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Week 3: PCTR Woodside 17k+Big Fun in Palo Alto.

My training week consisted of a silent foggy Christmas morning run plus a handful of 5 and 6 mile runs. Nothing exciting to report. On Sunday, I finally got some trail time at the PCTR Woodside 17k. Yes, you read that correctly.

Pacific Coast Trail Runs has been resurrected and is alive and well under new ownership! John and Maureen Brooks announced they were taking the reigns in August, and I think this post by John on the PCTR Facebook page sums up their vision:
 It’s a dream come true for me to combine my work experience with my passion of endurance sports. I absolutely love the endurance community. Maybe some of you can relate to this: I really only race to be close to people like you. Endurance athletes are amazing people!

We debated for weeks of whether to keep the name of PCTR or to rebuild from scratch. PCTR has a strong, 12-year legacy that was tarnished in the last 7 months before closing. One of the most important factors in retaining the name was reading the years of comments on Facebook and comparing it to other event organizers. I don’t think there is a more passionate following, good or bad, than there is for PCTR. Rather than start completely anew, we decided to retain the things PCTR did well and build upon the areas needing improvement. Fixing the refund policy, taking care of needed refunds, and holding to a set race calendar are important first steps in fixing PCTR. Retaining beautiful venues, accurately measured and well marked trails, quality aid stations, and a friendly, safe atmosphere are things we don’t want to lose. 
Makes sense to me.

Six months after PCTR closed it's doors in June and after four successfully organized races under new management, I was ready to get back out there and run a PCTR race.


There were two options when it came to the logistics of running this race: One was to wake up at the crack of dawn and drive a couple hours worrying about fog, run a couple hours, then get back in the car for a couple hours and come home....the other was to make an overnight getaway out of it. Having survived another holiday season at work, I was more than happy to get out of town and take a breather. Saturday after work we packed up the car and GeNene and I hit the road for Palo Alto.

Always prepared for anything especially wine. 
Sunday morning it was 35 degrees. 35 DEGREES. I took off for Huddart Park while GeNene opted to hang in the room and take advantage of the fitness center and hot breakfast rather than standing around for two hours in the chilly morning waiting for me.
This was her morning
This was mine
Check in was smooth and I had plenty of time to hang out in the warm car before I needed to warm up. I ran this same course last year, so I knew that it's about five miles to the top. It looks like a big climb, but actually, the really annoying thing is that the entire thing is totally runnable. It's switchback after switchback, climbing and more climbing, and it's not until just barely before the top that it gets so steep that you can switch to a power hike.

Then you fly to the finish.

I love this course. The first half is solemn and serious. I maintained an even steady effort uphill, making turn after turn, up and up, reaching the aid station and lingering just long enough to top off my water bottle before taking off like I had a mile to go. The second half is joyful. Gliding and bounding back down the muddy trails, taking caution to slow on those 180 degree turns and being able to take a glance back and see who's there. There are a few sections that are suddenly exposed to open sky and sunlight which is exhilarating after being mostly under the dense shade of the trees.

I finished in 1:50:xx. Official results are forthcoming. I finished feeling like I had something left which is ok with me because this race was just a piece of the bigger picture of my training for Way Too Cool.

As I came into the finish, I recognized Allen, who has a fantastic blog and a reputation for not only participating in all kinds of trail runs but also volunteering. I was really happy to get to meet John as I crossed the line as well.
Photo credit: Allen Lucas
Photo Credit: Allen Lucas

I had a great time, and I'm looking forward to the legacy of Pacific Coast Trail Runs living on. It certainly seems to be in good hands.

Now let me tell you about something else amazing.

MY FIRST TRIP TO ZOMBIERUNNER!! Seriously, it was like the mothership called me home.
You guys, I found the promised land. 
I wanted to buy 12,000 more things.

After ZombieRunner, we went to Miki's, because GeNene said they sell 14 different kinds of mushrooms (that's exciting for her). They do, and they all look strange.

Rolling back into Stockton about 5pm, I absolutely felt satisfied with my run and the adventure we had. The place we stayed, The Zen Hotel, worked out great location wise and the price was right, and I'm looking forward to running a lot more races with Pacific Coast Trail Runs in 2013.

I leave you with this, your moment of Zen.
Thank you, Palo Alto. 




 
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Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 1, 2013 at 1:10 PM

    Thanks for the post. Though I had to cut my 35k short and didn't get in on the big downhill as a result, the skyline trail extension over to Bear Gulch is amazing - I'll be back to this area.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Shatterday: Far AwayJanuary 2, 2013 at 8:25 PM

    That race sounds cool--and I'm so glad PCTR is in good hands. One day, girl, we *will* to SttS!

    ReplyDelete
  3. notthatlucasJanuary 2, 2013 at 9:21 PM

    You definitely had the better morning! I'm thrilled that PCTR is back and enjoyed working with John and Maureen all day (they had a nightmare ending when a runner dropped out along the course but didn't tell anyone, so they were out on the trails after dark looking for him). I ran their Stinson Beach race and liked how it was run, and am eager for more of their events. SttS chief among them (it was my first 50K a couple of years ago, and it was amazing!). Hopefully I'll see you somewhere else before Way Too Cool.

    ReplyDelete
  4. KarenJanuary 3, 2013 at 9:10 PM

    If you see me on Saturday, say hi!! :) I'm really bad at recognizing other people outside of their blog...haha.

    ReplyDelete

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