Chabot Trail Run 50K -- 4:15, 3rd place

Post-race glow and Gu on my shirt, with Franz Dill and Jen Pfeifer

Summary
I raced the Lake Chabot 50K (~31.5 miles) today and it went better than my wildest dreams. It was a beautiful day, nice and cool, on beautiful trails, and Inside Trail Racing did a top-notch job. It was a lot of fun seeing so many friends and familiar faces. I kept up a good hard effort the entire time, had some minor cramping issues in the last couple miles, and crossed the finish line in 4 hours 15 minutes with an average pace of about 8:06 over plenty of beautiful hills (4200' elevation gain). I had to look up my old record at this distance (from 2007!) and I beat that time by about 38 minutes. Wow.

Details

Sometime in January, I was faced with the decision -- do I sign up for a half-marathon or two with friends, or try to get in a good 50K? I feel like I had not had a really solid 50K that was in line with my marathon-running ability. I did well in the Pacifica 50K last year, but it's an exceptionally tough course plus I wasted many minutes dealing with chafing issues. In mid-January, I chose to sign up for this Lake Chabot 50K because my training was solid, the long runs of 20 miles came easily, and I thought I should "spend" my fitness on something bigger and more challenging than a half-marathon. So, I've been looking forward to this race for about 5 weeks. I knew I would have a friend or two there, and I knew I would enjoy the trails at the Lake Chabot Regional Park, and finally, I wanted to try out this relatively new trail racing company, Inside Trail Racing.

My training went well, and I had many excellent long runs with friends. I started pushing myself on my long runs, trying to finish them more quickly. I was able to run 20 miles with a couple thousand feet of elevation gain, in 2 hours 40 minutes, which for me was excellent for a training run. I topped out with just about 90 miles for a week. I've also been doing more core strengthening, by attending a "boot camp" with my wife once a week.

A few days before the race, it was announced that Pacific Coast Trail Runs had cancelled their Saturday races in Pacifica, including a 50K. A friend and running phenom, Jennifer Pfeifer, was entered in that Pacifica race and now wanted to find a different race for the same day and she contacted me, asking if I would carpool with her to this Lake Chabot 50K. Of course! Sweet!

The day before the race, I had a bet with my wife, Jennifer, and 9 year old daughter, Claire, about what time I would finish. I told them my previous 50K race times. Jennifer predicted 4:32 (impossible, I said!), Claire said 4:36, and I predicted 4:45.

So, early this morning, I did my usual routine -- woke up 3 hours before the race, ate about 600 calories (banana, bagel, Clif Bar, coffee), and I picked up Jen and we got to the race site nice and early, at about 7:15am for the 8:30am race start. The race was being set-up and the weather was cool and bright, with little wind. I got to chat with a couple friends from my running club and then we were off!

Jen and I didn't plan on running together, but as it happened, her training pace was right about where my race pace was. My heart rate quickly climbed to the high-150s whereas hers was around the mid-140s, and we have the same maximum heart rate, so she really was taking it easy. She is in much better shape than I am. Impressive! Inspiring! So, there were a lot of people in front of us, in three different races -- the 50K, 30K, and half-marathon (21K). After a couple miles, we started passing people regularly.

The course consists of two loops around Lake Chabot, with the first loop having about a 9K extension. The trails were wide and easy to run on. The lake and the views were gorgeous. The Grass Valley Trail was especially beautiful. Jen and I chatted and stayed together for most of the first 18.6 miles. We were running our own races, and I wasn't hesitant to leave her at the aid stations and she pulled ahead on the uphills, running every step whereas I would power-walk for short bits when my heart rate was getting too high. Still, I think having her there pushed me to run a little faster than I was comfortable with. But I was confident in my training and I thought I might be able to hold on to this pace of about 8:12 per mile instead of my planned 9:12 per mile.

My strategy with the aid stations was to just fill-up on water and only when I needed to. I grabbed food at only one aid station, just because the goldfish crackers looked especially yummy. I stuck to the energy gels that I had brought. So, I was very quick to get through the aid stations and the volunteers were great, with pitchers of water ready-to-go, to pour into my one 20oz water bottle.

