Portland Marathon -- A Fun Race to Pace

I had a great time pacing my friend Dana in the Portland Marathon, in her attempt to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Her qualifying time requirement is 3 hours 45 minutes, but because the Boston Marathon is so popular and because the fastest runners have priority (within each age group), she really needed around a 3 hour 42 minute finishing time in order to get into Boston in 2017. (The 2016 race already sold out.)

I'm grateful to be in good enough shape that I could confidently run with her as a long training run, since I'm training for Javelina Jundred, a 100 mile race in a desert in Arizona, just four weeks later. And pacing a friend is a great way to experience a race without beating yourself up too much and risking injury.

The weather was nice and cool and all systems were "go" for having a good race. There were 5,710 finishers in the full marathon and 2,145 finishers in the half-marathon, so there were plenty of people around, but it wasn't a massive crowd like the biggest marathons. The starting area was very well organized and there were plenty of porta-potties. There were no drop-bags allowed, but Dana's mom took our warm clothes as we got ready to run. (Note for next time: spectators are allowed in the corals and so Dana's mom could have gotten our clothes from us at the last moment.)

The National Anthem was sweet in that we were started off with a professional, but then the whole crowd sang the majority of the song to ourselves without help.

Promptly at 7am, we were off! The crowds were well spaced out and we could run right from the start line. (We started in the second coral.) We quickly ran through China Town. When I bought lunch later that day, the woman who served me said she was one of the drummers at this arch! Cool! The city was very supportive of the race.

I loved the fall colors of all the trees. Portland is a beautiful city.

Dana was running well and we were just a bit slower than the conservative pacing plan we had. I carried my compact camera and a laminated strip of paper that had the mile splits for two plans -- the "Dana" plan, to finish in 3:37:33, and a more conservative plan, to have slower miles in the beginning and to finish in 3:41:08.

I felt good, although I felt the urge to pee early on; I didn't say anything to Dana about it and eventually the urge faded.

There was plenty of music along the way. Nice!

The only part of the course that was merely ordinary was this industrial section where we went out-and-back. Still, the hills in the background were very pretty. Somewhere along the way, Dana reported that her legs felt heavy and sluggish. Still, we were keeping on track, and we were gradually increasing our speed.

This turn-around near mile 9 was fun -- bubbles and cheerleaders!

After the turn-around, we started slipping in our schedule, and the 8:30 miles were creeping up to 9 minute miles. Dana requested walking or stopping briefly at the aid stations to try to recover. I gave her updates about our progress and asked her to be mentally ready to push harder in the second half. As the miles ticked by and as we were falling further behind schedule, my sense of urgency and alarm went up. I tried to use some tricks that have helped me in races, like focusing on someone ahead and just catching up to them and then pausing to catch your breath. I tried running in front of her, to both motivate her and to try to block the headwind. I encouraged her to run the shortest possible route between curves in the road. Somewhere around mile 11, her Garmin GPS watch battery died. When we got to the big hill at mile 17 that ascends to the St. Johns Bridge, I told her to run every step of the steep uphill. She did and we passed plenty of runners.

St Johns Bridge

She was holding steady but just could not speed up to the required goal pace. I encouraged her to eat an extra energy gel, 20 minutes earlier than planned. I refrained from eating my own remaining energy gels, just in case she needed them. (The race offered gummi bears and pretzels as food sources.)

She ran hard all the way to the finish. I'm proud of you, Dana! We finished in 3:55:05.

My Garmin data:
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/921085893

Tahoe Rim Trail 50 Mile -- 9:53:58

A beautiful morning at the race start

Summary

I had a good week in Lake Tahoe, topped off by a successful finish to the Tahoe Rim Trail 50 mile race on Saturday, July 18. It took me 9 hours 54 minutes to run and hike the 50.2 miles in the mountains along Lake Tahoe, and that was good for 12th place overall (out of 140 finishers, but I don't know how many starters). It got tough and I felt weak for many hours, from about miles 22-25 and 32-40, as I struggled to get in enough calories and water and to get my heart rate and breathing under control. Also, my right big toenail did not get along with my shoe. All-in-all the race was a good tough challenge and I'm glad I did it. I was about 10 minutes slower than three years ago.

The weather was great for running -- nice and cool in the morning and never really too hot. The scenery was gorgeous, when I took a moment to appreciate it. The race was superbly well-organized, as usual, and had fantastic volunteers and course markings.

It was wonderful seeing so many friends from my Coastside Running Club. We only have 50-60 active members and yet we sent eight runners to this race, with six in the 100 miler! It's truly amazing that we have so many accomplished runners in such a small club!

I'm very grateful to my wife for supporting this endeavor, and to my friend, Mor, for renting a house with me and keeping me motivated and focused for 10 of the toughest miles.

Details

I ran this 50 mile race three years ago (race report), and I really loved the whole scene, so much so that I did the long drive for the last two years in order to volunteer. I felt like giving the 50 miler another shot this year.

My friend Mor and I rented a great vacation house and opened it up to other running friends, in order to acclimate to the altitude. The elevation of the race ranges mostly between 7,000' and 9,000'. We checked in on the Sunday evening, six days before the race.

8.2 mile training run near Genoa, NV

Larry and Mor, at the vacation home

A beautiful day at Emerald Bay with my brother and two nephews

Emerald Bay

Bill and my nephews, enjoying some high altitude mountain biking!

Finally, race day arrived! I got to the starting area at Spooner Lake just in time for the 5am start of the 100 miler. I wasn't able to find any of my six friends from the running club who were in the 100 miler, but I walked around and took some pictures.

Start of the 100 miler

I used a porta-potty twice, without having to wait in line. I put on suncreen. I'm feeling good, all systems are go!  

Ready to run!

The race started at 6am, in the cool air and now partially overcast skies, with the 55K and 50 mile runners together. I felt at ease and just kept reminding myself to take it easy. I chatted with a guy named Jeff who casually pointed out the spot, around mile 6, where he broke his toe in the 100 mile the previous year, but he finished the race. Ouch!

By my pace chart, I was expecting the first aid station, Hobart, to be at mile 6, but it was very close to mile 7. (I had trouble finding good info about the aid station locations on the race website.) This is a steady climb and I walked little sections of the steepest uphills. At the aid station, I wasn't very efficient with filling my hydration pack; it's kind of a pain and I hadn't practiced on being quick about it. I vowed to improve at the remaining aid stations. I left with about 40 ounces of sports drink.

There's more of a climb after Hobart but then there's some fast smooth single-track trail down to Tunnel Creek aid station at mile 12. I got in a line with a couple of other guys and we were cruising pretty fast. I tried to keep reminding myself that we had a long ways to go! We passed a few of the slowest 100 milers.

