PCTR Sequoia 20k

The Elevations!

Many factors contributed to the fact that today was an all around fabulous race put on by Pacific Coast Trail Runs.

My number: All 4's. 

This led to a certain annoying commercial popping in and out of my head the entire race. If you don't already know what I'm talking about, it's this one...

So I often found that I was saying 444-4444 over and over again in my head. It was kind of an annoying mantra that kept my legs moving...and made me want to offer legal help to my fellow runners. 

The scary bathroom line. The bathrooms, not the line. 

I had exactly 1 minute by the time I got through the line and exited the bathrooms until we were called over to the start. 

Last minute weird looking stretching.  

The best thing about this course is the fact that it's mostly single track surrounded by giant redwood trees and ferns. The air has that beautiful smell of mulchy soil and eucalyptus. The temperature is cool except for the here and there patches of sun shining through the trees. 

The main amazing thing about this race is that it's the first long trail race I've run and not felt like it was trying to kill me. I settled in to a comfortable pace where I felt like I could run all day and tucked in behind a very tall guy. The only downside was I got a couple branches whiplashed back at me because I couldn't see what was coming. The upside was I didn't empty my tank on the first five miles just because I felt so good. 

For the first hour or so there were a few guys that I played leap frog with. I lost time on the uphill, but tried to make it all up on the downhill, kamikaze style. My downhill technique is to let gravity do the work. Push off with one foot, sail, land on the other foot, spend as little time as possible making actual contact with the trail, push off again, repeat. It's just falling, but keeping the center of gravity above the feet. If it's really steep, the steps are shorter and quicker, OR when the hill is really steep the sailing part is a longer sail. More of a glide. Or flying. 

I've been really trying to understand what works best for me as far as hydration and nutrition. In past races I've tried and seen what I was lacking at certain points. I took salt tabs for the first time this race and carried electrolyte drink only with me and no water. I only had 2 Gu even though I had 4 with me (one only slightly was thrown up), had coke and bananas at aid stations. The first station was a few miles in, then no aid for 7 miles. 

That can mess with your mind, because trail miles are so completely different than street miles. I remember the point I looked at my watch and figured I must be getting close, except it took another 25 minutes to get there. 

I rolled both my ankles at different times. I was flying down single track steep switch back, had a thought about something to do with my shoes and looked down...broke focus and almost catapulted off the side of a very steep hillside. 

This was the first trail race I felt that I wasn't in it to survive, I was in it to accomplish something. 

The goal was under 3 hours. 

Finish time: 2:42 something (I forgot to stop my watch and the results aren't posted yet).

We normally head on into the City for lunch after these races for a celebratory treat, but today we decided to head home for a feast while enjoying the day off together. The food was incredible. The day was incredible!