At the end of the first loop, at the 30K mark, I grabbed my stash of energy gels from my "drop bag", high-fived Franz Dill (who blasted through the 30K in 2:23) and got moving. A volunteer told me that 3 runners were in front of us. Jen took longer at the aid station but caught me and passed me within two miles. I didn't trail her too far, but I was concerned about lasting to the finish. We chatted a bit and I observed that I was still averaging about a minute faster (8:12 pace as I recall) than my goal pace. If only I could keep this up, I would smash my personal record! Jen assured me that I could do it. My heart rate was now consistently in the mid-160s and I was working hard. I ran out of water twice on this second loop, but thanks to the frequent aid stations, I knew I would be able to refill soon. (The reason I ran out of water was that I skipped a fill-up a few times, going to every other aid station.)

With maybe 4 miles to go, I sensed Jen pushing extra hard and I started to feel twinges of cramps. She slowly pulled out of sight, but I really wanted a strong finish. In the last two miles, I started to feel the signs of serious cramps, like my right foot bending inwards, cramps in quads, and calves. I didn't freeze up or stop running, but I had to slow way down on the short but steep uphills. I was still fast on the downhills and flats, and my average pace for the race kept dropping, getting down to 8:06 or 8:07 by the end.

I was getting desperate to see the finish area at the Lake Chabot Marina. There it was! I turned a corner, raced to the finish line. Whew! I was greeted by Jen, and Franz, and Franz's wife Jen. Yay! The cramps immediately set in and my left hamstring and right calf froze painfully. I just stood there in a weird pose, unable to even hobble over to a tree for a few minutes.

I found out that I was actually 3rd place male and 4th overall, so I got a medal. Yay! And all the 50K finishers received a nice beer mug. Sweet! And finally, when I went to get my shirt, they said they had extra tech shirts and would I like one of those instead of my cotton shirt. Yes! I'll wear the tech shirt frequently, but I rarely wear cotton shirts.

And there you have it, the practically perfect 50K race. Feels great! My wife, Jennifer and daughter, Claire, were very happy for me. Jennifer won the bet about my finishing time and all of us could hardly believe that I could beat my expected goal by so much.

What went well, compared to previous 50Ks
So, why did I do so much better than I expected and why was this 50K so much better than my previous ones?

• It's a very fast runnable course. Although it has plenty of hills, the hills are either not too steep or they're not too long.
• I paced myself well, in hind sight.
• I didn't fall apart (too much) at the end. In my other 50Ks, I had significant slowing down for many more miles towards the end.
• My training was solid. Having that 90 mile week plus other 70-mile weeks plus some speedwork really helped.
• I had my friend Jen Pfeifer there with me most of the time, which made me push myself just a bit harder. I think I would have had an excellent race without her, but I would have run it more conservatively.

Random Notes

• I chatted with a guy, Eric Wilson, during the race who recognized me from my Headlands 100 race last August. Sweet! And I met Mark Tanaka, another accomplished ultrarunner. 
• I weighed 165.0 lbs this morning. 
• I got some minor chaffing of my thighs and my right big toenail was rubbing a bit in my shoe, but all-in-all, my equipment and preparation worked great. 
• My Garmin data:  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/152566501 
• The official results are here. My official time is 4:15:54.
• The Chabot Marksmanship Range is a gun range along the Brandon Trail, for about a mile. Mostly, I didn't mind, but some of the higher-pitched cracking gun shots seemed especially nearby and made me jump and set me on edge.
• I didn't have to make any bathroom stops. I usually have to urinate in these longer races.
• I ate an energy gel every 30 minutes, and took a SaltStick capsule every hour. I took one ibuprofen at around the 20 mile mark, "just in case".

I want to give a big thanks to my wonderful wife, Jennifer, for watching Claire and letting me do this today.

California International Marathon -- 2:56:40

Today I ran the California International Marathon, in Sacramento, for the third time. This was my 15th road marathon and ended up being my 2nd fastest!

Entering this marathon was a good excuse for a family reunion and I made the decision about 5 weeks ago to sign-up for it. I have fond memories of this race from 2006 and 2007 -- it's fast, well-organized, and on a pretty course. The 2011 race didn't disappoint! The weather was perfect, the race was well-organized, and there were plenty of great volunteers.

