Lost Coast Trail, part 2.

We began our day with a stream crossing and rainbow.  Following our fearless weatherman's lead, we removed our rain gear and crossed Cooskie Creek.  The sun had been out all through breakfast.  Then a cloud promptly lowered itself upon us and not only rained that super fun sideways rain, but it hailed a bit too.  Did I also mention that I had chosen that same moment to go to the bathroom?  My legs and backside glowed a bright red in the cold wind.  Not my favorite way to start the morning.

Soon we were continuing on along the beach.  Now that my backside was securely sheltered, it wasn't so bad. The rain shower continued as we approached our first hikers of the day.  They were heading north, directly into the driving rain.  The first group looked cold and wore ponchos instead of rain coats.  The second group, dressed more like hikers that expected to get wet greeted us with smiles.  "Nice morning for a walk on the beach, isn't it?" they asked once we were close enough to hear.  Attitude is everything...and apparently, not getting caught with your pants around your ankles when the hail hits.

Just as we were thoroughly soaked through, the rain subsided and sun appeared.  This was basically the way the day continued, but once our pants dried, we kept the rain gear on.  We were done playing games with Mother Nature and her shenanigans. 

Eventually, the trail left the rocky beach and meandered along an open plain.  Great hillsides of poppies added orange flair to the green grasses.  Even the poppies were reluctant to open on this wet day, they knew enough to stay bundled up.  The fields eventually changed to those of my favorite wilderness flower, lupine.  If I were to look at photos from my Alaska backpack adventures, about half of them would be of this incredibly photogenic and common plant that just happens to be my favorite color.  It is a little harder to find here in my part of California.

We also marveled at the amazing rocky designs of some cliffs.  Zebra stripe cliffs we called them, but I don't know what they really are, Matt suspected they had something to do with a nearby fault line.

I sometimes feel like I slow down my friends when I take as many photos as I do on these trips.  Frequently, they stop to wait when they realize I'm not right behind.  I often sneak away intentionally and catch up, other times I'm too far behind and unable to.  Thankfully, it never bothered these friends.  Their only suggestion was that I take some photos of when the weather wasn't pretty and sunshine.  Okay, here it is guys: 

It looked like this about 60% of the day.

The other 40% looked like this:

Weatherman Cloud Porn

this:

One of my favorites from the entire trip.

and this:

We were finally sick of the wind for the day when we reached the point where Rattlesnake Ridge trail branches off.  It was one hour before high tide, and we decided to call it a day and leave the last stretch of beach for our final day.  Kim and I set up the tents together, throwing all our things inside to keep them from blowing away. 

Out of the wind, it felt sunny and wonderful and all of us walked around barefoot that evening (I later got Poison Oak on my feet, so yeah, bad idea).  We had dinner with the company of many deer.  They were unafraid and were equally entertained by us as we were with their dinnertime gymnastics routines as they reached for the good leaves way up high.

Our evening was spent playing euchre.  I have to relearn how to play every time we visit with Joel.  For the second day in a row, I suggested I sit out and watch them play.  For the second day in a row, I got a really great nap out of it.  Some taper this was turning out to be, hehe. :)

Lost Coast Trail, part 1

I don’t know how you begin a mileage taper, but mine often includes hiking or backpacking and beating myself up a little further.  During the taper, I get back to the things I love that get neglected when all I do is run run run.

The sun shone brightly by 7am.  We lazily ate our oatmeal as the river valley filled with morning light.  A steady north wind blew on our backs from that first step onto the beach and only intensified throughout the day.  We were glad to be south-bound and would repeat this very phrase for the next few days.  If I can offer one piece of advice for this trip, this is it:  Hike north to south.  By 8am, we encountered our first hiker.  “Slept in, did we?” he asked.  I never get up at 6:30 on a Sunday morning so it felt early to me!  It only made us wonder what time he got up.

Going was slow through the soft, black sand.  The grains were coarse and never firmed up, even while we walked just above the surf line.  I was thankful for the large pebble sand in the fact that it never got into my hiking boots.  

We reached Punta Gorda Lighthouse around 9am.  Standing in the shelter of the lighthouse, it easily felt 20F warmer out of the wind.  We paused briefly to climb the light tower and reapply sunscreen.  It was then we realized that Matt packed our almost empty tube rather than the new, full one.  Oops.  We’d all be slightly barbecued by Tuesday when we reached civilization again.

The swift wind made it difficult to chat while we hiked.  I both love and hate this type of backpacking.  I bring friends for company, but it is a little frustrating to walk in silence.  On the other hand, it really helped me absorb the surroundings.  I thought back to a decision Matt and I had made the week prior.  Matt was recently offered a promotion within his office.  It moved him one step closer to the job he hopes to one day hold (one that is free of shift work!!), gave him more leadership responsibilities, and more monies.  But it also meant possibly making it more difficult to move away and committing ourselves here for at least a few more years.  Thankfully, this opportunity came just as my allergy symptoms abated and we were able to accept.  We really do like it here when my head isn’t all foggy.  Walking along the beach in the sunshine, cerulean waves crashing against the beach, I couldn’t help but smile thinking about how we made the right decision.  There is so much of this area that we have yet to explore.  It isn’t our time to leave yet.

