Last week was pretty intense for me. A week ago on Saturday I went on a little trail run with Jon and Rini and the San Francisco Running Company group. It was great because they had Nike shoes for everyone to try if they wanted. I was able to snag a pair of the Wildhorse 3's, which I was happy about since I've been wanting to give them a test run!

Unfortunately in my excitement I neglected to take any photos of them.

A quick review. I did like them. I had to size up to a 7.5 which surprised me since I never usually have to go larger than a 7. They were solid on the trails, but they felt a bit stiff. I prefer them over the kiger 3's since they have a bit more cushioning, especially on the heel. The grip was great, never questioned that part, and the upper was very comfortable. I really love how wide the toebox is, yet it isn't floppy or clunky. When I came back from the run, I put my Hoka Challenger's on, and I immediately realized how narrow that toe box is (in the Hoka's) in comparison.

Now back to the run. Rini and I were the caboose to the lightning fast SFRC train. I can never keep up with any of them! A good portion of the people that run on Saturdays there are elites, so there's that. Then the rest of them are just one half step below elites.

Photo Credit: Rini Sugianto

We meandered through the hills, and managed to get our prescribed 16 miles in for the day. We were walk/running for the majority of it, and I was feeling pretty great! My feet were my only complaint, they definitely were aching for the cushioning of the Challenger's. They are complete babies when it comes to anything that aren't Hoka's now.

Photo Credit: Rini Sugianto

The next day Jon and I woke up bright and early again and headed to our favorite Peninsula trail at Huddart Park. Jon was only scheduled to do a light 4 miler, so I ended up going solo for our usual 10 mile route.

You would think I would know the trail by now since we've done it at least five times. But no. As soon as Jon was out of sight I was lost. Johan is probably laughing at me, since we've talked about this. I always say I like to follow runners instead of leading, and he mentioned that I won't take notice to where I'm going.

The VERY FIRST TURN, I was lost. I got turned around three times, adding an additional mile to my run. It didn't help that my legs were unusually sore that day and I was feeling some pain in my right knee on the way up.

I wanted to scream by the third time I got lost, and instead just pulled out my google maps and followed a trail back to the car. In my defense, the trails at Huddart are VERY confusing. I also was instinctively correct on each turn I made but then would second guess and go backwards and then forward again.

I hobbled my way down at an excruciatingly slow pace. My knee was really acting up, and I just wanted to finish the stupid run. The weather was unusually warm, and was not helping my attitude.

I took Monday and Tuesday off, and went to see Dr. Dade (sports chiropractor) about my knee. I wasn't limping when walking and I didn't think it was a big deal. He worked on it some, and thought it was probably tweaked from a tight calf which caused my knee to bend too soon.

Wednesday came, and I headed out for a 10k. It hurt. I was hobbling. The internal battle trying to decide if I should go on or turn back was ongoing. The pain started to subside so I continued on, but I was certainly not going fast. Butttt...my heart rate was great! *smile*

Thursday came and I wanted to test out my knee again. The first half mile was even worse but then the pain started to go away completely. It seems like it's fine but if I step off slightly, it messed up the tracking of my patella and it would leave me hobbling for 10 steps or so.

Friday was a rest day, and Saturday I thought I would stick to the flat trails to get my long runs in. I also taped my knee according to some YouTube instructions that my doc sent me. I think it helped because I felt much better.

Once I warm up, the pain isn't even there at all. I finished my 18 miler feeling great with an average 10:20 pace and a 144 heart rate! It was incredible!

I came home and iced it right away and decided to take some Vitargo since I never gave it an honest shot and had a gigantic tub taking up a square foot of space on our counter.

It is a super starch that is digested insanely quick, and is supposed to aid in recovery. It tastes okay. There's a slight slimy consistency to it, but I like the flavor. I made the mistake once of adding water to it once the powder was on the bottom and it just made a giant sticky ball within the shaker ball. This time I read the instructions, and put in room temperature water first halfway, then a scoop (they say 2 scoops but I don't need 280 calories) and then top it off with cold water, THEN shake.

Sunrise!

