The North Face Endurance Challenge California 50k 2014 Race Report

ALL THE HAY. IT'S IN THE BARN.  

Three weeks before TNF 50k I paused at this point during my last training run on the course knowing that this was what I'd be seeing with 2.8 miles of downhill left to run...which probably wouldn't be as fun as it sounds come race day when I'd already have 29 miles on my legs. You reach a point where the downhill hurts just as bad as the up. Walking hurts just as bad as running. You get to a point where pain is just a fact, so I stood here to visualize mile 29.2, how I would feel, and what it would take to push myself down this trail to the finish line.

That was Sunday. By Thursday I was sick and spent the next week on the couch. Then it was Thanksgiving plus why not throw in a bunch of other things going on, so the three weeks before the race became sort of an extreme taper where I was either not feeling well enough to think about the race or too busy. Maybe a blessing in disguise...the taper crazies stayed away, mostly. Not really.

Meanwhile, out on the course...

By Friday, the course had gone through a couple of changes - A footbridge had washed out, and we couldn't run through Muir Woods because of the amount of rain that had fallen. The 50k would now just do an out and back to Cardiac after leaving Muir beach rather than a loop up through Muir Woods.

This was the only section of trail I didn't know. It was where we'd be meeting two way traffic, and it turned out to be the most interesting part of the race...

But back to Friday: Race Eve we gathered with a couple hundred other people for a screening of JB Benna's film, The Long Haul, documenting Hal Koerner and Mike Wolfe's FKT attempt on the John Muir Trail. I can't really think of a better way to spend the evening before a big race than to be with runners watching a story like this.


Saturday morning, after a week of rain and a total overnight downpour, the rain had completely stopped. The early morning was still, and the bus ride across the Golden Gate and through the tunnel to Bunker Road was quiet and dark.

Someone said, "There they are, look!"

Everyone's attention was drawn over to the right side of the bus to the pitch blackness outside dotted by a perfect line of headlamps gliding down Rodeo Valley Trail. The 50 mile race, the race that EVERYONE was running this year, had started at 5am. With course changes, they were running a double Bobcat loop to start which meant we got to see them out there as our bus rolled into the Headlands. It was beautiful and ominous. Soon, we'd be out there, too.

Hanging out waiting for the start. A giant moon and soggy ground. 

Soon enough, the sun was rising, Dean Karnazes was standing in front of us talking, and 3....2...1... Here we go.

Breathtaking downhill starts are fun. 

The first climb up Bobcat was nice wide fire road up into the fog before we hit the long descent that we'd repeat again at the end of our race. This loop went by really quickly, and before I knew it, the miles were behind me and I was climbing again up Miwok. Turning off onto Old Springs Trail, I welcomed the fast downhill singletrack into the Tenessee Valley Aid Station. I was feeling good. I was feeling great, actually.

I broke the race up into different sections mentally...The Bobcat loop, Miwok to Muir Beach, the Out and Back, Muir Beach back to Tennessee Valley, the Marincello climb...Home.

Snot Rocket Photo Bomb.

#trailrunners

 The Coastal Trail to Muir Beach is one of my favorite stretches of trail ever. It feels rugged and raw running along side the ocean, hundreds of feet above it. The steep ups and downs were a little more treacherous in the mud and really separated the folks who trusted the treads on their shoes and those who didn't.

Out of the aid station, I ran along the shoulder of Hwy 1 and what came next was 10 miles of out and back in extreme mud along with a barrage of trail running celebrities coming at me. Right away, I saw Billy Yang on the side of the road watching the runners roll by. He made an awesome short film documenting the elite field in the 50 mile race...

The uphill switchbacks were endless. The mud was intense. The elite runners barreled down. I became less concerned with my race and more concerned with not screwing up someone else's. We yielded whenever someone up ahead called out "RUNNER" by stepping off the trail.

It was pretty exciting to get to be a spectator to the lead pack and the runners chasing them down. A guy a couple switchbacks above me was calling out names as people passed, so I was prepared for who I saw when I looked up. Later on, though, my brain wasn't making the connections quickly enough and inside my head was just a constant stream of descriptive commentary, "Hey, that's that one guy. Oh hey, blog friend from Humboldt! The guy from the video I watched the other day. I think I follow that guy on twitter. She looks familiar, I see her at every single race I run. Hey, GingerEthanNewberry!"

It was a long climb up to Cardiac...I didn't hang out long at the top, I was eager to get back to some downhill cruising...in the mud...zig zagging around runners trudging uphill not making any room for those of us coming down. One girl moved left and I went right, then at the last minute she faked right but ended up completely freezing in the middle of the trail. It was either plow into her or try to ditch at the last second. I tried to ditch, but instead of actually going anywhere, my feet slid out in opposite directions. That was when I did the splits at mile 20.

Finally, back on solid ground at the Muir Beach Aid Station for a second time, I faced a big climb out of there before a steep descent back into Tennessee Valley. This was where GeNene was waiting for me at mile 26. I had given her a two hour window of time that started at there's no way in hell I'll be here at this time, probably more like this time an hour later, actually it could be this time an hour after that. Running in, I looked at my watch to see I was only 15 minutes past there's no way in hell. I saw her, hugged her, got temporarily weepy, told her I was ok and then went on to face the climb up Marincello.

Three miles up, then three down to the finish.

 At the top, at the Alta Aid Station, I looked down at my muddy legs, out over Rodeo Valley Trail, and thanked the volunteer that had just partially filled my bottle for my final miles. I smiled at another runner who was adjusting her pack before taking off down the trail...let's go home.

I didn't hold anything back on the winding fire road. At the bottom, where it flattens out, I didn't let up. I kept thinking to myself...where did these legs come from. How am I doing this. How am I running my ass off at mile 29, mile 30.

I crossed the finish line 40 seconds past 7 hours. Not a PR, but faster and feeling stronger than I expected on this course.

Most importantly, I ran my ass off. 

Closing thoughts:

I learned that you can get poison oak on body parts that were covered by clothes the whole time. I learned that fangirling over elite runners is super fun but can be kind of distracting when you're actually trying to run a race. I learned that I won't hesitate to use a porta pottie that a million runners with muddy shoes have been in and out of and I know it's mud but still, it might be poop. I learned that I'm still learning but that I'm getting smarter. 

I learned what having a really good day at an ultra feels like. Finally. 

Overall Difficulty:

out of 55

Technical Terrain:

out of 52

Elevation Change:

out of 55

Scenery:

out of 55