At the top we took a groupish photo minus Erik, Thomas, Larry and Bryan.
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| Looking down on paradise. Heeva, Dusty, Cody, Jim and Kristin (photo Thomas Reiss) |
18 miles, a little over 3000 feet in 3is hours. It was shortly after 10am, dang I have never motivated myself to get in a run like that this early...unless I pay for it!
Take Home:
Learned a lot about race strategy at Miwok 100K, pacing and why running in a group is a really, really good idea>>>>no excuses! You have to go. Plus, it is way more fun talking to people than making fun of people riding bikes to yourself.
Next up for a decent run: Mott Gym to Shooters, MG and back. Probably wont write about that though because I will be by myself, making fun of bikers.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/69091208
Nice writeup Jim! It was good to meet you out there, can't wait to run again soon!
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