My plan wasn't very complicated. I wanted to start off slow and gradually speed up and try to "keep it together" until the end. I knew from a recent performance test that my ideal heart rate for a marathon distance was about 165 bpm. I wanted to stay below that for about the first half and then increase my speed. Surprisingly, it worked out!

My plan was helped out by a fortuitous encounter with a friend and marathon goddess, Jen Devine Pfeifer, who recently won the Half Moon Bay International Marathon and has been a past Olympic marathon trials entrant. We ran a few miles together early on (she was running 18 miles of the race as a training run) and she told me that she keeps her heart rate at or below 151 for the first 5 miles. (We happen to have the same max heart rate.) I felt good, was taking it easy, and with renewed confidence, I took it easy and didn't worry about the 3hr 5min pace group pulling away from me in the first mile. I ran the first mile in about 7:02 and that was my slowest mile of the race.

I was feeling good, enjoying the scenery, and the spectators. I gradually caught up to and passed the 3 hour 5 minute pace group. Around mile 10, my calves started feeling tight and sore -- as if they weren't far from cramping. Oh no! There wasn't much I could do, so I continued to try to play it safe and mentally save my biggest effort for after mile 20.

Around the halfway point, I passed the 3 hour pace group. My time was 1:29:16. This was a large group of runners and I really did not want them to pass me again. I tried to mentally keep it together. About 25 minutes later, I felt like cramps were going to come on again, and I decided to eat my next energy gel ahead of schedule, at around 1:55 instead of waiting until 2:15. (My original plan was to eat one every 45 minutes.)

Mentally, I kept on telling myself to just get to mile 20 feeling OK and then I could pick up the pace. "The race begins at mile 20", I read somewhere. I tried to take it easy and feel relaxed. Sometime after mile 22, I started really focusing and tuning out everything around me. I interacted less with the crowds (fewer smiles, fewer thumbs-up, fewer hoots and hollers) and stayed very focused on staying strong and not deteriorating. It got difficult. I was counting down the miles. With 3 miles to go, I thought I had a chance of setting a personal record (2:55:52 last year in New York City), but I was just too close to getting cramps or falling apart, so I couldn't quite do it.

Finally, I saw Claire! And then Jennifer! Claire high-fived me and I heard my dad and I was very happy to see them and to be so close to finishing. I rounded the corner, got in a good sprint, and was happy to be done. Whew! 2:56:40 is my unofficial time. I'm very pleased with how the race went.

A short while later, I saw fellow running club members David and Justin. They also had very good times, but David's race wasn't nearly so smooth and he says he struggled the last 6 miles.

Here's the data for each mile marker, from my Garmin watch. I missed some of the mile markers. The #s are lap #, time, distance, and average pace.

1	7:09.6	1.02	7:02
2	20:37.2	3.00	6:52
3	6:44.9	1.01	6:40
4	6:45.4	1.01	6:42
5	6:49.2	1.00	6:49
6	6:50.0	1.00	6:49
7	20:14.5	3.00	6:44
8	6:47.4	1.01	6:44
9	6:41.0	1.00	6:42
10	6:43.0	1.00	6:43
11	6:46.0	1.01	6:43
12	6:46.3	1.00	6:45
13	6:42.4	1.00	6:42
14	6:44.0	1.00	6:43
15	6:41.8	1.00	6:43
16	6:48.6	1.01	6:45
17	13:15.1	2.00	6:37
18	6:40.6	1.01	6:36
19	6:34.7	1.00	6:35
20	6:31.2	1.01	6:29
21	7:49.8	1.23	6:21

I weighed 167 lbs three days before the race. I had been trying to lose a bit of weight, but ultimately, I failed. :-(

My Garmin data:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/132766717

As usual, I need to thank Jennifer for taking care of Claire while I ran the race. They did the 2.61 mile fun run and Claire ran it in around 26 minutes 40 seconds, which is a lot faster than I was running when I was 9! Good job, Claire!

Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Run 10K -- 36:23

I ran my favorite 10K again. The weather was cool and overcast (no rain this year) and the course is flat and fast. They had apparently the largest turn-out ever with over 900 people in all the races.