At Tunnel Creek, around mile 12, I filled up again, probably to around 40 ounces. Then begins a very steep descent into the Red House loop. I decided to press my lap timer, so that for the future I could have more accurate distances between the aid stations, but in the process I dropped my very tasty Nutella and banana sandwich square that I got at the aid station. I picked it up off the ground and tried to eat it, but it was too sandy and I ended up spitting it out.

Dan Rhodes! I came across the first friend from my running club. I figured he was at least an hour ahead of me (6.5 miles, approximately), which meant he was running his 100 mile race at the same pace that I was running the 50 miler. We have similar speeds in the long races, and I had been acclimating to the altitude for nearly a week, so I was concerned that he was running too fast. He looked great though and was in good spirits. Onward!

Along this loop, I came across a morbidly funny scene. Someone had placed a fake skeleton on the side of the trail, dressed in a Miwok 100K shirt with a racing bib, running shorts, and running shoes. Funny!

Norm Armstrong! Way to go, Norm!

I got a fill-up at Red House Aid Station, and then it was time to trek back up to Tunnel Creek. While putting on my hydration pack, I awkwardly stretched my shoulder back and felt a twinge of cramping in my shoulder. Oh oh! I've only gone about 15 miles! I better be careful and slow down and eat and drink plenty.

Omar Droubi! Way to go, Omar!

Chris Hawthorne! Way to go, Chris! We did a two-handed high-five ("high ten?") and congratulated each other. He was doing his first 50 miler and we were going in opposite directions. He was descending into the Red House loop as I was climbing out of it.

I got back to Tunnel Creek, at mile 18.5, and was feeling good. It's only 3 miles to the next aid station and I didn't get any more sports drink, so that saved time. I grabbed a bit of food. The wonderful volunteers double-checked that I already did the Red House loop, and it's time to head north and split with the 55K runners.

Cesare Rotundo! (I think I caught up to him before Bull Wheel, but I'm not sure.) He was in great spirits on his 100 mile journey and he filmed a little bit with his GoPro camera on a stick.

I arrive at Bull Wheel at mile 21.5 and get a full fill-up of sports drink -- 64 ounces. Now begins the longest leg between aid stations, somewhere between 8.1 and 8.5 miles. (Again, it's hard to find accurate info about the distances.)

Not too long afterwards, I begin to deteriorate. I feel much weaker and my breathing is more labored. Oh, no, it's much too early to feel like this! I stayed calm and told myself to be patient and to just take it easy and walk the uphills. I knew it's possible to recover if I give myself some time. Finally, I finished the climb and then begins a long descent into Diamond Peak Lodge, at mile 30. I was able to run well on this downhill and I was steadily passing hundred milers. Someone asked if I was the lead 50 miler. "No, definitely not, but thank you for asking!"

Then I suddenly felt sharp pains in my right big toe nail on every step. "Ouch ouch ouch !@$%". Something was really wrong. I curled my toe downward and that seemed to help. I almost stopped to check out the problem or maybe tighten my shoelaces since it seemed like my foot was sliding forward too much in my shoe, smashing my toenail. I thought of my friend George Miller who is an expert on foot care who would be at Diamond Peak Lodge. Then the pain subsided. I decided to not work on the problem until I finished the race, so there was no need to tell anyone about it at the aid station.

I recalled being on this same trail the previous year, as a "sweeper". This is a volunteer in a race who follows the very last runner (who is usually not doing any running at all by this point). I was grateful that I was able to cruise along well rather than slowly walking behind someone.

Diamond Peak Lodge!!! Amanda! Larry! Kristin! Mor! It was great seeing a bunch of familiar friendly faces.

Feeling OK at mile 30

Getting a quick refueling at Diamond Peak Lodge, at mile 30.

A quick fill-up later, and we're off! It was good to have Mor's company. We power-hiked up the entire 2 miles underneath a ski lift. There were some very steep sections. Almost none of it was runnable in a long race like this.

Photo by Amanda:

Photo by Amanda from later in the day, when she paced Chris:

After the long long steep uphill climb, we got to Bull Wheel again. (Photo by Amanda.)

Then we had soon had some nice downhill, which was good, because I started feeling weak again. My breathing was quick and heavy. I couldn't seen to catch my breath, so I needed to walk nearly every bit of uphill. I could run OK on the downhills, though.

Mor and I, around mile 33. (Photo courtesy of Sam.)

We got to Tunnel Creek again, at mile 35. I was struggling.

Jill Cole! Way to go, Jill! We clasped hands briefly and wished each other luck. She was rocking the 100 miler.

Finally, we got to Hobart at about mile 40. Still struggling. They had a great sense of humor. It amazes me that these aid stations can have so much equipment and supplies in the middle of nowhere.

Hobart aid station had a good sense of humor! (Photo courtesy of Amanda.)

Having Mor there was great. He led the way. "On your left!" "Passing on your right!" "BIKE!!!" I was like a VIP with a bodyguard. One of the 100 milers we passed and possibly some of the bicyclists were a bit put-off by Mor's forcefulness, but I didn't mind, and I thought it was funny. If you're reading this, thank you again, Mor, I really appreciated having you there. This was a long low period for me.

Shortly after Hobart, I was feeling better and was able to run more of the uphills. I urged Mor to go faster. But then he said he's having a problem. I asked him if he was safe. He said "yes" and that I should go ahead. I told him he would catch me soon. And then I was off, alone again, but moving pretty well, doing the last hard climb, up to Snow Valley Peak.

Dan Rhodes! I caught up to him. He was walking and had seriously bonked and had an upset stomach that kept him from eating or drinking much. He was cognitively and emotionally in good shape and realized that he just needed to take time to regroup. There was going to be a lot of walking in the hours ahead, but he was in no danger of missing cut-offs and he planned on recovering at mile 50 (the start/finish) for a while. He was going to have our most experienced ultrarunner, Franz, for the second half. We wished each other luck and I was on my way.

The scenery is absolutely stunning up here. (Photo by Amanda.)

Snow Valley Peak aid station, at mile 42 or 43. (Photo by Amanda.)

I became unfocused at the Snow Valley Peak aid station. I felt thirsty for water and so I got a fill-up to about 40 ounces, but I saw a large paper cup of water just sitting there that looked so delicious, that I drank it on the spot. Then I refilled it and drank it again. Then I looked over the food offerings before going for another two energy gels. All I really needed was the water and then I should have got out of there!

Then begins the blessed descent home. I was moving pretty well until I felt another sudden urge to defecate, but this feeling was too strong to ignore. I found a fallen tree off the trail to lean against and to offer some privacy. This added probably about 4 minutes to my time. I got back on the trail and a hundred miler said I looked like I had enough energy to do another loop. "Looks can be deceiving! I'm running on fumes and need to finish soon!"

Spooner Summit aid station! I had plenty of water so I waved to them and blew on by.

