Rio Del Lago 100 Mile -- 22:30:10

Feeling good at mile 40

Summary

I ran well and had decent execution except for one colossal mistake, where I made the wrong choice at a confusingly-marked intersection (in my opinion) at around mile 70, and followed course markers the wrong way, mostly downhill, for 20 minutes. In total, this mistake cost me at least 40 minutes. Otherwise, I finished uninjured and earned my Western States Endurance Run qualifier, and my time of 22:30:10 was a personal record for a trail hundred miler. This was my 7th hundred miler.

Details

Since Tahoe 200 was cancelled due to forest fires, I needed a qualifying race for the Western States Endurance Run, a historic and prestigious 100 mile trail race. I have run Rio Del Lago once before, in 2018, and I was impressed by the race organization and the vibe of the volunteers and participants. There are some pretty forests and views of rivers and lakes, too. Plus, it was only 2.5 hours from home.

I felt like it was too much of an imposition to ask my wife to meet me at aid stations or to help drive pacers around. So, I decided to not pressure anyone to help me during the race. I always enjoy running with friends and seeing family, but it’s just a lot to ask, and I guess I felt like it wasn’t necessary. In hindsight, perhaps that was a huge mistake! Maybe having a pacer who could think clearly could have kept me on course at mile 70!

Since I wasn’t going to have a crew or pacer, I carried my phone, which is unusual for me for a race. This would allow me to broadcast my position to Jennifer using the Strava app’s Beacon feature.

Anyway, I was looking forward to the challenge and I felt like I was in decent shape. My training for Tahoe 200 had gone well and I had run a 50K race and the Boston Marathon recently.

I also got to see my daughter at UC Davis on the drive to Folsom and have lunch with her. (She’s a sophomore there.)

I was able to stay with a friend in Sacramento (thank you so much, Elise!). After a tasty Indian food dinner, of naan, rice, and a kind of vegetarian dumpling, I took two Benadryls and a melatonin, and went to bed like at 9pm and set my alarm for 2:30am. I slept well and woke up before the alarm and felt a little sleepy but not too bad.

After a quick breakfast (canned mocha, 1.5 toasted bagels with peanut butter), I was soon on my way! Exciting! As I was getting near Beals Point, in Granite Bay, I saw a road closure with a bunch of police. Oh oh. They weren’t telling people how to get to the race. Everyone had to turn around. Did I miss an important race announcement? I soon pulled over and checked Google Maps. I figured that I just needed to drive around the closed intersection and that surely the race start / finish hadn’t changed! I was slightly panicked, but it worked out fine for me. Unfortunately, the road closure was due to a bad car accident. The race director announced that the race would be delayed 15 minutes.

I dropped off my two drop bags. For Overlook, at mile 45, I would pick up my nighttime gear (Kogalla chest light, a 3rd water bottle, and two battery packs). For Rattlesnake Bar, at mile 86, I would have a warm puffy jacket and a canned latte. The predicted low temperature was 41F. I heard an announcement about needing a parking pass, so I picked one up.

Walking back to my car, I noticed a familiar set of race stickers on a car. Rebekah! She was the only other runner that I knew in the race. Two other friends, Norm and Jo, had changed plans or were injured and couldn’t start the race. Rebekah was hoping to escape her stressful life for the weekend, and relax by running 100 miles. Funny, I know, but it makes sense! Unfortunately, reality reached her during the race via her phone and she reported that her mind just “wasn’t in the right place”, and she dropped at mile 69. You’re super tough, Rebekah!

With everything apparently in order, 5:15am came around, and we were off!

I tried to stick with an easy effort of about 10 minutes per mile on average. I enjoyed the sights and felt at ease. Soon, the first aid station, Willow Creek came around. I tried to be very efficient at each aid station, thinking in advance of what I had on me, how far it was to the next aid station, and what I needed to pick up. I got any trash out of my “trash pocket” in my running pack before I arrived.

The horizon grew lighter with the beginning of a beautiful sunrise.

American River, at mile 12

I finally neared Beal's Point again, where we had started, thus completing the easiest fastest part of the course. I would return here for the finish, many hours and many miles later.

Lake Folsom, mile 21

Many parts of this route are very runnable and very pretty, with great well-maintained trails.

Mile 33.5

There were some funny "inspirational" signs. I don't remember these being there before.

Mile 35

Leaving Rattlesnake Bar aid station, at mile 36, my pace chart that was attached to my bottle said I only had 4 miles to the next aid station. But then I saw a sign that said the next aid station was 6 miles away and was “water only”. Hmm. I wasn’t sure what caused the discrepancy or what to believe.

Somewhere between mile 36 and 42, I started feeling the very beginnings of cramps. I ate an extra energy gel. Generally, I was trying to eat one energy gel every 50 minutes or so, or every time I finished 20oz of sports drink. This ratio seemed to work well for some long virtual races in the last year.

Mile 41.3

I noticed that my pack was missing two velcro straps on the front that would hold my super-bright chest light (Kogalla brand). That was worrying. I figured I could carry it in my hand if need be.

I ran out of sports drink. Finally, I got to Cardiac aid station at mile 41.8. Turns out, my pace chart had a typo of 2 miles. The totals worked out, but I had just run 6 miles instead of 4 for this leg, and had run out of water. And the “water only” aid station was exactly that — lots of jugs of water. No food. No sports drink. No volunteers. That was different from 3 years ago. Doh. I got some water and attacked the steep climb up to Overlook.

Mile 42.7

There were lots of course markers, including pine cones on the ground with flags wrapped around them. A three-legged dog was carrying one of these pine cones in its mouth.

Some young speedsters passed me, by running up this hill. I thought that was nuts, considering how much effort that was and how long we had to go. I would pass them later, even after my epic detour.

