Trinidad to Clam Beach 8 3/4 Miler 2014

Matt and I sat on the edge of Patrick's Point Road waiting for the start of the race. Because of the shuttle system required to make this point-to-point race successful, it always includes a long wait. This year, the weather was perfect.  Under perfectly sunny skies and 55F, I could have parked myself on the shoulder of this road overlooking the sparkling Pacific all afternoon, a content smile on my face.

I lined up next to Michelle, one of my trail running buddies. We talked about our goals for the day. Since I have been feeding my legs a steady diet of long, slow miles, I didn't expect much from them. "I'm hoping for 1:10 to 1:15 today. Anything faster than that will be gravy," I told her. She agreed and said that was also her goal.

This run began as a winter training run for the Humboldt State track team. It has grown over the years (2015 will be the 50th running) to become a regionally recognized run. If you have ever seen photos of the Big Sur area, that's similar to what the first half of this race is like. Then there's a party on the beach at the end.

After the gun went off, I tried to nail down a consistent pace. With the constant hairpin turns and steep uphills and downs, it was a struggle and I found myself leapfrogging positions with half a dozen runners. My strength appeared to be climbing, while others bombed the downhill portions. The three miles to the small fishing village of Trinidad went by quickly and beautifully. One question repeated in my mind, "This feels really easy. Maybe we should pick it up??" I had promised myself that morning at breakfast that I would take this one easier and to enjoy the scenery. I knew I had to save some energy for the beach anyways.

Overall downhill but plenty of uphills to keep things honest.

Miles 4 and 5 were gorgeous. Every single turn exposed more of the rugged coastline to the south. Some runners stopped to take photos, others just paused to take it all in. The views couldn't have been highlighted better than the were under such perfect weather conditions.

This is my photo from the 2011 race. Imagine this in the sunshine.

After a steep downhill portion, we arrived at the shores of the Little River. Given the option to take off their shoes and have them delivered to the finish line, many runners were sitting on the shore removing their footwear. I had specifically chosen to trash these shoes and plunged into the river without hesitation. In 2011, when I last ran this race, the water was high enough to wet my shorts. This year, it was barely a splash on my knees. It did soak completely through my shoes.

I emerged on the opposite river bank weighing an extra five pounds, all on my feet. My quads screamed under the weight of heavy shoes and socks. My toes were numb from the cold water. Every footfall during the next half mile squeezed out a gush of water and squeaked. I smiled a wild euphoric smile. There's nowhere I'd rather be right now, I thought to myself. Between the endless beach ahead of me and the deafening roar of the waves beside me, it sounds ridiculous to do during a race, but I felt myself slip into a meditative state. Was I dreaming? This run felt too perfect.

Soon the fatigue began to wear me down and I was suddenly pulled from my trance. Just then, I was passed by a girl going just a bit faster than me. I glued myself to her. I laughed a little to myself. The first part of the race, I was debating whether to pick it up, then I'm daydreaming, and NOW I've decided to compete with her? I tucked in behind her and let her do a bit of the mental work. She looked over her shoulder and I smiled. A few minutes later, I took my turn leading. I love that even though we were technically competing, there was an element of teamwork. I could hear the HSU Marching Band playing at the finish line. We must be getting close, I thought to myself, just hang in there.

I spotted Matt with less than a mile to go. By then, I was ready to be done. My legs and lungs were shot. Even with the ocean howling next to me, my labored breathing was audible. I was pushing it pretty hard already. Matt joined me. I tried to stay with him and kick but his pace proved too fast. He slowed and let me lead, finally leaving me just before I entered the soft sand before the finish line. Even though I felt like I was stumbling in sand chewed up by the hundreds of runners ahead of me, my form held strong. With one last kick, I crossed the finish line ahead of my time goal.

1:08:33
7:50/mi.
F25-29: 7/32
Female: 27/178
Overall: 127/395

Matt ran this race with just a 30 minute nap after a midnight shift. And he finally beat Reed, the guy he's been finishing just behind for almost a year now. My husband is kind of amazing.

