Miwok 2011

May 7, 2011
Miwok 100K will stand out as a very humbling experience and I learned 62 miles is a distance I clearly am not ready for.  Sitting here a little over 12 hours after the finish finding words to describe the experience is challenging.  Awesome, fun, exhilaration, difficult, mentally challenging and painful begin to describe the experience.  Some of the sections, most, are so beautiful I would consider making a trip up there just to run for a weekend.  The trails were in good shape, the weather was good (high 50's with a mellow breeze that picked up to a nasty one at sundown) and the people were outstanding.  In the end I clearly was not ready for 15 hours of movement, the climbs didn't bother me but the descents ruined my knee....and foot!

I stayed at the hostel at the Marin Headlands.  This is a 20 minute walk from the start.  There were a lot of runners there.  There were also a lot of girl scouts.  My room happened to be Redwood.  This is the room right next to women's restroom.  The main dormitory is upstairs, along with the women's restroom and of course the 30 or so tweenagers.  Luckily quiet time was 10:20pm and I am pretty sure I fell asleep before that.  I forgot to set my alarm so it really was a blessing to be put next to the bathroom.

I had 35 minutes to get ready and get moving so I arrived at the start with enough time to check in, drop off bags and do whatever else I needed to do.  I was frantic and tried to do everything in fast motion with only 6 or so hours of sleep.  I still got my usual breakfast in me without the coffee.  That was a bummer.  I cleared my room, organized the stuff and drove to another, closer park spot.  I didn't want to walk so I hitched a ride for the remaining mile.  I guess I am just lazy.

The start was cold, dark and crowded.  If a person didn't take care of business before arriving, you were gona stand in line for a while.  The chaos had a rhythm and it seemed as if a large part of the people had been there before so they new what to expect and better yet what to do.  I dropped of my drop bags put my number on my shorts and waited.  A wopping five minutes went by and then we were moving.  It was time.  A short and cold walk to the start for the 400 or so of us went easily and this is where I ran into Cody and Kristin.  hard not to see the big FLUID arm sleeves Cody had.  We chatted for the walk.  I broke off to go find Larissa and actually walked in front of everyone (aka the front runners, elite, fast peeps) to try find her to say 'Have Fun.' No luck, which is alright because shortly after that we were sent on our way.

The last instructions were, "..go to the lantern and head up..."  This turned out to be a fiasco.  400 people trying to get up a single track at about the same time.  Tchahahahaaa! Right!  Well then eventually we all got in line and kept moving.  The top is where I was able to put my stomach at rest.  A bathroom! Yeah, and while everyone was going to the perspective sexes, I chose to use the unused family closet.  When I got out, I was DFL.  Well, my stomach kept it's unease for the first two hours.  The first leg followed a paved road up....at the top we dropped down along a manicured dirt type bike trail and from there worked our way back to the start along overgrown single track and roads.  Not before we passed by the restroom one more time, I had to get this off my mind.

I passed by the first aid station thinking I had enough water to make it to the next aid station.  The four plus mile section had us climbing up to a ridge line and moving along it until we dropped into Tennessee Valley.

There is a trail here.  Leaving Rodeo Lagoon to Tennessee Valley

 Half way there the last slurp of my water went down my throat.  i nervously asked the person in front of me if she new how far to go.  She didn't and right after I asked I remember seeing the friken trail sign a little ways back that said, 'Tennessee Valley 2.2 miles' that solves  that.  The weather was still reasonably cool and I wasn't worried about it.    I made it to the TV aid at 8:30.  Almost 3 hours to go 11 miles.  No bueno!  I kept repeating what Thomas had said to me earlier this week, "Take the first 40 miles easy, then if you have anything left, go!"  I kept my promise to him and kept my urge to get going suppressed.

Leaving TV aid I asked one of the very nice people how far to Pan Toll.  The reply was 9 miles.  So, I asked is it a long 9 or short.  He smiled and said, "Oh, it's a long one."  A few hundre yards down the road another volunteer directed us up.  Up we went, the climb wasn't too bad and went by reasonably quick.  Some boring fire road action and then tada, single track fun time!  This part was so awesome I took a movie of it.