The last 1.7 miles is surprisingly tortuous, because the finish area looks like it's a half mile away, but the trail meanders around the shoreline, teasing you! At one point, a 50 miler runner in front of me kept going straight on the trail, instead of turning left to go over a small foot bridge. The route was well marked, but there was no chalk or signs in front of us, and it's easy to let your guard down and be on auto-pilot. "Left turn!", I yelled. He was very thankful as I made the turn and pulled away. I increased my effort, to have a strong finish, but then I felt light-headed and over-heated and "out of sorts". I didn't want to faint within a half mile of the finish! So, I walked up one short but steep hill. Some spectators cheered. I was guided to the finish line trail. I slowed down to get around a 55K runner. Then I picked up speed and crossed the finish line, hands in the air! Woo hoo!

I felt unsteady and light-headed and sat down for a bit in the finisher's tent. The very nice volunteer gave me the finisher's plaque and asked me my age, to see if I was an age group winner. (I wasn't.) I leaned over with my head between my legs to try to regain my composure (and maybe oxygen to my brain). I was happy to be done!

Larry! He had volunteered all day at Diamond Peak Lodge but he had come to the finish area. It was good to have his company.

A while later, after I got myself my drop bag, called home, and texted family, I heard from Mor and Dan. They had arrived and Dan was recovering up the hill a ways. I just didn't feel like standing, so I stayed where I was.

Mor arrived and we caught up on the events of the last couple hours. He had caught up to Dan and walked/ran him in.

Mor, enjoying the post-race massage!

After recovering for a bit, I did the long drive home (5 hours, I think). That was a long day! It was great to get home and see Claire and Jennifer again. Whew!

Coastside Running Club results
100 miler
Gary Lindberg 25:47:21
Jill Cole 25:58:25
Dan Rhodes 27:31:59
Cesare Rotundo 30:58:46
Omar Droubi -- apparently dropped at mile 67.5 at 3:31am on Sunday
Norm Armstrong -- apparently dropped at mile 50.2 at 8:56pm on Saturday

50 miler

Ron Little 9:53:58
Chris Hawthorne 15:22:45

I'm really proud of all of us, especially the hundred milers. This is a hard course.

What went well

• I basically had a solid 50 mile race. I was only 10 minutes slower than 3 years ago and I placed the same as 3 years ago (12th).
• Didn't get lost. No falls. No injuries.
• No cramps! I had just a couple of twinges that warned of imminent cramps, but I managed to avoid falling off that performance cliff.
• I only ran out of water once, for about 20 minutes.
• No chafing. No blisters to speak of except for the bad problem with my right big toe.

Things to improve on

• I probably ran the first 12 miles too fast.
• Had to defecate during the race, adding probably four minutes to my time. I tried to not each much fiber the day before, but apparently I don't really know how to avoid this problem.
• I should have gotten ice in my hat and maybe a spray-down at Diamond Peak Lodge. It's a hot brutal climb from there.
• I apparently didn't take enough precautions with my right big toe nail. It started the race in a rough funky state. In some previous long run, it had gotten a blister underneath, but never fell off. I think the toe nail was raised and started catching part of my shoe on the downhills. I'm writing this the day after the race and I'm wondering if I need to seek medical attention for it.

Random data

• I didn't wear a heart rate monitor again. I appreciated not having the hassle. I don't know if the info would have helped me run better.
• I only urinated once during the race, around mile 20-25.
• My weight six days before the race: 168.0 lbs. The night after: about 165 lbs. The morning after: 163.2 lbs.
• My Garmin data.

American River 50 Mile -- 8:11:22

Summary
I had a solid 50 mile run, starting just before dawn, under the remnants of an amazing lunar eclipse, and finished 8 hours 11 minutes later in Auburn. I had a weak period from about mile 32 to 36, I'm guessing, but then gradually regained strength and had a very strong finish.

I enjoyed seeing many friends, especially from my running club, Coastside Running Club.

The race was very well organized with amazing volunteers and perfect course-markings. We were told at the start that there were 800 runners and 300 volunteers. The results list 629 finishers. I came in 39th.

I'm happy and uninjured!

Details
This 50 mile race has been run every year since 1980 and is well-known among ultrarunners in northern California. I've had many friends run the race and I thought I'd give it a try this year. It's somewhat close in time to Boston Marathon and Miwok 100K, both of which I've done multiple times, so I wanted to try something new.

Here's a good video overview of the course:

My training went reasonably well, with a solid 50K on a challenging course the month before. I got in a 32 mile training run and several 20 milers, too, along with the usual weekly track workouts. I've spent a lot of time on Montara Mountain, attacking the especially steep Alta Vista trail. So, I felt confident with running uphills.

I picked up my bib at the Fleet Feet store the day before, and I met the running phenomenon, Verity Breen again. Cool! She said she was doing this race as a training run. I picked up a new pair of trail running shoes, too, for future training runs and races -- Brooks Cascadia. (I wanted the Hoka One Ones but they're just a bit too narrow and they pinch my little toe.)

I stayed at a friend's house in Sacramento the night before the race. This saved on a hotel cost, and dinner cost, too, since I was able to make my own whole wheat spaghetti dinner, but the downside was that I had to wake up early. 2:45am. I got very little sleep. One of the things I stayed awake worrying about was whether or not I had set my alarm clock early enough! Stupid brain! I tossed and turned for at least 40 minutes, worrying about a 15 minute difference in the alarm clock! Finally, I got up and set my alarm clock 15 minutes earlier. I was so annoyed at myself! I couldn't stop worrying about the race!

It was easy (thanks to my phone and Google Maps) to find the finish area in Auburn where I would meet the bus. I ate my breakfast while driving -- two whole wheat bagels and a peanut butter Clif Bar. I had time to use the bathroom and do a Facebook update, so, there was no rush! And then the lunar eclipse started. Beautiful! It was a cold clear night, and the lunar eclipse had a tint of red to it. The buses came into the parking lot and a short while later we were boarded and off to the starting line! Michelle, the bus driver, was a crack-up: "If you need help with anything, ask the person next to you."

Once on the bus, there was no turning back. I was committed to running 50 miles to return to my car! I hoped my feet would hold up. I had been having some pain in my right arch. Well, if running 50 miles were easy or predictable, it wouldn't be an adventure!

The starting area was large and bustling, and most importantly, had a long line of porta-potties! I was grateful that there were so many. I was able to use them twice, with the second time just 15 minutes before the race start. I met up with a few running club friends and we tried to stay warm in the chilly air. There was a nice big tent that was filled with waiting runners. The announcer had some good words to say about replacing the word "nervous" with "excited". Yes, we're excited! He also suggested we pick up trash along the way, as to help the race continue to get its permits.

Soon, 6am drew near, we started lining up on the correct side of the big inflatable arch, and we were off!

My strategy was to feel at ease and to take the first few miles especially slow. I had a pace chart taped to one of my water bottles with aid station splits for an 8 hour finish, 7:45 finish, and 7:30 finish.