Overlook! Mile 45. I was feeling kind of tired. This was going to be a longer stop. I needed to get my night gear and do some skin care, and try to catch up on my hydration.

I promptly forgot to do skin care, by applying RunGoo to my toes and nipples and anywhere else where I felt chafing. I decided I didn’t really need 3 water bottles for the upcoming longest legs (10 and 9.6 miles, consecutively) since the cool weather allowed me to drink less. I grabbed a battery pack for my phone.

Time to get going! I remember being at this huge busy aid station previously for my friends Mike and Rebekah. As I was exiting, I felt the chafing and that reminded me that I hadn’t done skin care. I sat down on some grass and took care of that. Onward!

I arrived at the No Hands Bridge at mile 49.2. I had been running or fast-hiking for 9 hours 16 minutes. I was still ahead of my 21.5 hour aggressive pace. I was feeling tired, for sure. I had just taken my first caffeinated energy gel, to help stay alert. But mostly, I felt pretty good. My muscles seemed to be in good shape. I hadn’t experienced any more cramps.

I quickly refueled and headed up a steep trail which soon descended to the Hwy 49 crossing. I should have paid very careful attention to this little bit. I knew that I was beginning the northern loop and that I would rejoin this trail at some point and re-enter No Hands Bridge.

This next leg was the longest between aid stations, at just over 10 miles. It seemed to go by quickly. Before I knew it, I came across some very familiar ground — Auburn Lake Trails aid station! This is where I volunteer each year for Western States Endurance Run. As usual, I was very quick through the aid station, dumping trash, grabbing a couple energy gels, and refueling. Onward!

Auburn Lake Trails aid station for Western States, June 2021

The shadows were getting longer and finally I stopped to get out my headlamp. I really wanted to use my chest light too, and I figured I could slip it between my chest and the chest straps of my pack. That seemed to work OK. I had to tighten the pack down and my skin was complaining. I also could no longer put anything in my right front chest pocket, as my right nipple was getting irritated. I was feeling tired, but was running well.

The Cool Fire Station aid station is new to me; they didn’t have it three years ago. There was a very well marked 3-way intersection that had us go downhill to the aid station, then return back the same way, and then continue in the same direction (a big clockwise loop) that I had just been running on. I was happy to arrive at Cool. The longest legs were now behind me. I was at mile 69. I very quickly got what I needed, and was heading out again when I saw a fellow Coastside Running Club member, Paula! I gave her a quick hug (sorry, I know I was stinky) and headed out.

I was definitely tired. I was a little confused about where the timing mat was. Did I miss it? I stopped and looked around. Someone told me that no, it was still ahead. Right!

Next stop — No Hands Bridge again. It was only 3.6 miles away but there were some good climbs. I had just one water bottle filled.

I eventually came to an intersection that was very confusing to me. It was a 3-way intersection with an A-frame sign that was just an arrow to the left. Well, there was no trail to the left. I could go straight or turn right and go downhill to Hwy 49. I remembered crossing there earlier, but I was pretty tired and couldn't remember exactly how this intersection worked when I was there over 5 hours ago in the daylight. What did the left arrow mean? I decided that it meant that runners who had come up the hill had to turn left to go outbound to begin their loop. I just wasn't thinking clearly. I went down the hill a bit and had serious doubts. I stopped. I walked back up to the intersection again. I looked at the sign again. I looked past the sign, but didn’t see any course markings.

What that left arrow really meant was "go straight, on the left side of this sign". Come on! That should've been an up arrow! It really deserved a note, saying something like “No Hands Bridge ahead” or something. I couldn't see any flags except for the right turn. So, I made the right turn, crossed Hwy 49 and I'm feeling nervous and confused about the course but then I recognized another runner from earlier. He said yeah we're good and to continue down this path and follow the ribbons. So, I followed the ribbons! If my brain had been working better, I would have checked the course map on my phone. Or I would have remembered how to get to No Hands Bridge from here. But no. I was running well and soon left this other runner behind.

Then came mistake #2. I passed a back-of-the-pack runner (who was walking) who said she was at mile 50. I didn't really get why she was telling me that. "Wow. Well, good luck." I quickly realized that that might have sounded unkind but I wasn't sure what response she was expecting. I started to worry about why we were heading in the same direction! I just couldn’t make sense of it all. I passed another back-of-the-pack runner. I remembered the scenery, but I wasn’t sure if I was going in the same direction as before or in the opposite direction. Finally, I came across a 3rd slow runner and I asked him if I, at mile 71 or so, was in the right place. No. “No Hands Bridge is back the way you came.” I got out my phone. My heart sank when Strava said mile 42 on the course I was following. (That wasn’t correct either; it should have been like mile 51.) I had no idea how far I had run. I was really tired. Had I gone an extra 2 miles? 4 miles? 6 miles? I couldn’t tell! Looking at my GPS data afterwards, it was around 1.5 miles one way, taking 20 minutes one way, with all the confusion and stopping.

I was so disappointed in myself. I started walking then jogging back. I really wanted to finish this race. I felt like my time goal was shot. But I could still finish. I had lots of time.

I got back to Hwy 49. I talked with the police officer who was controlling traffic there. He didn’t know what the course was, but he did know that No Hands Bridge was just down the road and he pointed to some runners coming down the trail above us, going straight (instead of making the turn like I did). OK. Onward.

I took my time at No Hands Bridge and told a volunteer there that I had gone far off course, and another runner had made the same mistake. She said she would go take a look at it.

I eventually got back to Overlook, mile 77. Then Cardiac again, mile 80. I thought of how I had run with Claire  (my daughter) here three years ago. There were a lot of stars out. It was a clear night. I was struggling more with my energy levels. My urine was a pretty dark yellow. My heart rate was high. My stomach started to feel uneasy, and I couldn’t seem to drink or eat much. 