52:33
6:00/mi.
M30-34: 4/13
Male: 18/217
Overall 19/395

Unless otherwise noted, all are Y.Kim, SRRC photo credit.

Slugs in the Sunshine

The valley was still shrouded in fog. While the redwoods overhead slurped thirstily at the air, my first steps out of the car were met with a shiver. I used to balk at my friends' claims that 30F was cold, but I've found that when the air is as stagnant and moist as it always is here, those thirty degrees bite through my layers more than a dry climate does.

Over 50 trail miles into 2014 and this was my first banana slug. Usually, I see about one per mile average. Definitely too dry.

The sun quickly burned through the fog but did little to warm the forest floor. Small patches of ice coated frozen mud puddles. Even though it hasn't rained in almost two weeks, the moisture puddles here still linger. During a normal winter, these trails are always very muddy, but today they're firm due to the frosty air and dry conditions.

Just three days after the difficulties at Patrick's Point, I wasn't sure what to expect, so I led the way as Matt and I set off on a run at a pace I can hold forever. At the slightest hint of exertion, I backed off and walked if necessary.

Today's route included, yet again, a climb up Grasshopper Peak. I wanted to get a few photographs of the 10.5 mile course since we just narrowly missed the daylight window on our Christmas Day run. Originally we had planned for this to be a 25 mile run, but because of the race, I erred on the side of caution. I've found that when dealing with issues in my lungs, that's really the only way to go.

With a five mile warmup before we began climbing Grasshopper Peak, I felt warm and comfortable climbing the steep fire road. I had no issues at all. As we moved along up the road, I couldn't help but wonder what really did happen at the race. Was it just because I didn't warm up? Was it really the cold?

The day was beautiful. Despite the drought panic in the back of my mind and the angry sinuses, I have been enjoying the dry weather. Winter running is much less complicated when I don't have to worry about chafe-proofing my entire body on rainy runs.

As we turn onto the gentle descent of the Johnson Camp Trail, the subject turns to our upcoming race in Alaska. While much of the CONUS is experiencing colder winters than they've seen in a while, Alaska's winter snow pack is melting. We find this ironic, especially since we both distinctly remember part of our decision on racing in Alaska is that "winter and snow are pretty much a sure thing". Right now it seems more like springtime breakup. If this continues until race day, there's a decent chance the trail may not be useable at all because it travels across frozen lakes and swamps. From friends' reports, flowers are blooming and it won't be long until the mosquitoes are out. I hope this is a joke. Jet stream, you need to quit goofing off, nobody thinks you're funny.

Our run continues at the same steady pace I kept since the beginning of the run. I feel strong and confident again. Just what I need to complete this last week of training.

18 miles
3:23:48
11:19/mi.
3,234 ft. gain

One Week Until the Taper

Sunday: Rest!
Since Patrick's Point 5K went poorly, I decided to be cautious and take the day off even though I felt fine. Made yummy things instead.

Monday: Run 18 miles, 3:23:48, 3,234 ft. gain
Trail long run. Felt lovely and strong. Again, we tackled Grasshopper Peak but started our run on the flat creek trail instead. What a difference the climb feels when I get in a few miles of warmup first. The day was sunny and perfect, look for this post next!

Tuesday: Run 5 miles easy. not timed. Strength: core, legs.
plus some hiking.
The downhill from Monday's run left my quads a little sore, but this gentle run helped work out the tight spots. My brother and his girlfriend were visiting from New Mexico so we also did a short tree gawking hike and some more on the beach.

Wednesday: Run 8.25 mi. 1:10:41, 8:34/mi.
This route is often a nice gentle progression faster. This morning, since I'm not really a morning runner, felt really stiff and slow at first, but then loosened up. If I let my body guide me, most of my easy runs speed up a little just like this.