My goal was to beat my time from last year of 36:07, but alas, I was just not in good enough shape to pull it off. I had specifically been training for this race and also trying to lose some weight (164.6 lbs this morning), but I couldn't maintain a goal pace of 5:49 or faster per mile.

My splits, going by memory, for the first 5 miles were:
5:46 -- had some downhill, and at the time I didn't think I was pushing too hard.
5:47 -- hanging in there, but feeling the strain. Passed a few runners.
5:50 -- hanging in there, but wondering if I could really hold on. Was in 3rd place.
6:00 -- my heart rate felt high and I was struggling to get enough air. I started faltering. Was in 3rd place.
6:00 -- just hanging on. In 3rd place, but with a runner on my heels.
? -- right around the 6 mile mark, with just 0.2 miles left, the guy behind me surged past. I was struggling and couldn't seem to put together a sprint.

So, I was disappointed that I couldn't beat my time from last year, but I'm happy with the overall placement. I came in 4th overall and 1st in my 40-49 age group.

Claire walked / ran the 5K with Jennifer, but had a miserable time. She went out fast, apparently, with Jennifer leading the way, and Claire got side cramps and leg soreness. I didn't push her very hard to train for this and she only did two training runs recently, so she wasn't really ready.

It was fun seeing so many friends. I also brought along some fliers for the Coastside Running Club and at least a few people were interested enough to tear off a little tag that had our club's info.

Kauai Marathon -- 3:14:35

I really enjoyed the Kauai Marathon! Looking back at all the marathon races that I've run, I would rank this as my 3rd favorite, after Boston and New York City, and very close to Napa Valley, San Francisco, and Oakland. I'm glad I enjoyed it, because the entry fee was the most expensive!

What sets the Kauai Marathon apart are the veritable army of volunteers and the beautiful and challenging course. I was surprised at the difficulty of the hills, but they made the race special and more interesting. I would like to run this again. (By the way, the half-marathon is considerably flatter, for those who aren't as happy about hills as I am!)

Random notes:

• I didn't get to the starting area quite early enough so I didn't have time to visit a porta-potty one last time. This caused a problem in the race where I had to stop and pee for the first time in a road marathon.
• There was no attempt by the organizers to sort people by pace. Naturally, there were hikers and walkers and very slow joggers near the front. I got myself situated near the front, too, so I wasn't affected much.
• I did a surge around mile 11, when in my mind I was near the top of the hill and near the turn-around. I was nowhere near the top of the hill! I should have been more patient. I think I burned out because I couldn't maintain my speed later on. As I recall, I ran the first half in about 1 hour 35 minutes. Although the second half was harder, I shouldn't have slowed down quite that much.
• Finished 22nd of 344 finishers and 2nd place in the 40 to 44 age group. Results here. They handed out a nice plaque. It took several hours of waiting before the awards were handed out.
• It took me nearly 3 full weeks to recover from Headlands 100, so I had just one long run and then it was time to taper for this marathon!

Headlands 100 miles, 23:18:53

Mor and me, after finishing, with me holding my

silver belt buckle award for finishing in under 24 hours

Summary

With great difficulty and with tremendous help from friends and support from my family, I did manage to run, power-walk, or shuffle through all 100.4 miles and 20,020 feet of elevation gain and descent of the Headlands 100. It took me 23 hours 18 minutes and 53 seconds. I almost dropped at mile 75 due to a seemingly sprained ankle, but it didn't get worse. I had a "death march" for about the last 12 miles. Otherwise, things went well -- no nausea, no falls, no chafing, one minor blister, no cramps.

Longer Version

I guess I was looking for a bigger challenge and I had seen other friends and acquaintances repeatedly conquer this type of race, of covering 100 miles non-stop on foot, often in tough wilderness conditions. Having had a good race this year at the Miwok 100K, which is 62 miles, I imagined that if I ran slower, I could last another 38 miles. After having researched many different 100 mile races, I chose Headlands 100, put on by Pacific Coast Trail Runs, because it was nearby, would likely have cool weather, and I had raced on its trails many times already. The timing worked out well, too, giving me 12 weeks after Miwok 100K to recover, build up again, and then taper off. The 20,020 feet of elevation gain and descent were going to be a challenge, though.