Another runner passed me but then soon I caught up to him again. He asked if I wanted to pass, and I said “no, I’m really struggling, and I’ll have to slow down again soon.” He asked if I wanted some company. Wow, that was thoughtful. “Sure!” We chatted for a few miles. At our relatively slow pace, this was probably 45 minutes. His name is Mosi (pronounced “mossy”) and he’s quite an accomplished runner, having completed Badwater twice out of three attempts, along with many hundred milers, and lots of road marathons, too. It was super helpful, mentally, to be with him as I was trying to regroup. He didn’t have a pacer either. Finally, we arrived at Rattlesnake Bar, mile 86. I needed my drop bag and I was going to use the porta-potty and get some food. Mosi bid me farewell. He went on to finish in 22:03:03. Awesome!

I got my drop bag, drank a cold latte drink that I had stashed in it, grabbed my lightweight puffy jacket, took care of business at the porta-potty (yes, my first and only poop of the race), and finally got going again.

The next 7 miles were the slowest and most difficult of the race. It seemed like just endless rocks and short steep descents or climbs. I still couldn’t get my energy back. I was still dehydrated. My feet were getting sore. I could feel blisters, too. There was cursing involved. I took a salt pill, the only one I consumed in this race, in the hopes that it would settle my stomach and trigger a thirst, so that I could drink more. It might have helped. There were some more confusing intersections and I got my phone out a couple of times. Another runner passed me, with his pacer, but twice I caught up to them because they were confused about the course, too. At some point, I took a look at my pace chart but forgot or misread which leg I was on, and I thought I had like an extra 10 miles. That was depressing. But then I felt relieved when I realized there was just one more aid station!

Granite Beach! The last aid station! Mile 95.8 of the race! I told the volunteers I was so happy to be there. I could have cried. The remaining 4 miles were relatively flat and smooth. I was going to finish. I grabbed a quesadilla. Yum. I noticed a bottle of whisky and remarked, “Cool!”. They offered me a shot, but I said I shouldn’t. Then they offered me a tiny travel-size bottle. Hah! Fun! I took it and thanked them.

With that warm food and easier terrain and my stomach calmed, my energy levels were returning. My heart rate and breathing were back to a normal easy effort. I was running a bit faster. I saw the lights of the finish line. I picked up the pace. As I was on the final section of the levy, I ran faster. I could hear the announcer saying that a runner was coming in fast. Something caught my eye and I checked behind me, and there were two headlamps like a few hundred feet behind me! What?! I was not going to get passed in the last quarter mile! I picked up the pace more. I felt like I was practically sprinting, but it was probably closer to 8 minutes a mile. Left turn. Finish line in sight. Tried not to trip and fall in the bumpy grass. I did it! Whew. 22 hours 30 minutes 10 seconds. 

Whatever those lights were behind me, they weren’t in the race. I got my belt buckle and medal. I got a text from Jennifer. I called her. I got some hot soup. I felt pretty unsettled and had a hard time sleeping in my car. I also was frequently urinating. (I’m not sure why this happens towards the ends of very long races, but I’ve experienced this before.) I told myself to try to remember that I was quite miserable and uncomfortable. Yeah, if this were easy, it wouldn’t be worth doing.

I want to thank my family and friends for their support, and the hundreds of volunteers who did such a great job supporting us runners. Thank you!

This race is also pretty generous with the schwag:

What went well

• I finished! I was also 31 minutes faster than the previous time I ran this race, although I had cooler temperatures than in 2018. If I hadn’t gone off course, I probably would have finished at least another 40 minutes earlier, in around 21 hours 50 minutes.
• I didn’t get injured. I didn’t fall.
• My muscles never got extremely sore. I could walk OK afterwards and go up and down steps OK, for example.
• I was mostly comfortable for like 70% of the race.
• It was fun running well and seeing the natural beauty and meeting other runners and volunteers.
• I did some problem solving during the race, that worked out. I figured out a way to sort-of attach my chest light to my pack. I addressed skin care problems. I got over my upset stomach.
• I think I paced myself well? It’s hard to say. I had an aggressive goal, for sure, to finish in 22 hours or maybe even 21 hours. I learned about the ultraPacer website and I compared its results to my rough estimate and it seemed worth trying. I put in a very optimistic goal time of 21:30, with 1 minute 30 seconds of breaks for each aid station, and a 10% reduction in speed over the course of the race. That website claims to take into account day versus night running, and the difficulty of the terrain, for the many races that it has data for. I was mostly ahead of that goal during the race and if I hadn’t one off course, who knows, maybe I could have held on to that pace?

Things to improve

• It’s hard to say, “be smarter”, but I was definitely tired around mile 70 and having a hard time thinking carefully. Still, I should have paid better attention to that critical 3-way intersection at mile 50 and 70, near No Hands Bridge. I count 4 such 3-way intersections in this race, where there is a choice of two trails, and both of them are part of the course. Unlike the other hundreds of intersections, where a wrong turn heads down an unmarked trail, these critical intersections have course markings no matter which way you go! So, it might take much longer to realize the error! I also should have trusted my doubts and taken the moment to check my map or slow down and talk with the runner at mile 50 who I was passing.
• I’m not sure how I could have stayed hydrated better. I think I went at least 30 minutes without water due to going off course. It can take a while to catch up when you’re behind on hydration. It was also hard to just force myself to drink a lot. Maybe if I had taken a salt pill sooner? Not sure.
• I didn’t notice that my velcro strips holding my chest light to my running pack had disappeared. Somehow, probably early in the morning on the drive to the start, they got stuck to my car’s carpet and detached from my running pack. So, I had no way of securely attaching my chest light to my pack. Maybe I should have sewed them on?
• I didn’t get much chafing, but the worst was in my armpits! This is the 2nd time that this has happened. Did my shirts shrink? haha.  I guess I need to start using anti-chafing cream there, or run shirtless!
• I made a mistake when copying the distances that each aid station is at, when creating my pace chart. I had even double-checked it. But I had one typo, that moved an aid station 2 miles. This caused me to not quite plan correctly during the race. I also didn’t catch that Cardiac was water only and that this literally meant water only!
• My pace chart was taped to a water bottle, which I have done many times before. For the first time, the tape didn’t stick well and completely detached from the bottle at some point during the night. Was it the bottle? It was the first time I had taped a pace chart to this particular bottle. I also pinched my lip pretty hard on the nozzle once, while trying to close it, giving me a blister on my lower lip. I don’t think I’ll use this bottle again in a race.