Either my body was really happy about not running up a mountain, or the vitargo worked, or maybe both...but I was SUPER hyper and productive yesterday. I managed to finish my 18 miler, then make breakfast, clean the entire house (an actual proper cleaning), bathe our stinky dog, paint a painting with a friend, go grocery shopping, do all the laundry, and squeeze in lots of time to stare at imgur.

First time painting in a while! Water soluble oil paints

I'm home alone too while Jon attempted to climb Whitney with his family, so getting up before 6 is not very easy for me to do solo. But I did it TWICE. TWICE!!! I got up early to beat the heat this weekend, and ran another 10 miles on the bay trail. My knee felt even better, although definitely not 100%. I decided to take it easy and just play photographer for the day. The sunrise was spectacular.

I'm also happy that the birds are coming back for the fall! I love seeing all of them on the trail.

The best part? I ran by the area where I saw the "Goats at Work" sign, and to my utter delight, the entire field was littered with Goats! They were PLOWING through this field like it was nothing. Incredible!

I (clearly) took a lot of photos. And videos. And then I just stared at them and tried to make friends. This run was evidently not a serious one.

Once I peeled myself away from the beautiful distraction, I trotted back home and was reminded of the reason I got up so early in the first place. The sun is really unforgiving on the bay trail, I'm glad I didn't sleep in.

I was pleased to see that my pace was sub 10, and my heart rate still below MAF. I took some more Vitargo, because why not? and I once again had a steady flow of energy to help me get chicken feed, and wander around the mall in a desperate attempt to buy new clothes. I was barely successful.

Anyway, this weekend I might stick with the flat paths again if my knee isn't up to it. Sunday is the San Jose Rock N Roll Half Marathon, so I'm looking forward to that! Unfortunately I think I'll probably have to go MAF style so I don't make my injury any worse. It's a bummer since it's such a flat course, but oh well! At least the ol' legs still work!

OH! And last but not least, I did the JP Morgan Corporate challenge with our Storm8 team! I organize this run every year, and it is always so much fun! I managed to run a 7:49min/mi. I have to admit, I was a bit bummed when my strava said 7:39, but I guess I ran an extra tenth of a mile. Booooo....but it was a lot of fun. Here's some photos!

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An achy knee, lots of MAF, and most importantly... GOATS!

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Finally! After over eight years of residing in the Bay Area, I've finally gotten myself to the summit of Mt. Tamalpais (aka Mt. Tam) in Marin. This beautiful mountain overlooks the Marin Valley, and is a part of many famous trails in the area. It's been taunting me, silently, and on my list of "to do's" for a while. 

I ran up with our friend Johan. He knows the trails there like the back of his hand, so he took me up a running friendly route. It was all "runnable" I'd say, although it definitely pushed me to my limits. Johan, who had recently finished an ultra marathon in Stockholm (I think a 90k?), was practically running circles around me. I completely threw my heart rate plan out the window, and just tried to keep up with him. 

There are several ways to get to the summit. Jon was hiking with his sister up this notorious (with the SFRCer's) trail called the Widow Maker. You can see our friend Brett's segment data here. It is basically STRAIGHT up, reaching the summit in less than two miles, whereas I took nearly seven miles at a low/moderate (5%-7%) incline.

I have to say, I was impressed. The views were tough to beat, and it was fun climbing around on the rocks at the top. There were even some rock climbers top rope climbing nearby. We were pretty fortunate to be going up on an unusually clear day, so we could easily see the entire city of San Francisco, the bridge, and plenty more. 

One thing I could have done without were all the thirsty and hungry bees at the top. I'm not allergic, but I've also never been stung and wanted to keep it that way. They tend to like bright colors, so my bright pink and purple attire was not working in my favor. Time to switch to black and grey. I am such a pansy.

Jon and his sister joined us at the top, we took some pictures, and then Johan and I ran down for another eight miles back to the car. It was a nice and easy gradual downhill, but for some reason my stomach was super sloshy/bloated/gurgly/monster-like and I had to trot down at an easy pace. 

Oh! I should mention that I also used the Jenny Vesta, and it was GREAT. I love the fit of the vest, nice and snug, no bouncing. I used a hydration pack in the back and had two bottles up front, which made it pretty freaking heavy. I might have to tweak that, but it's a good buy. I'm going to take some proper photos of it soon, and wear it a bit more before I give a review.

