Last week before the race. Plus check out my new Salomon Vest!

The training log is wrapping up this week, which means I'm going to be a nervous wreck! I already started to freak out just from last week. Things really started to sink in once I got the official race emails and Facebook posts. Eek.

Running this past week was a bit lackluster. I'm also suffering from some minor food poisoning which made this morning's run noticeably bad. High heart rate, chills, and later in the day a massive headache and nausea. Eugh.

I didn't get any runs under a 10 min mile average, which was kind of a bummer. My longest run Saturday was 10 miles in Marin, so I decided to ignore MAF altogether and run free with my friend and training partner Rini. We did a gorgeous out and back course through the Tennessee Valley. It was only about 4 to 500 feet of elevation gain, but was a harsh reminder of the hill work I've been slacking on.

Can I just mention how awesome that run was though? It was an event at the San Francisco Running Company that was sponsored by the sock company Stance. If you have a thing for socks, running or not, you need to check them out. So many designs!!! Anyway, they seriously went all out! Not only was the run a big hit with over 60 participants, but they gave away free socks, had a food truck, beer, and foot massages! Here's a pic with me and Brett Rivers, the owner of SFRC. I feel so lucky to have known him back in our Zynga days, and find it incredible how fast and how far the store has developed in the past few years! He is also blazing fast on the trails (9th place this year in Western States), and I expect big things from him in the future.

Anton Krupicka was there too, as he's sponsored by them. Jon, Rini and I totally geeked out about it. If you don't know who he is, he is a legend in the ultra running community. I watched him in the documentary Unbreakable, and it's amazing to see him in action. His gait is so smooth, and it's amazing to see him flying at 7 minute miles at the end of a 100 mile race.

Left: Me, Anton (yeah, first name basis) and Rini

Back to the socks - they were awesome! Talk about high quality, and the patterns are really fun. They are lightweight and snug. If they made knee high socks I would totally be hooked on them, but with the mid calf ones I have to show my embarrassing runners tan, and I'm not too keen about that. I was super happy to score a free pair though.

My awesome tan line.

I only have three more runs left until we head up to Folsom on Friday for the race. I don't think I've ever been so nervous for a race before! It is a deep unknown considering that it will be 18 miles more than I've ever done before in one go. Butterflies are going nuts in my stomach. 

So what's one piece of advice that you'll hear from pretty much every running veteran? Never try anything new on race day. Typically in an ideal situation you've worn the exact outfit, ate the exact gels/food, ran in the exact shoes and socks...with nothing new. My friend that wore this cotton shirt for a marathon at a last minutes notice understands how important this advice is, since his repercussion was some seriously bloody nipples. 

That piece of advice is also one that runners repeatedly ignore, despite knowing it. This week I'm trying a handful of new things in my mad attempt to survive these 50 miles. The weather is showing some warmer temps than I've been training in and used to, and considering that I don't do well in heat, I've gone into panic mode.

So here's my new running vest that I've never gone over 10 miles in. It's the Salomon S-Lab Advanced Skin 3. My boyfriend has it and swears by it, and I primarily wanted one because my 1 liter Spry wasn't going to cut it. I also wanted something with two bottles so I could have both water and electrolytes, and I could swap them out at the aid stations quickly. I'm treating this race like I'm not going to be doing any stopping at all, when in reality I'm sure I'll probably crawl into the fetal position for a quick sob session.

First impressions of the vest: it's a good fit. I got the XS/S but think an XXS would fit too. I wish there was one even smaller for petite framed girls like me. The water bottles are 16 oz, and I tend to fondle them and it gets a bit awkward. HOW CAN YOU NOT FONDLE THEM THOUGH. They're...right there. The pockets are numerous but I feel like they're all a little bit difficult to jam stuff in. I also wish the front clips were a little less messy and more clear. It didn't come with a hydration bladder, but came with an insulated pocket for a bladder if you buy one. I got mine at a discount at Sports Basement, but otherwise the normal price of $160 seems a bit outrageous to me. I'll give a better updated review after the race.

Last, I decided to try out this hiker's wool that was recommended to me by my friend and AR50 training partner, Rini. She discovered this stuff in New Zealand, and it's popular with long distance hikers there. 

I was a bit skeptical and worried when I put it on, but once I did it was kind of amazing! I think it's a hidden secret. The wool is so soft, and it binds with your sock when you put it on. That was the hardest part for me, putting my compression sock on it, but I found that if I turned the sock almost completely inside out and then put it on, it was better. Once the sock was on, it almost felt like there was gel between my toes because it was so slippery and soft feeling. I didn't feel hot, and I didn't get any blisters. Granted, the farthest I went with this was 10 miles, but I seriously don't think it's going to be a problem. This seems like a great alternative to Injinji toe socks. Pretty thrilled with this.

Well that's all! Sorry for the lengthy update, I'll try to squeeze another post in before the big race. :)