Thursday: Run 6 mi. 48:37, 8:06/mi.
Matt and I ran just after our company left at 5PM. The sun was setting and it was more of a challenge to beat the darkness. The last two miles were in total darkness, but when I run without a headlamp on in low traffic areas, my eyes adjust quickly. Dark runs make me feel stealthy and they are always a little faster even though I’m more cautious to watch my footing:

Friday: Rest!

Saturday: Run 10.75 mi including: Trinidad to Clam Beach 8.75 mile race.
A beautiful run on coastal bluffs and then on the beach. It is more like a trail run than road, but I was more than satisfied with my time and the weather. I'll write more about it soon!

Y. Kim, SRRC photo credit.

TOTAL: 48 miles

Notes: I finally feel like whatever was dragging me down in December and January is lifting. Until after the Little Su, I won't be doing any real speed work, maybe a few more progression runs like this week.

Patrick's Point 5K and 2013 Awards

Better known as: How to sign up for a 10K and finish a 5K.

Step 1: Leading up to the race:
1. Don't sleep well the weeks leading up to the race because you're hardcore fighting allergies.
2. Race morning, you find out ants have eaten your magical Lucky Charms right out of the box.
3. Opt for cinnamon rolls instead.
4. Arrive at the race with just enough time to register and then find a suitable tree to squat behind.
5. Don't warm up properly.

Step 2: What to do when the gun goes off:
1. Downhill start feels wobbly and weird.
2. Chat with race buddy, tell him you'll try to shadow him for the day.
3. He thinks this to mean I've challenged him to a duel. He dashes off, never to be seen again.
4. If I had skipped Step #1, the pace would have been fine, just a few seconds faster than my half marathon pace, but fatigue mounts quickly and I slow without even trying.
5. Gag, hack, and nearly choke as you're trying to spit out phlegm as thick as molasses.

Step 3: How to Pull the Safety Chute:
1. The course goes up and down frequently as it snakes through the trees, that rhythm that usually comes is never found.
2. Each step is labored, fumble dizzily. Will body to finish with promises of ice cream, nap, and finishing the 5K whether permitted to or not.
3. Reach the halfway point, where the 5K finishes. It comes sooner than expected. Oh there is a God!
4. Fix your eyes on the race director and use your saddest, most desperate voice, begging for a switch to the 5K.
5. He agrees, it was probably the puppy dog eyes and pouty face that does it.
6. Both timers aren't paying attention and 30 seconds later, they ask me what my Garmin time was. Mumble something that isn't even right.

Yeah. Kind of a disaster all around.

22:48
420 ft. gain
and my Garmin said 2.95 mi.

That afternoon was the club's award banquet. Lured by the promise of free pizza and beer, most of the 300 club members squeezed themselves into the veterans hall in town.

 

Certificates were awarded to each person that finished six races in the circuit and engraved wine glasses are given to each division winner. For the second year in a row, I became the winner of the F25-29 age group:

For the second year in a row, Matt was 2nd in his. When we have fancy dinners at home, I use my wine glass. I poke fun at Matt for only being second, even though the guy that beat him does so by about ten seconds each race, toying with him. I tell him if he'd only run faster, he could win one too. I'm careful not to poke too frequently at this sore spot but it has become a joke within our circle of friends as well. At the end of the party, Paul presented him with a second place prize. It was pretty awesome:

"Cirkit 2nd place, Matthew" it reads.

At the end of the party, they raffled off the leftover pizzas. Matt's name was called. I think he was most excited about this award than anything else:

To 2014!!

Unless otherwise noted, all photos are: Y. Kim, SRRC photo credit.

My New Long Run Buddy!

"Matt promised it wouldn't rain much on us," I explained to Lanore as we drove south for our weekend long run. Matt went back to Michigan for a week, leaving me to find a buddy for my long trail run. I always get a little nervous when I go on a long run with someone new. Sometimes they try to compete, always staying one step ahead of me. Others get impatient with my slow trail running and leave me behind. As it turns out, Lanore was great. Not only was she patient, I think our long run paces meshed well and we fatigued at about the same rate.