Since Mount Tam, I've been taking it pretty easy. There's been a heat wave, and over the long weekend I spent my free time outside gardening, harvesting, and tearing up our old tomato plants. This is only the tip of the iceberg.

All that time in the sun lead to some minor heat exhaustion, and dehydration. I went out for a MAF run later that night, and ended up tripping and falling. It was a slow fall. The same state of mind that I imagine cyclists have when they are clipped in and fall at a stop light. You know it's going to happen and you just have to let it happen. It was only in front of about 10 other people. Happy families on their evening holiday stroll. And no, nobody helped me, we all just diverted our eye contact and pretended like nothing happened. Naturally.

I had another easy run tonight, but the heat wave isn't helping things. Temps in the bay area are reaching triple digits, and even with the sun going down it was still in the 80's. My ankle is also a bit swollen now, the road rash really stings!

Tomorrow is the big JP Morgan Corporate Challenge. Storm8 has a team of 13 folks running this year. I'm really excited about it, and can't wait to post. I doubt I'll be breaking any records, especially since it's only supposed to be hotter tomorrow...but I guess you never know! More to come later!

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Mount Tamalpais Summit!

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Back to what this blog was originally about! RUNNING!

Running has taken its proper place back in my list of priorities. Since I had signed up for the North Face Endurance Challenge 50 Miler, I decided most of my training needs to be on hills and on trails.

First of all, let me go over my hydration pack woes. I have FOUR, count 'em, FOUR hydration packs. #1 is an old Nathan 2 liter vest that I kind of like, but it's a little heavy for my taste and is a bit awkward looking. It is a great pack for the cost, and I'm going to keep it around. #2 is my Ultraspire Spry vest, which I love love love, but the nozzle broke off recently and I've been to lazy to change it. I also find that it goes lopsided on me, I think because the straw pulls it over. And sometimes I think 1 liter just won't cut it. I also have vest #3 which is the Orange Mud Hydraquiver Single Barrel vest. It's OKAY. I like the concept, and love the bottle. It's so easy to refill. However, on the last two runs I used it on, I noticed my hair was super sticky and wet from the bottle. I am not sure if I left open the top, but oh man that was not fun. I kept ripping my hair on it because it was so sticky. Gross.

So enter vest #4 which is my Salomon S-Lab vest. It's great, except now that I'm 10 lbs lighter from last year, it is too big for me. When I got it, I was sized somewhere between the XXS and the XS/S, so I got the XS/S. Poor choice. I also didn't like the snap system in the front, and as great as those flexible bottles are, I find them pretty annoying. They get floppy when they're empty, and they're hard to put ice in and mix fluids in. Cleaning them is a pain, and I just don't see why everyone raves about them.

Oh, and it gave me a killer burn on my collarbones from being too large. By the end of the run, I just yanked the bottles out and ran with them in my hands so it would stop the chaffing. The burn was surprisingly deep, and I was hurting all week from that.

I am going to sell my Salomon Vest, and replace it with the Ultimate Direction Jenny Vesta. I tried it on, and the fit is great. I love how small it is, and how the bottles ride above the boobage, so you don't have that awkward look going on. I am not sure how I feel about the bottles that come with it, I hear a lot of people have issues with the caps being hard on the teeth, so I got two replacement nathan bottles with soft pull out valves that will fit. I also got a 1.5 Liter bladder for the back for super long runs. I will report to you guys next week. :)

It is week 3 of our 16 week training plan. I think my approach is going well. I am trying to do MAF runs during the week, and harder trail runs on the weekend. I even did hill repeats last week which were all at my MAF heart rate. It was a slow walk up hill and then a fast run downhill. I felt amazingly fresh doing that, compared with the other hill sprints I did the week before. That week I had ran fast up hill and then had to stop to catch my breath or walk downhill. Turns out I was only 30 seconds slower per mile with my MAF heart rate. A small price to pay for how much better I felt, and how much healthier my legs were for the week.