I wished a couple of friends, Amy and Omar, good luck, and pulled away. The 9:30 minute mile pace quickly dropped to 9:00 and slowly dropped some more, so that the reported average on my GPS watch was 8:50 or so. I felt good. The dawn was beautiful. Lake Folsom was beautiful. The fading lunar eclipse was amazing, too. The dirt terrain was very runnable and was mostly downhill. I was having headlamp envy, as every other runner seemed to have a brighter headlamp. Mine was sufficient, though.

The phenomenal runner, Jen Pfeiffer was walking along and she jogged with me a bit. She was volunteering and was going to be a pacer later that day. Cool! Verity Breen passed me. Beep beep.

The miles ticked by as we descended on a bicycle path. Around mile 7, my feet felt a little bit sore. Oh oh. There's still a very long ways to go! As I arrived at the aid stations, I tried to be very efficient, and I grabbed an energy gel or two, and a piece of boiled potato that I would dip in salt. The volunteers were great and someone would refill my two water bottles (one with sports drink and one with water). I was enjoying the race!

It was a lot of pavement though, and my feet were gradually getting more sore. Around mile 15, we crossed the American River and there was more uphill.

My feet were a bit sore, but otherwise, I felt really good. I made it a point to run every step of every uphill. There were a series of short but very steep uphill sections. In past races, I would probably have walked these, but I felt good! Maybe it was all that uphill training that I've done recently that kept me doing this.

I started worrying about missing my pacer, Amanda, at mile 29.5, because I was well ahead of schedule! I imagined that I could tell a volunteer there to look for a group of people with bright orange shirts (our new running club shirt color) and tell them that "Ron passed through".

I think somewhere around mile 23 I passed Verity, on a steep downhill. I wouldn't see her again for the rest of the race.

I came across a package of Shot Bloks on the ground. I decided to heed the announcer's words and help clean up after the runners in front of me. About a third of the blocks were eaten and I ate the rest. Yummy! I picked up two other pieces of runner-generated trash during the race; the trails were pretty clean.

At Beal's Point, mile 24.3, the race course takes on a much more difficult character. We're running on single track trails now, with lots of short steep hills and plenty of  rocks, Somewhere around here, I passed the half-way point and then the marathon point. I was on track for about a 7:30 finish still, if all miles were equally difficult, which was definitely not the case. The hardest miles are at the end of the race, so I didn't really believe that I could do 7:30, but I thought that 8 hours was quite likely.

A few miles later, I realized that I was getting close to Granite Bay at mile 29.5, where I would meet my running club and my pacer Amanda. Yay! I was feeling sore and rather tired, but still running strong. I imagined that I would save some strength for Amanda and then put in an extra strong effort for the last 20 miles.

I continued eating an energy gel every 20 minutes, taking a Succeed salt capsule every hour, and drinking plenty of water and sports drink. The day was warming up and I was feeling hot in the direct sunlight. I started dripping water on to my hat from my water bottle.

Finally, Granite Bay! Yay! I saw a distinctive neon orange shirt. Amanda! She had just arrived, within the last minute. The rest of the crew were still walking there. I made a brief aid station stop and was on my way, now with Amanda following me. I waived at my other friends. And the adventure continues!

I filled Amanda in on my condition -- "sore and tired, but my energy level was good." Soon, I was pushing harder. And then soon after that, perhaps around mile 32, I started feeling weak. I couldn't lift my legs as well. I walked for the first time, up some steep section. I pulled aside and let a few other runners pass me. I just needed to slow down for a while and try to regain my strength. I was a poor conversationalist. I was just trying to hang on and persevere.

This seemed to go on for a quite a while; I'm guessing 4 miles. I was probably doing 11 and 12 minute miles now. I took an ibuprofen. Eventually I started feeling better and running faster. I continued to eat and take salt and drip water on my head. I never had cramps. My soreness in my feet had stabilized. My right arch never bothered me.

Then I realized that I was pulling ahead of Amanda. She caught up to me again but said she was overheating and that she needed to walk for a while. I suggested that she put water on her head, but she only had sports drink. She encouraged me to go on while she recovered. I pulled ahead but felt bad. Then I realized that I could have offered her my water bottle and I felt guilty. But then I thought that stopping running is by far the best way to cool down in this situation. She was safe. Later, she was in good spirits and explained that the main reason she needed to take a break was that her feet were swelling and getting too cramped in her shoes. Sorry, Amanda! Thank you for being there for me for some tough miles!

From mile 45 to the finish, I felt very strong and I gradually increased my effort. When I got to the last huge hill at mile 46, I started treating this as the final sprint home. I ran nearly every step up this crazy steep road. I passed a bunch of people who had passed me earlier. I got to the Last Gasp aid station which had these super-energetic young men and women (and the guys were shirtless and had spandex on I think!). At first, I didn't even realize they were part of an aid station, but this one guy asked if I wanted water. "Yes, please!" and I handed him one of my water bottles and he sprinted up this steep road and by the time I got to the actual aid station, he had it filled! I should have just kept running (because I had a couple of energy gels on me) but I did my usual thing and got a piece of potato dipped in salt.

I was tired and sore and ready to be done, but I wasn't desperate and I felt strong. I saw a guy who had passed me earlier and he was running strong, too. We both passed other people walking. I think I was gaining on him. One mile to go! (Said the very helpful sign.) And with another almost sadistic last very steep but short climb, I recognized the park that was the finish area. We rounded a corner on the grass. There was cheering. I sprinted as hard as I could. Woo hoo! Hand in the air! Oh, that was just the first timing strip. I sprinted another 50 feet to go under the inflatable arch. Now I'm done! Woo hoo! The guy I was chasing congratulated me. I was very happy to be done.

I didn't hit my time goal, but that was just a guess anyways. All-in-all, I had an excellent adventure and a very solid long run. I thought I did set a personal record for the 50 mile distance, but then the next day I looked up my old times, and I realized that I ran my first Firetrails 50 in 8 hours 10 minutes. Doh! Oh, well, that was more than four years ago!

It was great hanging out with Jim, from my running club, and waiting for my friends to finish. Our little club had five members in the race, and we all finished! Congratulations Omar, Chris B. (first 50 miler!), Amy (first 50 miler!), and John (first 50 miler!)!

What went well

• The race officials and volunteers put on a really great race. Thank you, volunteers!
• The course was beautiful and the weather was mostly cool, thankfully. Temperatures ranged from the low 40s at the start to around 70 I think.
• I finished in 8 hours 11 minutes, and in 39th place overall, out of 629 finishers. I don't know how many runners started the race, but they said there were 800 registered.
• I didn't get any chafing.
• I didn't stumble, trip, or fall.
• I was developing a blister on my middle left toe, but I never felt it during the race, and it wasn't bad.
• My GPS watch broke the day before the race; the case broke where the strap attaches. Super glue held it together for the day though.