Leading up the race, my training went reasonably well. I ran the Pacifica 50K three weeks beforehand, and chafing aside, it went well. My peak training week was just a bit under 100 miles for a 7 day period. I was able to get in many 20 mile runs, but only one 30+ mile run. I also ran the local Pillar Point Half Marathon and did well, averaging around 6:06 per mile for those 13.1 miles.

In the few weeks prior to race day, besides hitting my peak training week of 99 miles, I was also unusually busy at work and with the Half Moon Bay International Marathon, for which I am an assistant race director and was doing the course certification. Add in family time, and I had just about zero down-time and was cutting in on my sleep. On the Wednesday before the Saturday race, I got less than 5 hours of sleep and was super-busy with work. So, in a way, by the time the race day rolled around, I saw it as a relief and a break from all my other obligations! So, I wasn't stressed about it, but I was also a bit sleep-deprived and felt quite sleepy on the drive from our hotel to the start at Rodeo Beach, in the Marin Headlands, just north of San Francisco.

Arriving around 6:10am, I was struck by how few crowds there were. With only 51 participants, this was one of the smallest races I've entered. I said "hi" to Mike Weston, who is in the Coastside Running Club with me, and Jennifer and Claire and I hung out for a bit, doing the last-minute preparations. I wasn't nervous!

Mike Weston and I, sporting our club running shirts

My plan was to monitor my heart rate and keep it at 140 beats per minute (my max is 186 bpm) and to eat every 20 minutes, around 90 calories each time, and to eat a bit more than that at aid stations, plus take in sports drink. I would take a SaltStick salt capsule every 30 minutes to 60 minutes depending on temperature and how much water I was drinking.

Soon, we were given instructions and at 7am sharp, we were off!

Starting off nice and slow

Lap 1

I felt sleepy, but I perked up once we started and I felt good and healthy and strong. I regularly checked my heart rate and tried to keep it below 140 beats per minute. I tried to imagine being in this same spot 11 or 12 hours later, going in the same direction, on the same terrain. I tried to imagine the last loop where I would be in uncharted territory, running-wise. After going up and down over a tall ridge, I arrived at the Tennessee Valley aid station, mile 4.2, for the first time in 44 minutes. I realized that this was probably too fast, but I was going by how I felt and by heart rate, so I neglected to bring along any kind of printout of my goal times. I cruised along, in the cool fog, and enjoyed the sights and the experience. I saw a large bobcat. I chatted with a few runners. As I descended into the Rodeo Beach aid station at mile 25.1, I finally realized how far ahead of schedule I was. I tried to slow down a bit for those last couple miles. Jennifer and Claire weren't there and I decided to be quick about it and not take off my shoes but just to refuel and put some Body Glide around where my shorts might rub and slather on some more sunscreen. This took just a minute or so. I saw Claire and Jennifer drive up! Claire ran out and greeted me and took a photo. I was soon on my way again, leaving the aid station at 11:44am instead of my most optimistic 22-hour time of 12:30pm.

Food in my mouth and sunscreen on my face at mile 25.1

Lap 2

The runners have reversed directions and are doing this lap counter-clockwise. So, we run into those in front of us and behind us. Around mile 38, it occurred to me that I was just now beginning a 100K. I've run two 100K races (Miwok 100K, both times) and it was an intimidating thought to be starting a race like that with 38 miles on my legs already. Well, slow and steady should get me there. I ran Miwok this year in 10 hrs 49 minutes. So, I was going considerably slower. As I was getting closer to finishing lap #2, I thought this was more difficult going counter-clockwise because parts of the downhill near Rodeo Beach were so steep that I couldn't really run it. I arrived at Rodeo Beach aid station at mile 50.2, quickly refueled, gave Claire and Jennifer a quick hug, met my friend and pacer Amanda, and departed at 5:04pm. I was well ahead of my optimistic 22-hour schedule of 6:00pm.

Amanda and I at mile 50.2.

Lap 3

Amanda and I were cruising along, trying to take it easy and not run too fast. We acknowledged that I had almost certainly run the first lap too quickly.

Amanda and I at mile 58.5

My right ankle suddenly started hurting at around mile 69. I had to walk much of the descent to Rodeo Beach and then I had a lengthy stay there, examining both feet and deciding whether or not to continue. We decided to go for it and left around 11:01pm. My 22 hour optimistic time would be 11:30pm.