My hill sprints fast uphill- 735 feet gained

MAF Hill day - walking uphill - 778 feet gained

Doing hill repeats on this 50 foot hill wasn't too bad actually, especially if you have a sunset to watch the entire time. It is a good mental exercise as well, so I'm going to be including it once a week.

This weekend we conquered two peaks. One was Eagle Peak at Mt. Diablo. Jon and his sister were backpacking up, and I ran by myself. I would run a bit and then go back to check in with them, and then run farther. I ended up doing 11.5 miles and over 3,700 feet of elevation! I was mostly walking since the sections were pretty freaking steep. It was rewarding to get all of that elevation in. We even spotted a tarantula. They are known to come out around this time for mating season.

Part of the harder sections of the trail. So steep!

Photo Credit to Jon Martin

The next day we ran up Montara Mountain. Jon needed to get in 3000 feet for his training plan, and I needed to get in 8-9 miles for mine. I wasn't intending on doing so much elevation but I got over 2,300. I had a new technique of something between going all out and MAF. I would let my heart rate go to about 165-170 before I would walk, and then run again. I was basically walking for 10 steps then running for 10 and so on. I have to say, it felt GREAT. I had so much energy the entire day, never felt weak, and maintained a somewhat decent pace. This type of trail running is definitely going to be a regular technique for me from now on.

Last but not least, I had a run today that went really well! My heart rate was low, and even though it was pretty windy out, I was able to do a below MAF run at 145bpm, AND do a 10 min mile. Not sure how that happened, but I'm happy with it!

Tomorrow is hill day, Thursday is a fun run with the co-workers, and then this weekend Jon and I are planning on running up Mt. Tam for the first time! I have to say, I don't want to get all cheesy but I really am thankful for having Jon. How lucky am I to have a partner that I can go off and explore trails together with? Looking forward to taking the rest of the weekend to catch up on other things in life and to maybe even have a day where I can do completely nothing! I won't hold my breath though.

Have a great long weekend Everyone! Here's a recent photo of chickens just because...

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Running up Mountains (baby ones) and my quest for the perfect vest.

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It finally happened. My tiny bucket list has one less item. Saturday, April 04, I ran my first ever 50 miler at the American River 50 that runs from Folsom to Auburn, CA. I've finally earned THIS beauty. Ultrarunnerpodcast threw in the >26.2 for free (thank you!) but I plan on just using the FIDDY.

Let's cut to the chase. Friday, Jon and I headed up to Folsom, and checked in to NorCalUltras at the Fleet Feet in Fair Oaks. I grabbed my cinch bag filled with my bib (#322), a green tech tee, some Gu Chomps, a Clif bar sample, some stickers, and my favorite - the American River 50 buff. 

The AR50 Buff

Look how round my head is!

We stayed at the Larkspur Landing hotel in Folsom, since it was affiliated with the race, and had a special discount. Our studio room was really nice, and the bed was fluffy and comfortable. It included breakfast at 4am for the runners, and the shuttle was just a quick walk across the street at the Hilton. The only negatives that I would give is that the air conditioning was a little intense, and the tub was very very slow to drain which can be kind of gross when you're covered in dirt and sweat.

My awesome running twin Rini, her husband Brandon, and her friend Lori met up with us and booked a room three doors down (yes, like the band). We ate our pre-race meals at Scott's Seafood Bar and Grill, and I indulged in a filet mignon and shrimp on a bed of rice. We all seemed pleased with our meals. Rini clearly had the most...ornate one of the bunch. 

After dinner, we made a quick pit stop at Walmart to get some last minute crucial items. Crewing isn't complete without a bean bag toss game, fancy folding chairs, and a cooler for the bacon flavored hot dogs and beer. 

Jon with his lawn games, arm chair, and rolling cooler.