Random data

• I took 3 ibuprofen during the race, to help reduce soreness. I took the first somewhere around mile 35 or 40, I think. I took the last one at about mile 70. Later on, I was worried about taking any more while I was dehydrated. (My urine was a dark yellow.)
• I took one salt pill, maybe around mile 90, to try to help my stomach and allow me to drink more water. I think it helped.
• RunGoo anti-chafing cream worked well, I think, and protected my nipples and thighs and other spots. But notably, I still got blisters.
• I wore Injini toe socks. I still got blisters.
• Two water bottles (20 oz each) was enough for the cool weather conditions.
• Race results
• GPS recording

[Update on April 1, 2022] I'm in a photo in a Facebook ad. Fun!

Boston Marathon #8 -- 3:09:00

Summary

I ran my 8th Boston Marathon yesterday, finishing in 3 hours 9 minutes. This was my 4th fastest Boston Marathon and my 32nd road marathon.

I'm really pleased with the race. I probably went a bit too fast in miles 18-23, though, because I had some cramps (left hamstring, both calves) in mile 25. But otherwise the race went pretty smoothly. I was aiming for 3:10 and my official time is 3:09:00. The weather was good -- cool and overcast. The volunteers and organizers and spectators were fantastic as usual.

Details

I had been looking forward to my first big in-person race since the pandemic. And the Boston Marathon is always a rewarding experience. This was the first Boston Marathon that my wife was able (and willing?) to come to with me. We made a nice trip out of it, spending three nights in New Hampshire and three nights in Boston. I only did two short runs, but we did two rather strenuous hikes, including going to the top of Liberty Mountain. The fall colors of New Hampshire were gorgeous.

Once in Boston, we made our way to the covid vaccine check; it was smooth and quick. Thankfully, almost all of the runners were fully vaccinated, as the line for the covid test, for the unvaccinated, had just one person in it. The Expo was far less crowded and was much more spacious, with many fewer vendors, than in past years. My wife convinced me to buy the Boston Marathon 2021 jacket which I think looks pretty smart!

The next morning, Sunday, the day before the race, I got in an easy 4 mile run and then we walked for a few hours, getting lunch, going to a science museum, and then finding dinner. (I had a tasty spicy Moroccan rice and tofu dish.) The weather was pretty good, being mostly overcast and in the high 60s in the middle of the day, but rather humid. That’s still a little warmer than the ideal running conditions, but I’ve run in much worse in Boston. It was fun seeing all of the fit runners everywhere.

I worked on my pacing plan that night, which is rather last-minute. I wanted to do well, but I also wanted to have a good experience, and I guess I wasn’t super-concerned about doing my absolute best. For example, in the preceding weeks, I always chose running with friends rather than doing fine-tuned race-specific workouts. I still preferred hills and trails, versus flat paved roads, too. And in the months prior, my focus was on getting ready for Tahoe 200 which ended up being cancelled due to forest fires. So, my training and mindset were not focused on this race.

I tried to memorize my pace plan, but it’s a little bit complicated, so I wrote it on a cheat-sheet that I took with me, to memorize while on the bus to Hopkinton. I had four goal paces for four different sections of the race, starting off a little slower and finishing faster, with a goal time of 3 hours 10 minutes. I figured that I was in about as good shape as I was two years ago when I ran CIM in 3:09:43. The pace plan came from this Marco marathon calculator which I have used a few times before, and I have the breakdown in a spreadsheet that I adjust for each race. For this race, the plan was as follows:

• 7:24 per-mile for miles 1-2.
• 7:19 per-mile for the next 7 miles.
• 7:15 per mile for the next 8 miles.
• 7:10 per mile for the final 9.2 miles.

For elite athletes making word-record attempts, it’s better to run the same pace throughout. But I think it’s a safer strategy to start off a little slower because the cost of going too fast too early can be very high later in the race, if you “bonk” (run low on glycogen in your body) or get cramps.

I had a terrible night’s sleep before the race, just tossing and turning all night. It didn’t help that the hotel room was a bit warm and that big cities are typically noisy, especially sports cars and motorcycles with extra-loud exhaust pipes. My calves were sore, perhaps from this serious hike a few days earlier, and my legs were generally restless, too. I had forgotten to take any kind of sleep aid. Being on a computer late at night probably didn’t help either.

Finally, I fell asleep at some point but the 6:30am alarm woke me up and I was quite sleepy. Jennifer kindly made me a cup of instant coffee and I ate a light breakfast (1.5 bagels with peanut butter) and got ready for the day! Exciting!

It was a 15 minute walk to Boston Common and the endless line of buses was quite a sight. I wish I had my phone to take photos, but I didn’t want to take the time or to walk the extra distance to have a drop bag. The boarding process was quick and efficient. Excitement was in the air! We were allowed to board by our bib colors. There were 6 colors for the 6 groups, sorted from fastest to slowest, based on our qualifying times.