This section started slow but ended nicely.  Some of the prettiest flowers and trees.  For a while there I thought I was trippin' on something.  Really felt weird.  Then it ended and we were back on fire roads.  This is where I started feeling a rock in my right shoe.  Piss!! I didn't wana stop.  I had to.  Shook my shoe brushed my sock and put the NB 101's back on.  Back on track and feeling good...wait...shit!  I thought the rock came out...I couldn't shake the dang thing while I was running.  Ya, know how you movve your foot around and try to get the rock anywhere but where it's causing a nasty hotspot or something, well it didn't work.  I waited until I got to Pan Toll.

Heading toward Pan Toll

Awesome, soft and fun single track

What a cluster fk Pan Toll was for me.  I couldn't out figure anything.  I kept trying to get the rock out of my shoe.  Finally, I gave up 10 minutes later and put on my Montrail Rogue Racers.  Hmmm feels good.  I loaded my pack, drank my Boost and headed out.  Looking back on PT Aid, the volunteers ran the place very efficiently, I should have taken advantage of that but I didn't.  Over all they were all freekishly kind and very willing to help out with anything.  I saw it in action and it was almost like taking advantage of someone who is always nice and smiling for no apparent reason.  If I had asked for help maybe I wouldn't have spent soooo so so so much time there.

From PT Aid to Bolinas Ridge can be described as a picturesque Sound of Music, grassy hillside single track goodie time mixed in with some fast shaded areas.  This is the part where the elite peoples put on the 6 minute pace and feel the wind going past their faces like they were hanging out a speeding car window.  I can just imagine.  This was a very runnable section and so I did to the best of my ability.  It was fun and I couldn't help but smile like an idiot.  I was singing and huming for a while too.  I think I scared some people.  A little while after leaving PT I caught up to Kristen and Cody.

Kristen and Cody heading to Bolinas Ridge

Kristen knee was bummin'.  Rightfully they were concerned about Tahoe Rim Trail 100m she is running in July.  I am too, so hopefully she takes my advice and gets into formal physical therapy.  We exchanged words for a couple minutes and then I left.  Kristen dropped at Bolinas Ridge.  The entire section seemed pretty mellow, unlike the first two where you were either going up or down.  This sectin moved quickly and was primarily single track.  This is also where the front runners, four of them, blazed by me.  Such a humbling experience, these guys are so friken fast, it really is fun to watch them go by.  Sporatically they would pass and we would move to the side to let them keep pace.  At this piont in the run I still felt really good and having them blaze past kept buggin me to go faster.  I would catch myself speeding up and then I kept hearing TR's words so I would slow to an overly comfortable pace.  On this section I think I was doing a little better than a 10 minute pace.  As long as I could sing and not be out of breath I was doing OK.  As time went by it became easier and easier to stay mellow.

Bolinas Ridge Aid was set perfectly along the trail side.  It was very busy and I guess I got there at a good time.  A large group of sponsored/ elite/ much faster than me/ crewed runners were prepping for their last 20.  I grabbed a ton of stuff.  I ate a whole PB&J, three or four potatoes, grabbed some chips and asked one of the wonderful volunteers to put some peanut M&M's in a cup to take with. This time I also asked someone to help me get my pack filled.  I wasn't in a hurry and being more relaxed seemed to make this pit stop go faster.  Good enough. 

A lot of two way traffic on this section.  Good thing it was a fire road.  The whole thing if I remember right.  Most of the trail is covered by old coastal pines leaving a somewhat softer, duffy type surface to run on.  Once again we were met with a very runnable almost all downhill section.  Rolling dirt roads are kind of fun.  Here I saw a lot of people I had seen or met at different places.  Almost everyone who went by said something.  It's really cool.  Most everyone had something encouraging to say and an occasional high five or knuckle knock made the journey a little sweeter.  I took my camera out so I could get some photos, then I forgot to use it.  I did take two.  One of Gretchen B and one of Larissa P.  Two very happy, solid runners.

Larissa P. cruising back to Bolinas Ridge

Just when I was beginning to think, how friken long is this section gona take, I came across another fantastic volunteer who said, 1.7 downhill to the next aid.  Sheeeeeeeeeit!! That guy wasn't friken kiddin'.  Downhill?? Phukme, he shoulda said, "Sorry the elevator is out, just jump!"  This was a harsh down hill.  I could feel it going to work on my legs.  I got passed left and right by those who were willing to mash their quads.  My quads were fine, at the bottom my right knee was starting to feel a little achy. 