Rockefeller Grove

Fog and low clouds hung in the Bull Creek delta as we crossed the stream. Since this would be our only crossing for the twenty mile run, we decided to remove our shoes instead of fording the river as we normally would. Too many miles in wet socks, we agreed.

We started with the River Trail and soon found ourselves moving at a brisk hike up Grasshopper Road. Climbs like this are where some buddies have dumped me and run up ahead. Lanore stayed by my side. We climbed higher into that foggy cloud, the air growing thicker with each step skyward. I wondered if we'd actually pop out above the clouds, but so far it wasn't happening.

My best friends are running buddies. Even though I've made a lot of improvements over the years, I still find myself painfully shy when conversing face-to-face with someone. Chatting with someone at my side and not making eye contact really helps me open up. Running provides a little distraction as well as a subject of conversation.  Over the course of our day-long run, we comfortably chat about our families, backgrounds, and of course, our upcoming races.

As we chat, the landscape changes around us. Fog has a way of intensifying the colors, saturating each hue as it contrasts with nature. The Douglas Fir were covered in rich, vibrant moss. Needles and cones lining the trail glowed dark orange and brown. When I first came to this part of California, I thought fog made the world look bleak and dreary, but I've grown to love how this particular feature makes it even more beautiful.

I hadn't planned a summit of Grasshopper Peak into our itinerary, but since we were so close to the top, Lanore insisted. Easygoing, she didn't mind when my proposed 20 mile run ended up being 22.75 miles instead. As we approached the summit, it appeared we would climb above the clouds. Great ribbons of light danced behind the trees as we passed them, fragmenting to reveal every color of the rainbow.

A howling wind met us as we climbed from the shelter of the trees to the rocky summit. We huddled behind the fire lookout tower while we had a snack and added a few layers. It was FREEZING. We took a few photos to prove we made it to the top and hastily made our descent.

Looking at this photo still makes me shiver.

This is always where I hit the most euphoric runner's highs: going down off of Grasshopper Peak. Since it is the highest point in the park, it is always an overall descent from here. Matt scolds me for creating routes like this because it all but eliminates a bonk at the end with most of the climbing is done early, but these are my favorite. Downhill running is so light and carefree, I often have my wildest ideas and silliness on this particular descent.

The steep downhill relents as we move onto Johnson Camp Trail. Lanore and I talk about my trail race. Since the club approved it, I've been dutifully working on building a website and getting the word out. I will let you know when the site is up and running in case you want to come see this pretty trail for yourself. There's a 30K and 10.5 mile distance.

I take this run to quiz Lanore on her training style and habits. I'm especially curious because she appears to make gains the same way I do, one great linear decrescendo in race times. From the secrets she was willing to give away, it appeared to be a similar style as mine revolving mostly on a solid mileage base year round. Makes sense. Who wants to start all over again with each training cycle? It's about balancing rest and stress, and she seems to have it figured out.

As we reached the Flats with the most giant of the Redwoods, I thought back to my previous long run here, the one on Christmas Day. It felt sluggish at every pace, both walking and running, my legs  carrying the heavy fatigue of a bashed up immune system. Today's run felt wonderful and strong right until the end. Even without discussing it with my doctor, I'm convinced that allergy shots just aren't going to work for my lifestyle. I am thankful that at this point, immunotherapy is an elective treatment and not something I HAVE to do to feel better. I'll keep my tired October/March pattern, thanks.

Large raindrops begin slowly at first, then become more numerous as we approach the car. Perfect timing. That night during our phone call, I thank Matt for the accurate forecast and warn him that he should come home soon or I might replace him as my long run buddy!

22.75 miles
4,500 ft. climbing
time unknown: Garmin died spontaneously near the summit. probably ~ 5 hours

Embracing the Twists and Turns

Matt and I completed this sixteen mile loop a couple of years ago in the August heat. It was bordering on unbearable. In mid January, the daily high topped out at about 65F. Perfect running weather. We ran through warm and sunny areas and through chilly pockets of frost encrusted mud. Days like this are often the ones that play in my memory when I'm road training.