I rested my eyes occasionally on the bus ride, as did the guy who I sat next to. We were tired, I guess! Most people were chatting. I did notice that a few buses in front of us on the freeway started to exit while our bus continued on the freeway. They were taking the wrong exit! Oops! I’m glad our bus driver knew the route well!

We arrived in Hopkinton! There were some spectators waving at the buses as we drove in! Neat! I just love how the local residents, from Hopkinton to Boston, really embrace the marathon. I thanked the bus driver as we exited and we runners started walking towards the start line.

This was the first year of using what the race called a “rolling start”. In the previous seven times I ran this race, going back to 2007, there was always an “athlete’s village” set up where we stayed underneath giant canopy tents and waited for an hour or so before moving towards the starting corrals. But not this time! We just kept walking towards the start. There was a large group of porta-potties for us, and most of us took advantage of one last stop. I ditched my thermal blanket and did some warm-up exercises. It was only when I got within sight of the starting line did I realize what a “rolling start” really meant. There were no corrals, no national anthem (at least not for me, being 15-20 minutes after the race started for the fastest runners). We just walked straight from the bus to the start line and then started running when we were ready! This was a great innovation! There was no particular crowding or anxiety about not getting to the porta-potty in time before the race started. There was no lengthy wait in the cold. And from the organizer’s point of view, they didn’t need to do nearly as much set-up and could have hundreds of fewer porta-potties and no giant tents and everything else required to keep us comfortable for an hour+. I hope they stick with the rolling start!

I normally eat an energy gel 15 minutes before starting a marathon, but I only waited a few minutes before walking to the start line, and then I was off! Woo hoo!

The steepest part of the whole course is right at the beginning, with a fast smooth downhill. I took it easy and ran at what I thought was a very comfortable effort that approximated a 7:24 pace on flat ground. I felt good!

I had a few minor random pains in the first 6 miles or so. Both calves felt kind of tight or sore and my left knee’s patella-femoral tendon was sore. I tried not to worry. I gave a thumbs-up to many cheering spectators. It was fun seeing the communities and terrain. I kept an eye on my pace and picked up my effort a tad after the first two miles.

I thought of friends and family who were probably following me online when I crossed the 5K checkpoint.

I finished off my 20oz of Tailwind at about the 6 mile mark and tossed my old water bottle. I usually eat an energy gel every 35 minutes or so in a road marathon, but because I was getting so much sports drink, I held off until almost an hour had passed. Still after all these years, I’m not sure about the right amount of water to take for the calories I’m getting. Through trial-and-error, ~24 ounces an hour of sports drink plus 100 calories of something else seems to work for me for long races (marathons and longer) in cool weather.

The aid stations are every mile, starting at mile 2. They were not too crowded and getting a drink was easy. There are *so* many volunteers. Thank you, volunteers! It’s really amazing how many people donate their time to make this race such a wonderful event.

The miles flowed by smoothly. My breathing was steady and easy. In-in-out-out, in-in-out-out was my cadence with my breathing and strides in sync. I enjoyed the spectators. I noticed a couple of other runners who were always nearby and at about the same pace. Whatever minor aches or sorenesses I had disappeared as I warmed up.

Around mile 13, I heard a roar up ahead. Wellesley College! This women’s college is always super-supportive of the race, with hundreds or maybe even thousands of young women cheering and screaming encouragement. The signage felt different this time. There were a couple of “kiss me” type signs, including one that stood out to me as being especially funny — “If you don’t kiss me, my boyfriend will be mad”. But many more signs were advocacy-type signs, like about climate change and social justice. I smiled and gave a thumbs up or an occasional cheer myself, but I didn’t stop.

There was a Santa Claus spectator. And a sign that said something like “Fear the fart” which made me chuckle. I passed a couple of single-leg amputees. I passed one runner who was a triple amputee — both legs below the knee had those blade-style prosthetics and he was missing most of his right arm, too. I wonder if those were war injuries.

I was running well and started passing people more frequently and was rarely getting passed. I started seeing runners who were struggling. In the town of Newton, at around mile 18, I actually looked forward to the hills, as a sign that I was getting closer to the finish and for the change of pace (literally). I passed a lot of people on these uphills. I was feeling good but tried to remind myself that I still had a long ways to go.

Miles 22, 23, and 24 were my fastest miles of the whole race. I was feeling good! But then I sensed problems. My calves, hamstrings, and thighs were getting twinges of cramps. I was very close to the limit. When I passed the mile 23 marker, that means I had just over 3.2 miles remaining which felt like a long time under these circumstances. “Just hold on. Keep it together for just a bit longer.” I told myself. I became more focused on the task at hand and was interacting with the crowds less. I was still steadily passing most runners, many of whom were struggling worse than me.

Somewhere in mile 25, the cramping got much worse, seemingly over just a few seconds. I slowed down. Tried to speed up. Boom. My left hamstring froze, clenched and not releasing. I didn’t stop but I had to hobble. “No no no no” I think I said out loud. “#%$@!” I had less than 2 miles to go, but I could see this going very badly. My hamstring unclenched, probably after just a few strides, although it felt longer. I ate my last energy gel, just in the the hope that it might help keep the cramps away. Breathing-wise, I was in good shape. I probably had plenty of energy, too. But some of my leg muscles just couldn’t do any more. I slowed down for a bit to try to recover.

The mile 25 marker went by. The “one mile to go” marker went by. I pushed harder. So close. Just hold on. Right on Hereford! Left on Boylston! The finish line is in sight, just 3.5 long blocks away. Another runner was standing in the road at the corner, leaning over. He vomited as I passed. Faster. Almost there. Faster. I heard my name! I glanced to my left and it was Jennifer! Woo hoo! Keep it together. Faster. I was going to come in under my 3:10 goal time! Finish!!! Whew! What a relief!