Bedtime was around 10pm, and I was back up by 3am. It was painful. I rolled out of bed and strapped on the 50lbs* of running gear I dragged with me. The most notable items were my shoes, the Hoka One One Cliftons, the Hikers Wool for my feet, and my Garmin 920XT watch. Nutrition wise, I armed myself with Gu's, Pocket Fuel Naturals, and Nuun Tablets in my spiffy Salomon vest that held two 16oz soft-flasks (One for water, one for electrolytes).  *it wasn't really 50lbs

My race gear

Not happy at 3am

My five star breakfast was a gross boiled egg, some coffee, and half of a banana. Then we crawled on the shuttle with a large number of fellow zombie runners. The shuttle was a school bus, driven by a super nice lady that let us take shelter on the bus after arriving to keep warm. The weather wasn't too bad, but the wind made the start a bit chilly. There was also a tent available, but being in that tent made me very aware that people need to wash their gear. Runners stink. Present company included.

Rini trying to sneak in some extra Z's before the race.

On the bus

The guns went off at 6am. Most of us had headlamps on, which you could conveniently kiss goodbye to at mile five. And in my drunken tiredness, I forgot to pick it up and will never see it again. *sniff*

To my surprise (and obvious lack of research), the first five miles were on a trail. I wasn't prepared to run in the dark on a single track. It also blew my low heart rate plan completely out the door since I was starting off with a 160-170hr from all the little hills and focusing on not falling and being trampled alive. One notable highlight was the lunar eclipse that we all got to see. It was beautiful, and on the way out the moon was hanging low and it was still partially eclipsed. 

The Eclipse at 4:30am

About 5 miles in, post single track

Miles 5.5-20 were easy breezy for me, mostly flat and on a pleasant bike path. I was holding a steady pace, and felt good. I met our crew (Jon, Brandon, and Lori), and like a well oiled machine, they had my liquids replenished and sent me off for another nine miles.

Brandon running me in to the rest of the crew

I met them again at mile 29, a little more disheveled than before, but still holding up. My problem at that point was that I could not handle any of my Gu's that I brought. The only thing I ate up to that point was half of a Pocket Fuel and a Gu that I forced down. I don't know what happened because I never had issues eating these before, and I actually looked forward to them in training. 

The real fun began after mile 29. My vivid imagination painted a relatively flat course, with some happy little trails on some happy little slopes, but the cold reality was a lot of single tracks with seemingly endless hills. The terrain ranged from a soft soul sucking sand, to rock hard paths that were torn up by mountain bikes, to some loose rocks and big steps. I'm probably exaggerating here, and the ultra runner pros are probably laughing at me, but I thought it was surprisingly technical terrain.

The worst part for me were all the giant steps and stones. I swear some of them were a foot and a half or two foot drops, which are usually okay on fresh legs, but at over 30 miles in was just cruel. Especially with my stumpy legs. By mile 35 I was cursing like a sailor. Alone. In the woods.

Speaking of the woods, one thing to watch out for is the absurd amount of poison oak lining the trails! Luckily I don't seem to be susceptible to it, but I know some people are. I also heard through the grapevine that there were rattlesnakes on the course. Eek!

My classily titled Strava run, and the elevation my Garmin estimated.

Now here's the biggie. See the elevation total here? The website listed it as 3100' total, and I swear prior to that I saw numbers online ranging between 1500'-2700'.  After all, the reason I picked this course was because it was supposedly one of the fastest and flattest out there! Actually, it still is, but I'm a baby. As soon as my Garmin passed 3000', a bit of my soul died and I gave up on hitting anything near 9 hours. The best metaphor I could come up with is, imagine yourself waiting in line for a slightly thrilling but mostly serene ride on Splash Mountain, but then realizing after you sat down that you were actually on an extended version of the Tower of Terror.

The REAL course elevation

I hit the last crewed aid station at mile 40. They were worried about my lack of calories, so they mixed me a special brew of Carbo Pro, salt, and water and wouldn't turn me loose until I drank every last drop. They also cooled me down with a wet towel, and threw a cold wet bandana over my neck since the temps started to get a bit uncomfortable out there. All I could do was stare blankly and try to convince them at how hard it was, but only received the "yes dear" and pat on the back response that you'd give a delusional person.

My super hot double chin photo while getting my bottles refilled.

I turned to go back up this god awful hill that the aid station was below. On the way up, a runner that passed me on the way down shouted "LITTLE GOAT!?" and I got to meet a fellow instagrammer! I never thought I'd respond to the name Little Goat, or that anyone would even recognize me! Thanks for that little boost of energy Wingedling! 