At the Randall Trail AS I checked my knee out as best as possible.  Tight at terminal flexion but strength is normal and no obvious swelling.  Ha! Good To Go!  The wonderful volunteers told me I was in at half hour until the cut off.  CUT OFF!!! WTF I hadn't even thought about that.  Not making because  of a cut would be just to to shitty a deal.  He then mentioned hard cut off was 6:00pm at Pan Toll.  I had plenty of time.  With the pack full and a few more food items shoved in my face I headed back up the elevator shaft.  Going up was surprisingly easy.  I found a rhythm early and stuck with it.  A few minutes into the climb I saw Cody.  He didn't look too happy.  He had a patellar tendon strap on and apparently this was given him some trouble.  That is no bueno, not much fun to deal with.  Hope he gets that one dealt with before States.  At the top of the climb I went back at my mellow pace.  Since I hadn't reached the 40 mile mark I had to still keep it under wraps....ya know keep the big guns hidden till the end, save the best for last...blah hoooo!  I did.  I fell in behind a couple of guys who were keeping a good enough pace for me.  They were chatting about this and that and that.  They would roll ahead and then I would reel them back in.  Turned into a fun little game.

The road rolled with an uphill slant.  The tiny downhills that followed the little ups began to give me more and more trouble.   My knee was starting to chat at me a little more every time I took a step downhill.  I don't usually hope for climbs but at this point I would have traded in all the downers for uppers.  I could see the outside of my knee was starting to get a little swollen.  A small case of tendonitis working it's ugly friken head into my run-fun.  Worrying about my knee made me wana drop.  Phac No! I want my T-shirt.  I kept at it.  Bolinas Ridge came quicker this time and I made it to my magic 40 mile mark.  Actually it was 41.1.  It was the furthest I had ever been.  Yeah for me.  Luckily there were all kinds of motivating signs...

The stop was once again as quick as I could make it.  More pots, pbj and chips.  I took a to-go bag of pots and chips, filled my sac and left.  Piss.  I forgot gu.  I had to turn around.  I contemplated for about 5 seconds.  I was only 30 yards out of the aid station. 

The next section was heading back to PT.  This was fast as it was going out. Only this time you could see the weather coming in.  The marine layer and on shore breezes cooled things down on the exposed trails. This time I met a cool lady named Marissa.  She is a spunky lady with a pixie haircut and a fantastic attitude.  We hung out for a bit then she bolted.  I caught up because I was feeling good and we spent the rest of the fun time trail trading stories and passing people making the time go by faster.  At this point I found that if I kept my weight underneath me, kept as efficient as possible and picked up the pace my knee didn't hurt as much.  There really wasn't a lot of downhill so it rolled and I went with it.  We pulled into Pan Toll before 5pm.  I just couldn't remember how much before or if it was at 5.  I prepped myself for the cold weather I saw coming in.  Wind breaker, sleeves, gloves and a headlamp.  The excellent people helped me get my shit together once again.  I drank another Boost and grabbed some gu and pancakes from my drop bag.  There weren't that many left...that tells me I am one of the last runners.  By this point, I really didn't care.  I just wanted to finish.  Pan Toll is 47.8 miles into the run.  I came this far, I was gona make it the rest.  Then the nice gentleman told me, "the next part is an easy 2 mile downhill and a flat run to the next aid." Wow! Talk about pissing on my parade.  I asked if there was any ups and he responded with a not for a while comment.