Before long, I was pulled from my daydreams.  An unusual yelping, but decidedly animal noise came from the water.  It only grew louder.  Then a few rocks offshore came into view.  Dozens of sea lions played and jockeyed for the prime spot on each rock.  They were enjoying the sunshine just as much as we were.  

Around each corner brought us a new isolated cove.  Mountains of the King Range dove swiftly into the ocean, waves crashing at their feet.  This coastal range is the most underdeveloped part of the California coastline.  Its rugged terrain is why Hwy 1 moves inland south of here; nobody wants to build a major road through this area.  Too bad, all the gorgeous views would be left to us hikers and the occasional private landowner.

This trip stretched our personal experience limits a bit further than before; we had to now consider the tide.  Nearly half of the miles we covered on the trip were impassible during high tide.  We had to plan our travels to ensure we didn’t get trapped between the waves and rocks.  By 1pm, three hours before high tide, we reached a tight spot.  Between waves, we had about 10 foot wide path of sand over which to travel.  Waves were about 5 seconds apart.  Matt counted out loud to himself, “3-2-1”, and then ran off around the rocky point.  Joel did the same and then disappeared.  Then it was my turn.  My heart raced.  I released the buckles on my backpack and took a deep breath.  People get swept out in less than knee deep water, I thought.  Then I went for it.  Relief washed over me as the foamy remains of surf splashed onto my boots.  Whew, made it.

About 20 minutes later, we approached another rocky point just like the previous one.  In between the waves, I dashed out to check what the beach was like around the corner.  It was large boulders.  We couldn’t make this sprint in that short amount of time like before.  We had to climb over it.  I hate climbing, especially with a backpack.  I am basically one armed when it comes to pulling myself up.  I can help balance with my left arm, but it has no flexibility and would likely break if required to hold my body weight.  I was the slowest climber as we moved from the large boulders to the muddy, washed out hillside.  I did catch a glimpse of a marmot on one of the rocks that looked at me curiously as if he were asking, “What’s the big deal lady?  Hurry up!”

This was Kim's first backpacking trip, I never would have guessed.

After those two hairy spots, we were thankful that the trail rose onto a bluff overlooking the beach.  We passed through large fields of California poppy flowers.  We climbed over beaches of boulders and driftwood.  We decided to set up camp up the Cooskie Creek drainage at about 3pm.  High tide was coming soon and we didn’t want any more close encounters along the very rocky beach ahead. 

That evening, we build a fire out of driftwood and enjoyed sampling each other’s Mountain House meals.  I’m usually against them, but I have to say I enjoyed the Macaroni and Cheese.  The campsite was beautiful, soft for sleeping and had a creek nearby.  Perfect.

What time do you get up in the morning when you are backpacking?  I usually let the sun wake me up, then snarl at the world for half an hour before leaving the tent.

Does the name Cooskie look like cookie to you too?  I swear it made me really hungry for cookies when I looked at that name on the map.

Lost Coast Intro

Once again, our little Ford Focus impressed us.  Driving up the steep gravel switchbacks of Wilder Ridge Rd, she powered up in first gear, throwing gravel everywhere as she growled mightily.  She spent most of the next 25 miles in second gear and only required a little bit of extra fuel in return.  Driving to our adventure, as is the norm in the King Range, is almost equivalent in exciting adventure to the one we were driving to.

A quick stop to meet the Redwoods on the way there.

After we dropped our car off to rest for the weekend on the cliffs overlooking the ocean in Shelter Cove, we made the same nauseatingly difficult drive with Danny’s dad, Dale, shuttling us to our starting point.  I munched quietly on Sun Chips and he and Matt talked about the weather and crops he was planting at his farm in the Mattole Valley.  Instead of Dramamine, I’ve found that eating something salty eases my queasy carsick stomach.  By the time we arrived at the Mattole Beach campground, Joel, Kim and I had plowed through that entire bag.  As is often the case, the skies cleared to show off our home.  Joel and Kim, our visiting college friends from Michigan, agreed that it would be fun to backpack the Lost Coast Trail.

Sleeping next to the ocean that night was LOUD.  “It was like sleeping in a tent on the shoulder of I-496,” Joel said as he described a highway near his home.  Kim disagreed, it was more like I-69 instead.

Mouth of the Mattole River, easily one of my favorite places in Cali.

Last Week: April 7-13

Sunday: Rest!
Monday: Run 10 mi.@8:24/mi. Strength: Core, legs, butt.
Tuesday: Run 10 mi MRP @ 7:48/mi.  Strength: Core, legs, butt.
Wednesday: Run 5 mi. easy
Thursday: Run 22 mi. @8:19/mi.  Last long run before the Avenue taper.
Friday: Run 3 mi easy with Joel and Kim.
Saturday: Travel and rest day.

Total Miles: 51

Notes:  This was the final week before the taper to the Avenue of the Giants Marathon.  Everything went as wonderfully as I could have hoped.  Matt and I planned on running a track workout on Saturday morning, but we both felt like we were coming down with something.  Instead we decided to save our energy for our first adventure of the taper: backpacking the Lost Coast trail with our two visiting friends from Michigan.  A few less miles this week, but a few more the next seemed like a fair trade.