Things to improve upon

• My feet got sore early on and stayed sore. Is this because of the trail running shoes on asphalt? (Brooks Pure Grit 3.) Or was my training deficient somehow? Maybe I didn't taper quite enough? I ran 36 miles in the previous 7 days.
• I liked not wearing a heart rate monitor, but I wonder if I could have paced myself better with one. I'm not sure.
• I could use a better headlamp.
• A mango smoothie from Pandera Bread afterwards was a mistake. It gave me a bad stomach ache and indigestion for the ride home.

Random data

• Garmin data
• Results
• I weighed 164.8 lbs, two days before the race. I weighed 164.4 lbs the day after the race.
• Jean Pommier is an amazing masters runner who wrote an excellent race report that gives a better overview.
• I peed twice during the race.
• I sometimes felt like I had to defecate, but it wasn't bad and I didn't have to. As usual, I avoided eating fiber the day before, but I did eat quite a bit of fiber two days before.

Montara Mt 50K -- 4:59

The day is young and full of promise!

Summary

I had a really good trail race this morning, at the Montara Mountain 50K, put on by Coastal Trail Runs. It's a very hilly course with 6700' of elevation gain. I beat my previous time there by about 10 minutes, finishing in 4 hours 59 minutes. I ran well the entire time and I had a nice strong finish. I didn't have any cramps. My right foot has been hurting on and off this week, and it hurt nearly all the time during the race, but it didn't get worse and it was tolerable. I finished 5th overall and 1st place in the 40-49 age group. It was fun seeing other members of the Coastside Running Club out there -- Margaret, Jim, Amy, Joe, and Pete. And Jennifer ran the 10K!

Details

I had run this race once before (2011 race report), and my wife was looking for a 10K, so she suggested I run this. The timing was good, in preparation for the American Rive 50 Mile on April 4. So, I signed up for the 50K, thinking of this as a 31 mile training run. However, I knew in practice that I wouldn't be able to resist trying my best.

I like this race because it's practically in my back yard, and I run on Montara Mountain almost every day. This race is difficult, though, because it climbs to the top of Montara Mt twice and does the tough Hazlenut Trail three times.

Just over a week ago, I seem to have bruised my right foot or done something that frequently caused discomfort either in the back of the arch or the front. (The pain seemed to move around day-to-day.) So, my tapering was epic. I had not run so little in a week for probably a whole year.

• Thursday: hurt my foot apparently, in a hard fast run on Montara Mt.
• Friday: 13 slow flat miles. Both feet hurt!
• Saturday: 5.5 slow miles. I had some discomfort in my right foot.
• Sunday: nothing
• Monday: nothing!
• Tuesday: track workout, where I felt quite good.
• Wed.: nothing
• Thur.: easy 5 miles and my right foot hurt.
• Fri. nothing
• Sat. (today): race!

My foot had a minor pain during the race about 75% of the time. Going uphill was generally better, but even on the steep downhills, sometimes my foot would seemingly "warm up" and feel OK. Weird!

So, I was very unsure about how the race would go. My daughter, being concerned, told me that I should drop out if it hurt too much. I told her I would. I would not have wanted to risk breaking a bone if I had a stress fracture!

I normally wear a heart rate monitor to all of my races, to help me gauge my effort and mostly to keep from running too fast, especially early on. But the strap can be annoying and it tends to slide down my torso early on in the race until I guess there's enough sweat to make it stay in place. Also, after re-reading my race report from 2011, I was reminded of how sometimes the strap can seem to cause side-cramps, if I'm getting close to cramps anyways. At Avalon 50, the strap slid down to my waist near the end of the race when I greatly increased my speed. The heart rate monitor is also unreliable for the first mile or so, even if I apply saliva to the contacts beforehand. So, I was going to run the race without a hear rate monitor! I thought I could judge my effort pretty well by my breathing and by feel.

The race was due to start at 8am, so I set my alarm for 5:30am, to give myself time to eat and digest breakfast. I had a Clif Bar and a bowl of oatmeal. That didn't quite hit my goal of 600 calories, so I ate some pita chips.

The weather was looking to be nice -- not too hot, although it would be sunny which could make parts of the Hazlenut Trail warm, back in valley of San Pedro Valley Park, in Pacifica. I saw Jennifer there (we drove separately) and Margaret and Joe from the Coastside Running Club. I would have liked to use the restroom one last time, but it was too busy, and I figured I would probably have to urinate along the trail at some point anyway. So, no worries!

8am came, and we're off! I was about a third of the way back. I started passing people immediately though, since we were going to get funneled into a single-track trail and I didn't want to be slowed down too much. It's a long steady steep climb up the Brooks Creek trail and then to Montara Mt Trail. I kept on reminding myself to take it easy and that I was going to be in the exact same spot a couple of hours from now.

Eventually, I saw the first place runner returning from the top of the mountain. It was a woman! Cool! Of the five times I've done one of these Montara Mt races, this was the first time I've seen a woman come down from the peak in first place overall. She was most likely in the half-marathon. (Update: Tori Tyler ended up winning the half-marathon overall! Nice!) Pretty close behind her was a guy in the 50K. Wow, he was moving fast for such a long race. I counted the other 50K people (identified by their bib # in the 5000s) and I thought I was 7th or 8th maybe. I got to the turn-around, where we were supposed to memorize the sign (I promptly forgot what it said) and I picked up a colored rubber band to put around my wrist to prove that I was there. Looking at my Garmin data, it appears that I took 41 minutes to get to the top. And back down I went!

My right foot started hurting a bit, but it wasn't terrible. It probably affected my stride a little bit and made me more cautious on the steep downhill. Everyone encouraged each other during this two-way traffic.

My first aid station stop (around mile 7) was very quick. As a bunch of half-marathoners were picking over the food and drinking cups of water (because many of them didn't carry bottles), I did a quick refill of one bottle with sports drink and I was on my way. I was carrying enough energy gels of my own.

The Valley View trail is relatively easy, with only about 400' of climbing. I passed some half-marathoners though who were getting tired. I felt strong and at ease. I ran every step up.

The Hazlenut Trail is much more sadistic. It has something like 13 long switchbacks and is more like 800' of climbing. I wasn't fast, but I ran every step up. I kept on reminding myself that I would have to do this same trail two more times in addition to summiting Montara Mt one more time. I passed a few more people in other races.

Then I made a tactical error. Arriving at the aid station again, I forgot to get the energy gels from my drop bag! I thought about it beforehand, but then in my rush to fill my water bottles and get a bite to eat, I left without any more energy gels! I realized my mistake 3 or 4 minutes later, but I figured that I had one energy gel still plus 20oz of sports drink and I had just eaten maybe 50 calories, and that would be enough for these tough 7 miles. I would eat the energy gel at the summit.