Moderately full section of the lake.

Running somewhere different always makes me happy. For this reason, I can never quite tell if my allergies improve when I go away or I'm just excited for adventure. Regardless, our day layover at Ukiah proved the perfect official start to Little Su training. Instead of using long drawn out cycles of eighteen weeks that most marathon and beyond plans suggest, I've found that I can rest quite a bit on my year round endurance base. Just a month or two of training specific to each race and I'm good to go. Beginning in January for a February race, especially when I don't have a time goal, seems perfectly reasonable. It also means I get to prioritize trips to beautiful trails that I might otherwise miss.

It appears that we might miss out on winter this year. We have had one modest rain in 2014 and many agencies across California are about to declare a drought emergency. Wildfires are still popping up during what is supposed to be the off-season. On our way home from CIM, we snapped a photo of Lake Mendocino. She looked thirsty even then. We didn't think it was possible for her to look worse, but she does.

December 9th.

January 7th.

Boat launches hang above ten foot drop offs, swimming area buoys lay in the dust. Most reservoir lakes across California illustrate this eerie fate.

The trails around this lake, like many around such reservoirs, twist and turn frequently. I'm unable to get a rhythm going. It makes running difficult but more fun. I don't know this trail well, so every turn is a surprise.  We encounter few people at the beginning and end of our run, but for the majority of the day, these trails are ours.

Despite the easier terrain and constant stream of sugary calories, I sense a bonk coming on about ten miles into the day. I'm feeling better than I have in weeks but I still have a ways to go to reach full health. I notice Matt up ahead, poised to take my photo. I smile a wild toothy grin as I pass. "You're going to make everyone think that you're happy all the time on your trail runs," he remarks. Every long run includes a portion of weakness, no matter the distance. My favorite part is embracing the low points and fighting back.

January 7th.

August 2012.

I stuffed in some more calories and with the determination to finish strong, I picked up the pace. Kicks like this don't always last very long, but I'm usually able to will myself into at least a dozen of them before I'm done.

Another low point arrives. I remembered one hill from our run here before. It is a meanie. It is fairly short but the steepness is too much for how long I've been dancing on the border of that red line. I used my hands to will my legs to climb. I promised myself that's the only hill. Except I'm wrong. There was at least one more.

By this point, I could see the causeway where we had parked the car. The final hill was larger but I was able to climb with ease knowing it was the climb onto the dam.  From here it would be flat. I picked up the pace to a full sprint and finished the last mile in just over seven minutes.

Because this route has half the gain we usually encounter on trail runs, the pace was significantly faster than the usual 13:00/mi or slower.

Check out Matt's dust tan line.

16 miles, 2:50:30, 10:39/mi.
2,354 ft. climbing

Last Week: Jan 5-11

Now that I'm again on a training plan, I decided to resume the weekly training log. By writing these recaps, it forces me to examine each run and week. I find it helpful in finding patterns that I need to change or keep in my training. It also helps remind me of my successes and struggles in the days leading up to a race.

The Little Su 50K is February 15th. Until then, I'll mostly be running a lot of long, slow miles. If there's a club race coming up, I might throw in a short track workout (like 220yd repeats) to remind my legs what it's like to run fast. Other than that, you can expect to see a lot of long runs and pretty trail photos with some shorter runs on sand dunes thrown in too.  Here's what the first week of Little Su training looked like:

Sunday: Rest! 
We spent the day walking around San Francisco with Austin. Although it wasn't strenuous, it was a lot of time on my feet. Beneficial for the slow snow slog that Little Su will be.

Monday: Run 5.25 mi. 44:09. First 5 miles in 40:21 (8:05/mi). 
The last 0.25 mi had a long photo stop in it to get this shot:

This run felt sluggish at first. After a few days of no running, my legs were stiff. About halfway through, I felt good and lowered my average from 9:15 to 8:05. I don't know what my mile splits were but the last two were definitely in the low sevens. That made me pretty happy, fastest run since before CIM.