The carbo pro kicked in, thank God. I was fading from only taking about 200 calories for the first 40 miles. I got some new found energy and managed to whip through the next three miles without too much of a struggle.

Miles 43-46 were PRETTY slow. It got to the point where I was telling myself to run every tenth of a mile. I had done the math in my head and was just trying to keep a 15 minute mile so that I could stay under a 10 hour finish. I had no clue how long the last three miles would take me, considering that the race ended with a notoriously killer hill.

I hit the last aid station, right before the big hill at mile 46. It was blasting some much needed metal music, and was decorated with a giant Red Bull archway. The volunteers were so incredible throughout the entire event, and gave the runners first class treatment. They ran out to every runner eagerly, and happily filled their waters or got them whatever they needed. Not only did they serve us like waiters in a fine restaurant, but they also shouted encouraging words like, "YOU LOOK SO FRESH!" even if I was walking crookedly with a limp with my sweaty hair in my face.

Part of Cardiac Hill. No fancy camera angles here.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to know when you hit "Cardiac Hill". It was STEEP, and I was making desperate attempts to make it a little less horrible by trying walk backwards, or just swearing the whole way up. This is when my hamstrings began to threateningly twitch and were on the verge of seizing up. I took this picture of 3 miles left to go, simply because I clearly had the time and was not moving fast enough for it to be blurry.

The hill did round out after about a mile, and I managed to keep running even though it was still slightly uphill. I felt pretty encouraged, thanks to the mile markers. I managed to "fly" through the last three miles at a 12 minute pace.

Energetic and encouraging spectators were lined up along the finish line that I crossed at exactly 9 hours and 47 minutes, snagging me 159th place overall from over 600 finishers. I was handed my new shiny medal, and fluffy pink Patagonia jacket right away.

I thought I was running, but apparently not.

I was greeted with my wonderful crew too! The finish line "festival" was well executed as well. I was poured some piping hot beef chili and then sat for 10 minutes in these fancy air compressed recovery boots. They really did help get the blood flowing through the legs, but were out of my price range.

Rini is a natural at this long distance stuff, and despite getting lost for almost two miles, she still managed to surge ahead and finish with an awesome first 50 miler time of 9:37! She's an incredible person and athlete, and I am so glad we met each other last year! 

After chatting for a while, I went back to the hotel and did the big blister reveal. I had three blisters, all in the usual spots (two on the outside of my big toes, and one on my pinky toe). Nothing too horrible or surprising, I've had worse at marathons, but man my feet were FILTHY from the trail! I took a much needed ice bath, and then we went to eat at Hawks where I indulged in chicken, french fries, wine, and dessert. 

Yes, I was wearing shoes and socks!

So how do I feel post race? Well, my quads were completely blown out for the first couple of days. I actually got stuck on the 2nd step of our three step stairway to our driveway. I had gone down a stair, but couldn't bring myself to go down another, or back up because it hurt so bad to hold any weight on a bent leg. I just stood there laughing until I cried, and then Jon got out of the car to help me down the last step. Everything else is good though. Like...really good. Suspiciously good. 

Would I do it again? Ask me in a month, but I think I got away with a pretty ideal first 50 miler experience. The weather was perfect, my training was seamless, no major issues, and I was with a wonderful group of people. It was about 2000 feet more of elevation than I was expecting, but I guess the lesson learned is to REALLY do your homework. And oh, never believe the elevation charts. 

I'm glad I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and it was nice to experience that nervous/excited/unsure feeling again that I was beginning to lack with the marathon and half marathon distances. I should also mention that the course was profoundly beautiful. Wildflowers galore, the American River, and butterflies so numerous they literally hit me in the face!

Last but certainly not least, I want to thank my boyfriend Jon for taking such good care of me! I think he might have been more nervous than I was, and even made sure to poke me on the shoulder in the middle of the night to make sure I wasn't dead from the lack of movement. He also carried all of our stuff back to the car, and made me a fancy omelette in the morning.

Jon with one of the crew dogs - Kali!

I think we overpacked.

Oh, and just because.

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Race Report - American River 50 Miler

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