The climb went well and it was easier in a way the second time, because there were so many fewer runners. The half-marathoners had finished and that was the biggest group by far. I counted the 50K people and I think I was in 7th place. (It wasn't always easy to see people's bib #s.) At the time, I was pleasantly surprised as I approached the turn-around because I thought I was three minutes faster than my first ascent. But looking at the Garmin data, it was really about 43 minutes, so two minutes slower. Funny! I wonder if I had known the truth, if that would have changed how I ran. Anyway, I felt good. I felt strong. And back down we go!

Returning to the aid station again, I took several minutes to refill both water bottles and to grab my energy gels out of my drop bag. If I had paid attention, it would have been faster to grab the energy gels from the aid station's offerings. It took me a while to locate the energy gels amidst my clothes.

Valley View and Hazlenut again. I ran every step of the uphills for both of these. I tried to catch up on my calories.

Final aid station visit! I asked for "full strength" sports drink, since what they were offering was way watered down. The volunteer helpfully put an extra scoop into each of my bottles. And I was off! For this last loop, we take the yellow-ribbon shortcut that goes up the main wide valley trail, thereby skipping the Valley View trail. Nice. I was dreading the final Hazlenut climb. For once, I felt fatigued. I was getting low on energy. I ate another energy gel and drank lots of sports drink. I ran steadily though and passed a 50K runner who was walking. I passed marathoners who were a loop behind me. The switchbacks felt endless. I didn't lift my foot high enough over a rock and I tripped and landed gently on my hands. Since I was moving up the steep hill and I was going so slow, it didn't really feel like a fall. My knees didn't hit the dirt. I walked a few steps to recover and then began running again.

Finally, the last downhill! I let loose and really cruised down fast. The Garmin data is very inaccurate in the woods, but I'm guessing I was mostly going between 6 and 6:30 per mile. I felt very good except for my right foot which still hurt. I hoped I could break 5 hours and it was going to be close. I passed another 50K runner. I started to sense that cramps weren't far away, but I kept pushing. I had a good sprint to the end. My watch showed 4:58:58. Woo hoo!

Margaret had finished her 20 miler and Jim had finished his half-marathon, so they were there to greet me. I met Pete who is on the Coastside Running Club email list but I'm not sure if I had actually met him before. Pete ran the marathon and is training for the Headlands 50 Mile. Amy and Joe from the club were there, too. Jennifer finished the 10K. Congratulations, everyone!

Running club member Margaret and me, after our finishes

What went well:

• Had a solid fast long run where I basically felt good the entire time.
• No cramps!
• Not wearing a heart rate monitor was a win. I wasn't distracted by constantly checking my heart rate or having to adjust the strap, so the run was more pleasant. I think I paced myself well without it.
• I wonder if my "super taper" was a benefit in the end. I was really well rested! I only ran about 15.5 miles in the previous 7 days.

Things to improve:

• As hard as I tried, I made some mental mistakes. I may not have gotten a good enough night's sleep; I felt really tired when I woke up. My biggest error was on the second aid station visit, by not grabbing my four energy gels from my drop bag. The race also offered energy gels, so I didn't even need to use my own, if I had paid better attention.
• I'm not sure about my shoes, Brooks Puregrit 3. There were a lot of tight turns on the downhill switchbacks and I lost traction several times on the leaf-covered rocks or on the acorns. Otherwise, they worked well, but my old Inov8 shoes had better traction. 

Random data:

• Official results. My official time was 4:58:58 and I came in 5th overall out of 31 finishers.
• My Garmin Data.
• I weighed 168.8 lbs in the morning and 164.2 lbs after the race.
• Stopped once to urinate. I would have liked to use the bathroom one last time before the race, but the restrooms were too crowded.

I want to thank the volunteers and organizers of Coastal Trail Runs for putting on another excellent event! The trails were superbly well marked, parking and registration were well organized, and I had a great time!

Avalon 50 Mile -- 8:17:28

Summary
Bison, rain, mud, potatoes, crows eating the course markings -- these are some of the highlights of the Avalon 50 mile race! I had a good run overall, finishing in 8 hours 17 minutes 28 seconds. I felt tired, sore, and slow from about miles 37 to 45. ("Why am I doing this?! This sucks!") But then I felt better and had a really nice fast downhill finish for the last few miles. I came in 22nd place, out of 263 starters. (Based on prior years, and bad memory, apparently, I was expecting more like 380 starters.) Most of the race occurred in a light to moderate rain, so the dirt roads became quite slick and muddy in places, which slowed everyone down. I'm happy with how I did and I'm uninjured.

Details

I got the idea of entering this race from my friend Kristin, in the Coastside Running Club. It had been her first 50 miler the previous year and the course was supposed to be pretty and I thought it would be fun to visit Catalina Island. It had been over two years since I've run this far, since Dick Collins Firetrails 50, in October 2012.

The ferry ride was fun and the weather was gorgeous on Friday, the day before the race. In the distance, we saw dolphins jumping and gray whales spouting. There were plenty of runners and even some volunteers on the ferry. For a volunteer, that's quite a commitment to spend $74.50 round-trip on the ferry plus the hotel. Thank you, volunteers!

I chatted with a runner, Colleen, who along with her two friends had signed up for Avalon 50, American River 50, and Javelina Jundred -- I'm signed up for American River 50 and I'm seriously considering Javelina Jundred, too. Cool! Small world!

We checked into our minuscule hotel room, the cheapest room they had at the Catalina Island Inn ($112 / night including tax). The location was great -- just around the corner from the race start.

We went for a nice hike around town... I tried not to hurt myself!

About 3/4 of the vehicles were golf carts! Nice!

That round building is a former casino converted into a movie theater.

I picked up my bib at a nearby hotel and learned that I needed to drop off my drop-bag there. Oops! OK, time to pack my drop bag!

Packing the drop bag led to the biggest equipment decision -- which shoes to wear! I had my Brooks Glycerin training shoes, designed primarily for the road, and my Brooks Pure Grit trail racing shoes. I had run 5+ hour runs in both, and in wet conditions both times, too. But I had gotten blisters with Pure Grit in Quad Dipsea while the Glycerin shoes were more comfortable. So, I decided to take the safest choice and to wear the road running shoes and so I packed the trail racing shoes into the drop bag for miles 19 and 33. As I was slipping and sliding in the mud the next day, I wish I had started with the trail racing shoes!

Brooks Glycerin (left) or Pure Grit -- what to run in?!

I slept well that Friday night, perhaps because I was tired from the long day of travel and the hike. I woke up at 2:15am, well before my 3am alarm, to eat breakfast (two slices of whole wheat bread, a peanut butter Clif Bar, banana). I checked emails and the weather (10% chance of rain, probably in the afternoon). I went back to sleep for 90 minutes and again woke up before my alarm.

Time to get going! I quickly got dressed, applied sunscreen, and put moleskin on my nipples (I finally found a reliable solution to my chafing problems!) and Body Glide on my toes and elsewhere. Jennifer took this picture of me, where I look tired, but I felt good!