The volunteers again were so wonderful and the amount of effort that goes in to supporting us runners is just incredible. I got water, a bag of food, a thermal “space blanket”, and of course my medal. Whew! I felt good! I was sore, for sure, but didn’t have any cramps. I exited the finish area and went looking for Jennifer, but it was too crowded, so I made my way back to our hotel. She had gotten there a couple minutes before me and had bought Chipotle burritos for us! Nice! Thank you, my love!

What a day! I wanted to rest and take a nap, but my phone was buzzing quite a bit. Thank you, my friends and family, for thinking of me. I texted my daughter and called my parents. I learned of my finish time — 3:09:00. Nice! I’ll take it! :-)

A bit later, we had a wonderful group dinner at Legal Sea Foods, with my friend Ned and his wife Leslie and a bunch of Ned's running friends from the San Francisco Road Running Club. I felt pretty good and could walk up and down stairs just fine. I was sore, for sure, but I had been much more sore after other marathons.

What went well

• I think I paced myself pretty well on the whole, but maybe was a bit too enthusiastic in miles 22-24.
• No blisters or bad chafing. I had used RunGoo on all the usual spots that can get chafing, like my toenails, nipples, and thighs. I was getting a spot of chafing on the top of both feet and a touch around both armpits, which is unusual, but otherwise, my skin was in good shape.
• No bathroom problems. I didn’t eat much fiber the day before, and I woke up at 6:30am for an anticipated 9:30am to 10am start. I ate and drank plenty (1.5 bagels with peanut butter, coffee, water) shortly after waking up, but then I didn’t drink or eat anything else until about 5 minutes before I began running.

Things to improve

• For the first time, I carried a handheld water bottle in a road marathon and this wasn’t necessary at all for this race. l was slightly worried about aid station crowding, but between the rolling start and about 10,000 fewer runners than in previous years (due to Covid-19), it was easy to get sports drink at every aid station. I finished off the 20oz of Tailwind by around mile 6 and I threw away this old water bottle.
• I had a really hard time sleeping the night before. My legs were restless more than my mind, it seemed. I had forgotten to take a Benadryl or melatonin or any sleep aid. I was also on my computer, watching an episode of Squid Game on Netflix, right before going to sleep.

Random data

• I ate 5 energy gels during the race, plus 1 right before the start. 2 of them were caffeinated. One of the energy gels I got during the race. Although I had brought enough with me from home, one of them got punctured somehow. Because I had Tailwind (200 calories), I didn’t eat my first energy gel until about the 1 hour mark.
• My Strava activity.

Berkeley Adventure Run 50K -- 5:18:42

I raced the Berkeley Adventure Run 50K (31 miles) today, put on by Inside Trail Racing. It was a challenging course, with 6800' of elevation gain, going all around Tilden Park. I had a good solid run and I did about as well as I could. It took me 5 hours 18 minutes 42 seconds and I finished 7th out of 64, and 3rd in my age group. (The first place male, Daniel Kono, was 52 years old!) The scenery and forests were pretty and interesting. The weather was great for running -- cool and overcast. I only felt warm for some brief periods in the late morning and early afternoon.

I signed up for this race on the spur-of-the-moment, learning of it only one week before. I didn't register until just two days before the race. I thought this would a fun experience and a good training run.

I think I paced myself well and executed the race about as well I could, all things considered. I drank only Tailwind sports drink, and even started out with 20oz of Tailwind that I prepared at home. I ate an energy gel about every 45-50 minutes. My energy levels felt pretty good the entire time, but I got a strong thigh cramp around mile 29 on an uphill. I felt like I was on the verge of cramps and couldn't push any harder, even when another runner passed me in about the last mile. He was in my age group, too! Oh, well.

The only real negative part of the race was that there was some trail marking vandalism that cost me 4-5 minutes. Someone had not only removed the course markings, but had relocated them to mislead us. 🙁   Otherwise things went smoothly -- no falls or injuries.

Random socializing

• Suki's and my mutual friend Katie met us before the race. She ran the 10K.
• I met Seth from San Francisco and we crossed each other's paths repeatedly and had plenty of time for conversation. This was his first ultramarathon and he did great!
• I re-met Jason who recognized me from the Woodside Crossover 50K (in 2019, I think).
• After Suki finished, I met Lulu, an ophthalmologist from Menlo Park, who is interested in running on Montara Mt.

What went well

• Pretty much everything! I felt good and ran strong almost the entire time.
• I carried one 20oz handheld bottle. This made aid station stops very quick. I ran out of sports drink a couple of times, but not for too long, like 10-15 minutes, I think.
• I used RunGoo on my toes, nipples, and other likely chafing spots. That worked pretty well.
• Inside Trail Racing puts on really nice trail runs. The swag (t-shirt, medal) and prizes (pint glass and coaster, for 3rd place age group) were thoughtful and attractive. There were lots of helpful volunteers and lots of course markings and signage. There should be some race photos available for free, too.

Things to improve

• I had never worn these particular Injinji socks with these particular shoes (Hoke One One Speedgoat 4 size 13), and the socks didn't cover all the skin that the tongue of the shoe touched, so I got some chafing there, with a bit of bleeding. If the race had been much longer, like 50 miles, I would have had to attend to the problem during the race, but it hardly bothered me for this race. In the future, I need to make sure that the socks and shoes will work well together.
• I wish I had known the course really well, so that I could have followed the course by memory instead of following the colored ribbons, but that's just not practical for a race course that's an hour's drive away. There were about 50 turns in the turn-by-turn instructions, plus the trails didn't have signs anyways. It would have been very difficult to really memorize the course without running on the trails in advance. Some runners had the course's gpx file on their phones or watches, and that might have helped me, but I didn't want to carry a phone on this run.