Tuesday: Run 16 mi. 2:50:31, 10:59/mi. 2,322 ft gain.

On our way home from San Francisco, we stopped in Ukiah for the night. This run was on trails around Lake Mendocino. For the distance, the run was quicker than my usual pace, but I assume it is because it had about half of the climbing my typical trail running routes do.  Look for a full photo recap of this run in the coming days. I really loved this run!

Wednesday: Run 6 mi. 1:02:36, 10:26/mi. 27 ft. gain.

We squeezed in another trail run on the final driving day home, this time in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Because we were short on time, we decided to find the flattest route and get in a quick hour run. I wore my lightweight road shoes and realized they really don't work well on wet tree roots. Brooks Pure Flow, not good for rainy trails. Noted. 

Thursday: Run 8.25 mi. 1:10:09, 8:30/mi.

Back home and on the road. Every run this week started off feeling kind of sluggish and getting better as the miles passed. I finished this one strong and had a wonderful negative split progression the whole way through. I'm always surprised by how my body responds the day after a solid rain that clears the air.

Friday: Rest!

I had a lot of housework to catch up on from both my being sick in December and how the trip to SF was so soon after our backpacking trip. I spent most of the day on laundry and putting away camping gear. Matt also went back to Michigan for a family emergency. Since it was last minute, we couldn't really afford to go together. I had a very productive day catching up on things.

Saturday: Run 22.75 mi. About 4,500 ft. gain. Not timed.

Back to Humboldt Redwoods for a long run. My Garmin died halfway through the run so I don't have a time, I'm guessing about four and a half to five hours. Lanore joined me on the run and we had a fabulous girls' day in the fog, sunshine, howling wind, hail, and big fat rain drops. I'll be writing about this run later in the week too. I really love going long on trails with my running buddy friends, I'm so glad Lanore was up for the 20 miler that had a few bonus miles in it.

TOTAL MILES: 58.25

Notes: What a beautiful week of training. I feel so fortunate to live in a place that has such diverse beauty nearby and that my life is flexible enough to take advantage of it in this way.

This upcoming week will have lighter, quicker mileage and finish with a 10K race. The 10K is hilly, but because it is the only 10K I've ever run, I don't have a very fast PR. I'm hoping to shave another minute from my super soft PR. We'll see how it goes. :)


How about you? Do you keep a training log with mood/feelings/weather/etc. to help you? What purpose does it serve for you in your training?

A San Francisco Detour

I was still under the dark fatigue cloud that had been following me for most of December. Months ago, we had planned to make this weekend into a running boot camp. We intended to find a cabin or tent ourselves somewhere and run about 50 miles of trails in a single weekend.  My body had other plans.  Instead of the physically intensive weekend of steep gorgeous trails, we opted for the steep city streets of San Francisco. There wasn't any running until we were leaving town, but oddly I didn't miss it.

Shortly before we left Alaska, one of our friends transferred to California too. It is funny how some people stay as active parts of your life and how others don't.  Austin fits into that first group. We met up in his lovely hometown for a sunny(!!!!) meetup.

Saturday and Sunday were spent exploring the city streets. We've become comfortable enough with the city that we hit our favorite places on each visit and then explore one or more new ones. 

Our favorites:

Lemongrass Thai on Polk St.

Sports Basement

Ghiradelli Chocolates (the one in Monterey is much better)

It was still open at 11pm, CRAZY. My town dies at 8pm.

Running at Crissy Field

Booze Scrabble night. Very elaborate rules. Just know we're all sophisticated grown ups now and have cheapo champagne instead of mixing together whatever random things we have lying around.

New Adventures:

Greens on Marina St.

Computer History Museum in Mountain View

View of the city from Twin Peaks

 Musee Mechanique

I'm still not a city girl, but every time we visit San Francisco, she grows on me just a little bit more.

Have you been to San Francisco? What's your favorite thing to do/place to eat?