I arrived at the starting area at 4:45am and heard that we needed to sign in. They were simply recording our bib #s, which was quick. There was friendly happy chatter in the darkness lit by streetlights. I tried to figure out how to wear my running cap with the headlamp and opted to stick my cap in the back pocket of my running vest.

5am rolled around. I wondered if we were going to start on time. Then I saw people running in front of me. OK, it looks like we started! Let's go!

I settled into an easy pace as we made our way from the Green Pleasure Pier (the central pier in Avalon) straight back on Catalina Ave. We came to a three-way intersection and the runners made a right turn but I didn't see any course markings. Someone pointed out the green glow stick on the road. Aha! Very good. Then a quick left, and we headed slightly uphill towards the back of Avalon.

I was looking forward to the big initial climb, where we get up to about 1,500'. Here's the elevation profile from my Garmin data:

We got to the end of Avalon Canyon Rd and went through Wrigley Botanical Gardens and then hit the steep uphill dirt road. I could see the headlamps of the front runners far ahead already. I kept monitoring my heart rate and I walked two especially steep sections, to keep my heart rate below 150 beats per minute. Otherwise, I slowly ran up the mountain! I felt good! "Take it easy," I kept on telling myself. A light sprinkle started. "Hmm... at least it's nice and cool!" We hit the top at around the 4 mile point and I think my average pace was about 11 minutes a mile at that point.

The first-place woman passed me on the climb. I'll call her Cat Ears, since she was wearing a cap with little ears on top. It looked like she was running with a twin-sister at the beginning -- they had similar builds and matching skirts. I passed her in the first mile and then she passed me a mile later, on the steep initial climb.

I was enjoying the nighttime run, cruising along in the dark, in the very light rain. Where's the first aid station? I had the official aid station mileage chart taped to one of my water bottles, with the distances between stations that I added in red:

Well, mile 5.4 comes and goes, and there's no aid station in sight. It's actually at about mile 6.4. I was very impressed that a volunteer was staffing the aid station so early in the morning. Thank you! There were no energy gels. I thought this might be the case. I grabbed some boiled potato chunks and put them in a plastic ziplock bag I carried. I asked when the next aid station was. "2 miles."  Hmm...  that's weird. This mistake gave me doubts about the mileage for the rest of the race.

At 6:33am I no longer needed a headlight to see where I was going. I felt good and was moving slowly and easily. My average pace had increased to a bit faster than 10 minutes a mile.

At the second aid station (mile 11.6, I estimate), Cat Ears stopped and asked for a plastic bag for her mobile phone. Yep, rain and phones don't go together! I was surprised that the first-place woman was even carrying a phone. I dropped off my headlamp and passed her.

The scenery was very pretty along these wide dirt roads. There was occasional vehicle traffic, but it wasn't too bad. I enjoyed seeing the cactus, too, which is an unusual sight for me.

Jennifer took this picture on a hike during my race

Some of the downhills were fast and easy to run. I tried not to get too crazy, but I sometimes got into the low 7 minutes a mile. "Take it easy!" I repeatedly told myself.

I came across a group of crows on the ground, eating something. They were eating the flour course marking! Too funny!

13 miles done. My feet felt a bit sore. Hmm... there's still a long ways to go! I saw a used energy gel wrapper on the ground and I picked it up. I saw a couple more in the remainder of the race, but I didn't feel like I had the energy to pick them up. Be careful with your wrappers, front runners!

At around mile 18.5 (by my Garmin) or 18.9 (by the official chart) I arrived at Little Harbor where I could get my drop bag. I grabbed 4 energy gels from my bag. If I had known what was ahead of me, I would have swapped shoes. Also, if I had known that the race didn't provide energy gels, I would have packed some more.

A while later, I saw my first bison in the race! Cool! Some rangers had driven past me and then when I turned a corner and was coming down a hill, I saw the bison trotting towards a field, away from the rangers. I guess the big guy had been somewhere he wasn't supposed to be.

Around mile 24, I saw the first place runner returning on this long out-and-back section. At first, I thought it was a woman, but it was the first place guy with a jacket tied around his waist. "Great job," I cheered to him. He congratulated me, too. Looking at the map afterwards, I think he was 4 miles ahead of me! He ended up winning. Congratulations, Fabrice Hardel!

I got to the turn-around aid station, stocked up on more boiled potatoes, and asked what mile I was at. "22" one of the guys said. "Oh oh, I thought I was around mile 26!" He said there was a three mile loop to do and then I would return there. "Thank you!" I still don't know what mile that was, but it was probably closer to 26 than 22. I guessed it took me 3 hours 53 minutes to run a marathon, so I was on track for a sub-8 hour finish. I was happy about that, but there was a long ways to go.

I saw what I thought was a bison statue, but as I got closer, it was a bison straddling a fire hydrant! Funny! I saw lots of other runners on this out-and-back section to the turn-around point. It's not a loop, but just an extension of the out-and-back route. I thought of my friend Kristin who got lost around this point and added three miles to her race. I didn't have any doubts about this part of the course. I got to the turn-around cone, ran around it, and headed back to the aid station.

I had been tracking a guy I dubbed Osob (orange-shirt one-bottle). He was slightly ahead of me and I was surprised that he could do this race carrying just one 20oz water bottle.

On the long climb up out of the Isthmus turn-around aid station, I saw Cat Ears walking. :-(  It was a steep climb, to be sure, but if I could run it I figure she was having problems. She stopped and held her hamstring. She was injured. :-(  As I caught up to her, I said "I'm sorry you're hurting." and "Do you need any salt?" She said she had too much salt. The next time I saw her was at Eagle's Nest (where they had bison burgers!); she must have dropped and gotten a ride there. Then I saw her at the finish line, where she had already showered and dressed. Bummer.

The light rain had turned to a moderate rain and this uphill section had turned to mud and had gotten slick and sticky. Big clumps of mud sometimes stuck to my shoes, instantly adding what seemed like a couple of pounds. I passed Osob. He was struggling even more here. I pretty much ran the entire way up, encouraging all the runners headed towards me and receiving encouragement from them. "Colleen! Great job!" I think she was about four miles behind me but was moving well and seemed in good spirits.

I got to my drop bag at mile 33 and I had decided to swap shoes. It was still raining lightly and I was spending a lot of energy sliding around. It took several minutes and four runners passed me, including the new first-place woman and Osob.

My feet and legs were getting progressively more sore. I was feeling sluggish and losing motivation. I hated not understanding the course or knowing what to expect. The uphill was relentless. My pace and my heart rate were slowing down and I couldn't seem to help it. I was getting sick of boiled potatoes. Negative thoughts were popping up constantly. "This sucks. Why am I here? I don't want to run long races again. Why did I sign up for American River 50 mile already?" I wanted my body to shut up. "OK, body, I got the message. Things hurt. Just keep moving please! I promise we'll deal with the problems when we finish." Someone had recently shared this song on Facebook, so I started playing David Bowie's The Man Who Sold The World on a tight loop in my head, to help me shut out everything and just keep moving.