Lap 4

My friend Mor, also from the Coastside Running Club, convinced me to try out my ankle and that we could turn-around if we needed to and come back. My ankle was sore, but didn't have any sharp pains. So, we continued on, doing this 4th loop counter-clockwise. I was able to maintain a decent pace and heart rate at first, but then, I started deteriorating. With about 20 miles remaining, I was barely able to run downhill due to soreness in my quads plus my right ankle. The last 12 miles became a slow painful shuffle. I fantasized about sleeping in a comfortable bed. I was mentally and physically fatigued. I was totally hating the experience. I hated running. I didn't want to ever run any kind of race again, including the Kauai Marathon in September that I had already registered for. I wanted to quit. I felt bewildered why we were torturing ourselves like this, with all these lonely tired pained people struggling in the middle of the night. I wanted to quit at the last visit to Tennessee Valley aid station even though it was only 4.2 miles to the finish, but I knew those last 4.2 miles were going to take as long as 90 minutes in my current state because it was such a hard climb and descent. I recalled at Miwok 100K (62 miles) that I ran every step up this hill. I had one short period of renewed energy and I was able to run hard for 4 or 5 minutes uphill, but then my strength fell again.

Finally, we reached a point near the top of this mountain above Rodeo Beach where the closest fastest way of stopping was to get to the finish line. The sky was gradually getting lighter. I no longer needed my headlamp. I could start to hear cheering at the finish line. Another runner or two passed us.

Finish

Jennifer, Claire, and me

Claire and me, after the finish. The race director Michael is on the right.

Things that went well

• I finished my first 100 mile foot race!
• My training was about as good as I could get
• No nausea
• No falls and only one minor stumble that I can recall
• No chafing that I noticed at the time. Somehow I did get very minor chafing on my butt
• Only one minor blister that didn't cause me any problems
• No cramps
• Equipment and clothes worked well
• I seemed to be able to drink plenty. Towards the end of the race, I was urinating the most frequently, like every 30 minutes. My theory is that this was because I was drinking about the same but moving so slowly!
• The course was mostly well-marked with some difficulty on the counter-clockwise direction, nearing Rodeo Beach
• The aid stations were staffed well-enough and mostly supplied well-enough, with some shortages of hot soup at night. The volunteers were terrific.

Things to improve upon

• It probably would have been helpful to have run one or two more 30 mile training runs.
• In addition to monitoring my heart rate, I should have had a better idea of what times to shoot for at each aid station for the first lap. Ideally, I would have had something taped to one of my water bottles. Running the first lap too fast probably made the finish extra-difficult.
• For the race officials: the website's aid station mileage chart had a couple of mistakes. The longest distance between aid stations was not 8 miles, but was 7.1. On another leg, the distance was really 5.9 miles and not 5 miles. So, the mistakes cancelled each other and the overall mileage worked out fine, but it's still useful to know accurate distances between aid stations.

Random data

• On Thursday morning (two days before the race), I weighted 163.8 lbs.
• Results are here.
• Garmin data for the first 85 miles, until my battery died: here.

I need to give a huge thanks to Jennifer and Claire for driving me to the start, visiting me at miles 25.1, ~38, and 50.2, and cheering me on at the finish, and then taking care of me afterwards. I need to also give a huge thanks to my pacers, Amanda and Mor, without whom I would likely not have finished the race. And finally, thank you to all my friends and family following me online. Thanks, everyone!

Pacifica 50K -- 5:09

Sorry, dear reader, but the only photo I have from the day is the above one and it wasn't a pretty sight.

But, back to the beginning, I ran the Pacifica 50K (31 mile) trail race yesterday, an event put on by Pacific Coast Trail Runs. My motivation was that I needed to do a long training run and the race organizers had offered me a free entry to this race for all the problems in last year's Woodside 50K. So, in theory, this would be a long slow run with the added bonus of lots of other runners around plus an aid station. In practice, I just knew I couldn't hold back. I tapered for a couple days, but otherwise didn't take a break in my training. I pretty much gave it my best effort.