Marissa left and anyone who I latched on with,left me because we were going downhill and we were supposed to be going fast...I just wasn't.  That two mile section to Muir Beach Aid flat out sucked.  Really, I was walking most of it slower than I would have gone up it.  This was miserable and once again i thought about dropping at Muir Beach.  At the bottom of the hill I stopped to take some rocks out of my shoes.  They were friken killing me once again.  i guess if it isn't one thing it's another!  Got the rocks out.  Nope, they never seemed to get out and I didn't bring any extra socks.  The next trail was soft ground under cover of oaks and other coastal trees and shrubs.  This is also where the onshore breezes came up and gave us a big ugly kiss...that never ended.  This is also where I met Jim Magil.  I needed this guy to come a long.  I recognized him from the hostel and he recognized me as well.  He asked if I was the "pizza guy" and I remembered him calling my pancake that in the morning.  We chatted off and on.  Finally I asked him how he had delt with his 'dark spots' during longer runs.  He had great words at the time, I just can't remember them now.  One important thing he said was he often felt like that when he was low in fuel tank.  Makes sense, so I started eating.  Duh!  Anyway we kept in the conversation for quite some time and with the help a another couple of runners we made it into freezing cold Muir Beach Aid.  Sweet!  Mile 53.5.  Hell yeah I just completed a 50+ mile run.

The Muir Aid station went quick.  I started feeling this internal urgency to get done.  That and I didn't want to get too cold.  Leaving the aid we headed up and back to Tennessee Valley.  This is a good thing because at this point I could make up some time going up and so I went at it as hard as I could.  This section is where I would once again latch onto Jim and another guy named Bobb.  At the top of the climb it was cold and windy and it was not a barrel of monkeys.  The trail moved along a cliff top and moved with the contours of the mountain.  The trail took a turn down toward the ocean, yep that's right, more down hill!!!  It was short lived but painful none-the-less.  After the brief down we headed up a set of never ending stairs and then a steep little single track to once again follow a ridge line.  This ended when we began to head into Tennessee Valley.  A short one mile decent and we were on the road to the last aid station.  Five miles left.

The aid people were very nice for being there all dang day long.  I tried to drink some soup...no way, blah...puke, yuk.  No chicken noodle just some other vegetable stuff that just didn't smell right.  I grabbed one more gu had my pack filled and then I left.

Bobb took off just before me and Jim was well behind.  So I started up the gentle incline by myself.  It was getting dark and spooky.  I remembered this section of the course on the out trip.  It was gentle and flowed well.  Pretty soon Bobb and I were hanging out and we stayed that way until we crossed the finish line together.  The last few miles were as unpleasant as can be.  Every turn seemed to go away from the finish line and it just kept getting darker and colder.  The wind was relentless at the top of the hill where the finish line and the YMCA were located.  The last stretch of road went quick and looking at the numbers on the clock I thought of nothing.  There in bright red numbers 15:11:something something.  I wanted to kiss the ground but couldn't bend over.  I just wanted a shower.  All I could think about was sitting under a nice hot friken shower.
 

I love my new shirt.  I suffered a little for this friken shirt!

Lessons Learned:

1-  Take care of blisters early. Or they will mess you up later.  I felt my first blister at mile 12 to 15.  I should have taken care of it at tone of the aid stations.  I didn't and by mile 35 my gait changed and subsequently my IT band flared up a messed up the rest of my run.  Fix the blisters...end of story!!

2-  Use the aid station volunteers.  That's what they are there for and at the same time never count on anyone for having anything FOR you unless they say they will have it for you.  Packing light is easy unless you are high maintenance like me.

3-  Weather dictates electrolyte needs.  Figure out what you need and don't exceed it.  I had puffy hands (water retention) for two or three hours.  It feels weird and ultimately it is better than hyponatremia.

4-  Pick a pace and stick to it.  This was a new distance for me and it took longer than I expected.  Today (three days after) I feel great and almost feel ready to run.  I kept a completely manageable pace.

5-  It is better to show up to a race a little out of shape than a little hurt.  I had a calf problem which pretty much took me out of running the last four weeks before Miwok.  This definitely took it's toll on my finishing time but I knew that going in and I adjusted for it.

6-  Water, food, electrolytes, mental stability and conditioning are the five parameters of ultra-running.  Jim Magil and I discussed this at my "low" point and he stated these five as listed, in order of importance.   It is important to full realize all aspects and know how each works for you before going out for a good run.

7-  Enjoy the surroundings, the people and the running especially.  It is easy to get caught up in your own pity party and throw in the towel.  Just go get it done.  If it's mental...get over it; if it's physical..slow down; if your gut hurts, stop>analyze>fix>go; etc.  Running is fun!!!

8-  Thank everyone!  Especially the old guys who have been around for a while and depart valuable pieces of information on you.

9-  Do it again.  I plan to try this again next year.