Random data

• I woke up at 5:30am which seemed to be fine for the 8:30am race start. I met Suki at 7am in Pacifica and we had plenty of time to get our bibs, warm up, use the porta-potties, and get ready for the race.
• For breakfast, I ate a whole wheat English muffin with peanut and jelly, and a small bowl of corn flakes with honey.
• I weighed 167.0 lbs the morning after the race. I forgot to weigh myself the morning of the race, but it was probably about the same.

4 mile cross-country race -- 26:19

My friend Ned invited me to join a cross-country team with the San Francisco Road Runners Club. I haven't run a race like this since high school! We did two 2-mile loops in Golden Gate Park. It was a fun supportive get-together and a lung-busting 4 mile race. Good fun!

• Results: https://www.pausatf.org/data/2021/XCGGP2021.html
• Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/5950048652

Tiki Trot 5K -- 17:55.9

 I ran a good challenging fast 5 km race this morning, in Pacifica. The Tiki Trot 5K was put on by Pacifica Runners and I knew many of the organizers and runners. It was fun doing an in-person race again.

Looking around at my competition before the race, I recognized Jason Reed who had beaten me in this race before and who is typically faster than me. I recognized Brandon Heiken who I knew had been training well, and was likely faster than me. My guess was a 3rd place finish, and I was right! But it didn't go down like that.

I tried to remember to not start off with a sprint. The start is a gentle downhill slope and it's easy to get carried away. A few minutes after 8am, and we were off! This time with chip timing. Jason seemingly sprinted out in front. I felt at ease, like I was holding back, but was still perhaps running too fast. I slowly caught up and passed Jason in the first mile.

Then a short while later, Brandon passed me. I congratulated him. Then this young guy passed me. Whoah! For the first time, this race was on the RRCA circuit, and so it attracted some speedsters. This guy was probably one of those speedsters. He passed Brandon, too.

They slowly pulled away from me and I pulled away from those behind me. I tried to keep a consistent effort, but I slowed down on the flat rocky dirt and sand, and slowed down again on the final uphill. (About 2/3rd of the course is on dirt.)

I was feeling desperate. I probably could have sprinted to the finish line a little sooner, but I waited until I could actually see it.

Under 18 minutes! I think that was the fastest I have ever run a 5 km race. I even beat my track time from January, and this course is definitely slower than a track. I got a special RRCA medal for being first in the 50+ age group. (That sounds so old, but I'll take it!)

Cool! It was fun hanging out with Lauren and Mor. It is kind of nice to have this whole race experience compressed into about 90 minutes (including warm-up and cool-down runs, and the after-race awards and raffles).

Results.

Strava.

Dear Prudence

I met Prudence L'Heureux during my first 50K race, in August 2007. We went on to become friends and I paced her at Miwok 100K one year, and she paced me in two of my races. I visited her in Bend, Oregon, on my work trips.

Prudence was funny and determined and full of life. She was strong and self-confident. She was an amazing ultrarunner and was ranked #10 of all U.S. women ultrarunners in 2008. I greatly admired her and I’m grateful to have known her.

We texted as recently as April 2021 and she seemed fine and normal, and busy with tax season. She tried calling me that day, but my phone's volume was off and I didn't see her call.

She took her own life on June 17, 2021, in Mammoth Lakes, CA.

I want a memorial of her life to live on, so that she doesn't fade away completely. So, this blog post is my personal effort towards that goal. Another way to memorialize her is to donate to put her name on a bench in the Royal Gorge trail network.

This is us at the end of Tahoe Rim Trail 50 Mile in July 2012, where she joined me for the last 20 miles.

She ran with me again at Dick Collins Firetrails 50 Mile in October 2012.

I joined her for part of her Miwok 100K in May 2008. To put her performance in perspective, I like to point out that in 2008, I ran my first 50 miler, the Headlands 50 Mile, which took place on many of the same trails as Miwok 100K. It took me 9 hours 47 minutes. Then Prudence ran Miwok 100K in 9 hours 47 minutes. So, on the same trails and in the same amount of time, she raced 12 miles farther than I did!

Articles and sources of information

• Ultrasignup's list of her races
• Fundraiser for her memorial bench
• Ultrarunning Magazine's 2008 runners of the year
• Newspaper article about her 2008 ranking as #10 female ultrarunner.
• Newspaper article describes her win at Angeles Crest 100 in 2008.
• Newspaper article about Prudence pacing Kami Semick at Miwok 100K in 2009.
• An article about Anita Ortiz describes how Anita mistreated Prudence in a team race at Gore-Tex Trans-Rockies Run in Colorado in 2002.

Music

Wide Open by The Chemical Brothers somehow resonates with how I feel about losing Prudence, and how she faded away from me, and from the ultrarunning community in general, over the years. The dancer in the video, Sonoya Mizuno, even looks similar to Prudence.

Yeti 100 Mile -- 19:07:40

Summary

Writing this, 10 hours after finishing this virtual race, I am *so* sore. I don't remember being so sore after a race before, such that sleep was very difficult. (I'm not sure I actually ever fell asleep before getting up a few hours later). Even my forearms are sore! But I'm really pleased with how the day went. This was my 6th hundred miler and I set a personal record for this distance by almost 4 hours.

The basic plan was to run four out-and-backs, of 25 miles each, mostly heading south which is easier, with one trip north which has bigger hills and some single-track trails. My goal pace would be 10:30 / mile during the day and 11:30 per mile at night, with 15 minutes of breaks each 25 miles. That would result in 19 hours 12 minutes.

The run basically went pretty smoothly and I was surprised at how closely I was able to stick to the plan, staying within about 10 minutes of my optimistic goal. What made a world of difference was having a different friend join me for each of those legs, in a safe manner. Knowing that someone was waiting for me, along with many other friends following online, helped keep me motivated, too. Also, I had to earn that belt buckle!