As far as my race performance was concerned, I'm very happy with how I did, and I finished a difficult 31 miles in 5 hours and 9 minutes. I was 5th place overall, but I was the 1st-place masters (40 or older) runner, and so I'll get a medal in the mail for that. I'm not happy turning 40, but I'll take the prize. :-)

The race is all on trails of varying widths, starting and finishing in San Pedro Valley Park in Pacifica. The 50K consists of racing up to the top of Montara Mt., then back down, then doing two loops of the Valley View and Hazelnut trails, then back up to the peak, then back down, then doing a shorter loop, skipping the Valley View trail and doing the flatter easier main pathway to the back of the valley. The organizers say there is 6700' of climbing.

Elevation profile, courtesy of Pacific Coast Trail Runs

I ran most of the beginning of the race with my friend and fellow running club member, Gary. I knew or recognized a few other people, too. I tried to take it easy, and monitored my heart rate. I felt great but when my heart rate got higher than around 160 beats per minute (my max is 186 ), I walked fast on the very steep uphills. My friend Gary passed me but we stayed within sight of each other.

I recognized a very fit and very fast woman -- she had finished the Napa Valley Marathon mere seconds behind me and she's the woman in the background picture as I neared the finish line! Funny coincidence. She said her personal record for the marathon was 2:47 which is fantastic. Verity Breen is her name and she was doing the 21K race. We chatted for a bit on the uphill, but she was wearing road racing shoes and didn't have a good grip on the dirt, so I pulled ahead on the downhill off of Montara Mt.

I felt great as I reached the aid station for the first time, except I was noticing a feeling of chafing. So, let's talk about chafing....

For the last several months, I've noticed an increased tendency for me to develop chafing during longer runs. I don't know why this has started happening. I've always used Body Glide, since training for my first marathon in December of 2005. I've worn these same clothes for more than a few years now. I haven't noticed any changes in my skin. Jennifer thinks the detergent has changed recently. So, I came prepared, knowing that chafing might be an issue, and I packed my stick of Body Glide in my "drop bag". But wow, the chafing hit early and was intense. The day got warm in the late morning and I was sweating profusely. My nipples started to hurt. Even though I reapplied Body Glide around mile 7.5, I soon started seeing blood on my shirt. This may have happened in college, but I can't specifically remember ever getting bloody nipples before. My thighs started hurting, too. I started day-dreaming about running naked. I wanted to take my shirt off, but I was afraid of getting a bad sunburn if I was exposed for several hours without sunscreen in the middle of a bright day.

So, I kept going. I noticed blood mixing with my sweat and running down my legs. My thighs were on fire. But after a while, the pain disappeared. I forgot to reapply Body Glide around mile 17.5, but I did reapply it at mile 25 and got a couple band-aids from the aid station. (When I first asked for band-aids at mile 17.5 they didn't have any, but they got them ready for me when I arrived at the aid station later on.) The band-aids couldn't stick to my sweaty skin and were mostly useless.

Coming down from Montara Mt. the second time, my side began to ache with a cramp. I eventually realized that my heart rate monitor, that is strapped around my chest, was the cause so I removed it and held in my hand along with my water bottles, until I could get to the aid station again and put the heart rate monitor in my drop bag. The side cramp disappeared shortly after I took off the heart rate monitor.

The last 50 minutes or so started getting difficult, going up the seemingly endless switchbacks of the Hazelnut trail. I felt like I was on the edge, with borderline cramps. But I held it together and didn't slow down dramatically. I never felt desperate to finish although I was certainly ready to stop.

I finally crossed the finish line. Yay!

I took my shirt off, washed myself off, and assessed the damage. I had chafed skin in all kinds of places I've never had it before -- my hips, my sides, my abdomen, and even a couple spots on my privates. Yuck. What a mess. Otherwise, I felt pretty good and wasn't terribly sore or in bad shape.

Jennifer and her sister Laurie showed up and then my friend Gary finished. We all chatted for a bit and then I headed home, with my skin now quite sensitive.

So, I've got to get to the bottom of this mystery soon. I suspect that a new detergent has made the clothes rougher.

Weight in the morning: 168.6 lbs. This is an all-time high for a race, I think. I don't know why, but I've been especially hungry recently.

And here is my Garmin watch data.