Who knows, step stepNot me, step stepNot him, step stepThe man who sold the world step step

Around this point, Vic (as I learned his name later) passed me. He had the most amazingly carefree and positive attitude. He had such unrealistically low expectations of himself, that he was on his way to an incredibly surprising finish! He wanted to run the race in "11 or 12 hours" and he wasn't wearing a watch and he didn't know what distance he was at. (Well, neither did I, within a mile or so, but at least I had a GPS watch!) He wanted to finish in the top 65% of the runners. I told him that he was on track for finishing in 8 hours 20 minutes! I congratulated him on pacing himself well and having a strong race. He slowly pulled away from me as I struggled. My average pace kept falling and I was looking at a 8:30 or 8:40 finish.

We climbed into a cloud and the rain was very light. I knew there was a nice long downhill to the finish, but I didn't know when! I kept playing the song in my head. Finally finally, I crested a hill, got on a paved road, and it was a delightful fast downhill. My feet and hips and quads were all sore, but I was able to move pretty well, about 8 minutes per mile here. I had seen on a map earlier that this section of the highway had an 8% grade which wasn't too steep at all. I didn't need to brake constantly.

I saw Vic up quite a ways ahead, taking a pee break, and I tried to speed up. Some guy was coming up on my heels and he steadily passed me. I didn't know how much longer the race was. 2 miles? 3 miles? 4 miles? I couldn't really be sure.

We rounded a corner and there was the most beautiful sight to behold... Avalon! And the green pier of the start/finish! It looked a lot like the photo at the top of this blog post, but from the other side of the bay. (Measuring this afterwards, this was 0.7 miles from the finish.) Woo hoo!!! I poured on the speed. My legs felt good. I caught up to the guy who recently passed me. "I hope you're not in my age group!" he said. "43" I replied. "53" he said. "Nice! Way to go!" My heart rate monitor, strapped around my chest, slid down towards my waist because of my increased pace. I slid it back, up. (Annoying!)

I don't recall seeing course markers here, but it seemed obvious how to get down to the main street. I poured it on. I thought of my friends Mor and Carol and our Tuesday morning speed workouts with my running club. I blew through a stop sign and waved at a pick-up truck to wait for me. There were cheers. Jennifer!! I sprinted to the finish line. Whew!

I was very happy to be done and I felt good about myself, having gotten through what was for me a long tough distance. 8 hours 17 minutes 28 seconds.

I chatted with Vic for a bit. Great job, Vic Marlow!

After showering and eating, I saw Colleen and then her friends finish. Good job, Colleen Slick!

Colleen (far right) and her two friends, finishing their first of many big races this year

Race HQ!

Later that night, I chatted with an older guy at a fish and chips grill. He said he had run this race 24 times (but not this year) and that he didn't think the current race director was very good because he didn't respond to emails quickly and he never fixed the mileage charts. "The miles are all wrong on the aid station chart. The only correct one is the turn-around." While chatting, another finisher came hiking in. It's dark now and there are scattered cheers. The guy said that one older racer started the previous night at 9pm. Wow! Talk about an early start!

I was able to walk normally that night. The next day, Jennifer and I went on a hike to the botanical gardens and I felt sore, but not too bad. I was able to walk down stairs normally, for example. I've felt much more sore after some marathons! Perhaps all those slow miles saved my legs?

I highly recommend this race. Thank you, volunteers and race officials!

Travel Tips

• I was told to get my hotel early. I had no problems reserving a room on October 18 (three months before the race). I can recommend the Catalina Island Inn. Their cheapest rooms cost $112 a night including tax.
• The ferry can fill up. I bought tickets nine days in advance for the Friday 12:15pm ferry from Downtown Long Beach. The tickets are $74.50 round trip.
• We took a taxi from LAX to Long Beach for $67 including tip.
• Going back to LAX, we took Uber for $33.50 (no tips required). There was a line of taxis at the pier but an Uber driver was minutes away, so we went with Uber. We learned that Uber can't legally pick up from LAX and so if you want to save money, you have to leave the airport and then use a cheaper driving service (like Uber or Lyft). That was my first experience with Uber and it was very positive. The driver said he loved his job.

Avalon Race Tips
Here are some tips to clarify, correct, or add to the website:

• The aid station mileage chart has some problems. For example, the first aid station is more like 6.3 miles instead of the listed 5.4. I might try to construct a more accurate aid station mileage chart, using Google Maps.
• The elevation profile chart implies that there are 2 miles of flat ground at the end, but that's not the case. It's just 0.4 flat miles from the end of the steep downhill section to the finish line.
• You leave your drop bag for the Little Harbor aid station (miles 19 and 33) at the hotel when you pick up your bib the night before the race.
• The course is well marked with green glow sticks early in the morning and with signs and white flour on the fire roads. It seems difficult to get lost, although be sure to go straight unless told otherwise and understand that you need to get back to the pier when you finish.
• If there's a chance of rain, I would recommend wearing trail racing shoes. The mud can get sticky and slippery.
• No energy gels or energy blocks are provided.

What went well

• The race organizers and aid station volunteers put on a really good event. Thank you!
• I finished a 50 mile race!
• No cramps! Presumably I didn't run too fast early on, and taking a salt pill every hour helped.
• I trained reasonably well, getting in a 31 mile training run about 2.5 weeks before the race. I can probably count the Quad Dipsea at the end of November, about 5 weeks before the race. I did as many speed workouts and weekly long runs as I could, while recovering from Quad Dipsea and then tapering for Avalon.
• I'm really glad I had my trail racing shoes in my drop bag. If I had known it was going to rain so much, I would have worn my trail racing shoes from the beginning.
• Moleskin for nipple protection worked great! I wish I had started using moleskin for previous long races.
• I didn't get any blisters, although I did get chafing on my neck, from my running vest.
• No trips or falls.
• I think I was well-hydrated. I urinated four times during the race. I didn't need to poop. (I avoided eating fiber the day before.)
• Carrying a small ziplock bag for aid station food was a win. I was able to restock my supply of boiled potatoes each time. Although I was getting sick of potatoes, I'm glad I could carry them because I don't think I could have eaten enough otherwise, or I would have had to spend much longer at the aid stations, to cram down a few hundred calories as fast as I could.

Things to improve

• The course mileage chart has some problems. Although I had searched and read a few other race reports, I didn't find anyone else's GPS data. It would have been useful to have had better knowledge of what to expect.
• I may not have been getting enough calories. I could have carried more energy gels perhaps.
• I don't know how, but I would like to not get chafing from my running vest. Body Glide wasn't enough.

Random data

• I weighed 167.0 lbs two days before the race and 165.4 lbs on the day before the race.
• Garmin data
• Results
• Took two ibuprofen, once around mile 28 and then again 90 minutes later. The first one helped with soreness but I couldn't tell any difference from the second one.