I kept up my hydration and energy levels pretty well, I think. I drank about 20 ounces of Tailwind and ate one energy gel (or equivalent) about every 5 miles. I had some other snacks, like Pringles, noodle soup, and two iced coffee beverages at home. Oh, and my friend Suki brought a warm freshly-made quesadilla at mile 85! (The 4th 25 mile leg ended up being split into 3 shorter out-and-backs.)

I want to give a huge thanks to Ned (25 miles), Ana (17 miles), Cesare (35 miles), and Suki (15 miles), for running different portions of it with me.

Thank you again to my family and friends for your encouragement and support!

Lap 1 -- 25 miles with Ned

We started at 7am. Thank you, Ned for getting up so early and driving from S.F. to meet me. Over the previous few days, I had either been sitting too much or sitting in a bad position, as my lower back was bugging me. It wasn't bad, but it was disconcerting. Otherwise, I felt ready! I had a good night's sleep two nights before (thanks partially to a melatonin) and I slept OK the night before (melatonin + Benadryl).

The miles flowed by smoothly and I tried to take it easy. It was good catching up with Ned.

After about 20 miles, I was starting to feel a bit sore. I was hoping that this soreness would "taper off" as the miles continued. My back pain disappeared somewhere along here and never came back.

This was a long run for Ned and his knee started bugging him, so he was glad to finish. I tried not to think about how much farther I had to go.

Lap 2 -- 25 miles with Ana

The crowds were coming to the coast and getting back and forth across Hwy 1 took longer and was a bit more dangerous this time. I was feeling warmer in the bright light of day.

I realized that I had forgotten my bag of Pringles at home, but I still had enough food.

On the return trip, heading north, the winds had really picked up. Ana offered to run in front of me which was helpful. I think we were both starting to feel tired and we just persevered. I was somewhat more sore and feeling some hotspots on some toes. Ana was feeling some chafing and at a water stop I was glad I could lend her my anti-chafing cream.

Ana hadn't been doing long runs recently and her left leg was hurting, so we parted ways earlier than expected; I think it was mile 17 for her. She was able to run home and then bicycle to my house in time to see me at mile 50. Thank you so much, Ana!

Mile 50 -- Cesare is taking over from Ana as my pacer

Lap 3 -- 35 miles with Cesare

Cesare had braved the traffic when he drove to meet me at my house. Thank you, Cesare! He also informed me of a change of plans -- he was going to run 35 miles with me instead of 25, so that Suki would only do 15 (she had been having calf pain). I was very grateful that they had planned this out for me while I was running.

So, I'm halfway done and was basically on schedule. I re-applied Run Goo to all the usual spots. I had no chafing on my nipples and just some minor hotspots on my toes. (I was wearing Injinji socks and my fast road running shoes, Nike Vapor Fly Next%.) I also quickly gulped down some hot ramen soup that Jennifer prepared; thank you, my love!

This was my longest stop. I grabbed my headlamp and battery for my phone, and we were off! Cesare and I headed north for a change. The weather had gotten more overcast and I enjoyed the cool air.

Photo credit: Cesare

Photo credit: Cesare

I realized I was getting some bad chafing around my butt for some reason. We made one stop at this one public restroom that stays open late and I applied some of my Squirrel Nut Butter anti-chafing cream. Onward!

Photo credit: Cesare

We got back to my house at mile 75, restocked, and then went out for two more short bits, to get to mile 85. Astoundingly, Cesare is in such good shape that he easily ran the 25 miles on just two energy gels, then grabbed some nuts and a bar for the remaining 10 miles, and he made it look easy. Thank you so much, Cesare, for the good company and good discussions about stocks, and politics, and health.

Lap 4 -- 15 miles with Suki

Suki! She was waiting for me and Cesare and even had made cheese quesadillas and pancakes! Wow! Thank you! I tried to be quick about getting refueled. I was tired and sore and really wanted to finish this thing. Soon we were on our way.

Photo credit: Suki

Suki originally told me about this Yeti 100 Mile virtual race, and our plan was to run the whole thing together, doing a large loop around the San Francisco peninsula. But with the worsening pandemic and increased restrictions, it seemed to be against the rules to do the whole thing together along with a mobile aid station. Rather than wait indefinitely while trying to stay in shape, I decided to run this solo, doing out-and-backs from my house. We also got permission from the race director to do the race past the deadline.

Anyway, I was so grateful to have Suki with me. We're so close to finishing! Just 7.5 miles out, turn-around, and then back. Suki played some good songs and had lots of energy. She kept me up-to-date about my optimistic schedule. It was looking that I might really be able to hit my 19 hour 12 minute goal! I dug deep for the last few miles and finally finally got to the finish! Whew!

Photo credit: Suki

Random data:

• Race results -- I think I came in 3rd overall, out of 151. The current first-place runner has a typo and he probably took 25 (or 35!) hours and not 5 hours!
• I weighed 166.0 lbs at the finish. That was 1-2 lbs less than normal.
• I used Run Goo on my nipples, toes, and other common chafing points, and that worked great. For some reason, my shorts gave me some chafing on my butt. Ouch. I carried a small amount of Squirrel Nut Butter which I applied around mile 60 which probably helped. Carrying that also helped Ana during her run with me.
• I found a $10 bill on the ground, picked it up, and then lost it some time later. Easy come, easy go!
• I think I took 5 ibuprofen, starting at about mile 24. I know this non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) makes the kidneys work harder and so can be dangerous during an endurance activity, but my urine was clear and I was urinating frequently (every 45 minutes?), so I seem to be able to handle this.
• I carried salt pills, but with all of the Tailwind and gels and cool temperatures (so I wasn't sweating much), I didn't think I needed any additional salt, so I didn't eat any.