After this wonderful week of training, we're both feeling good about our race day goals.  Now we just need to kick the cold we both ended up having and we'll be good.

(An aside: Just as I don't address other events publicly, I've decided to keep my own thoughts and feelings about this year's Boston Marathon to myself.  I didn't hear the news until Tuesday night and am a few days behind on everyone else on processing this, too.  Please don't mistaken this for insensitivity.) 

Small Victories

I am always skeptical when I have an unusually good training run.  After the 21 miler in Redding last week that shaved off about fourty seconds per mile from my usual pace, I questioned whether it was a fluke.  The route was much different from my usual one at home.  There were no traffic lights and few hills.  Could I do the same thing on my home course?

College friends are coming to visit us for a few days so we had to juggle our runs for the final peak week before the taper.  We decided Thursday evening would be best for our longest run, 22 miles.  So with a strong 25mph headwind, we set off under very sunny skies.  The first three miles were into the wind and felt pretty awful.  This seems to be the norm for me since I developed EIA.  It takes much longer for me to warm up, but once I do, it feels like my muscles and lungs pop open and I'm good to go.

I drafted off of Matt and let him pull me a little on downhills.  It felt tougher than the Redding long run, but still more than manageable.  The worst hill for me comes at mile 12.  It is after three gently flowing downhill miles and my legs resist shifting gears to something more difficult.  If I ever have a meltdown on this route, it is here.  Matt and I chatted about what we were going to show our friends.  When we crested the hill without walking at all, a wide grin spread across my face.  It wasn't about the overall pace, it was about these tiny victories.  I have never run that spot without at least a few moments to walk.

By mile 15 we were headed back toward the place I do many of my MRP runs.  I find it interesting that I can always push myself a little bit more remembering previous runs there.  The overall pace on my watch lowered.  Could I run another fast-finish long run?  We were curious to find out.  Since that area isn't very safe, Matt stayed with me and the sun faded away below the horizon.  We had to add about 0.5 mi. near the end to get 22 miles, or at least my watch did.  Matt's eventually ended up with 22.25 mi.  Is it possible my watch can lose accuracy as it ages?  Or is that ridiculous?  Either way, comparatively speaking, my Garmin Forerunner 205 always shortchanges me compared to his Soleus watch.

I ran up the final hill home, a moderately steep 120 ft. climb and then sprinted as much as I could, leaving nothing in the tank for later.  Nothing feels quite as satisfying as that happy empty feeling after a really long and successful run.

Guess it wasn't a fluke after all.

Stop and smell the flowers? Don't mind if I do!

It has been three weeks since my last allergy appointment.  If you've been following since at least last fall, you'll likely remember how my allergy symptoms derailed my training when I hit higher mileage.  After several different treatment options, I think I've finally figured out something that works.  The first thing my symptoms affect is my training and then things trickle down from there. 

This is how I used to enjoy the flowers and sunny days.

While out on my 10 mile MRP run on Tuesday, my last one before I taper, I thought about how things had changed.  At the beginning of the year, I knew that getting control of my symptoms would be more valuable than any training I could do (although that is a pretty great run, no?).

Slightly hilly trail run to simulate race course with .50 mi warm/cool portion. Goal 7:49-8:00, actual 7:48.

The last three weeks of peak mileage were the first in almost a year that didn't derail my plans.  Although I'm not happy that the antihistamine that works for me requires an $80/month copay and spending 30 minutes face down each day so the mist can absorb in my nose but not run down my throat, I can't be more pleased with the results.  It is worth it!  Gone are the constant headaches and foggy brain; the worst of my EIA symptoms; and my lack of energy.  I'm no longer limiting the time I spend outside, because of resulting headaches.  And that's saying a lot considering everyone I know has the worst allergy symptoms now that spring has arrived. 

Windy days used to be awful.  Not anymore!

The best part has nothing to do with training at all.  After almost ten months of having no smell or intermittent olfactory ability, I can smell nearly everything around me.  I can tell when food goes bad, I can smell the cookies baking, I can smell flowers, dog poop, and the musky salinity of the ocean.  That is AWESOME.

Flowering blueberries!

Last Week: March 31-April 6

Sunday:  Run 21 mi. in Redding. My fastest and strongest long run to date.

Monday: Run 3.5 mi. in Redding.  Not very fun.  I bought new shoes, the Brooks Glycerin 10, hated and returned them after the run.  Then we headed home and I ordered some of my old standby, the Brooks Ghost, shoes from our local place instead.  If it isn't broken, don't fix it.

Tuesday:  Hike 5.5 mi.  I ran the Rolotape wheel over the Arcata Forest course with Ryan and Shaina.  It replaced a run of similar length.  This was my first trip to the forest where it felt relaxing.  Hiking makes it so much easier.

Ryan and Shaina with mile 5.

Wednesday:  Run 6 mi. @ MRP.  Alright, here I need to tell you a little story.  Last Friday evening, a woman was out walking on a road very near to my house when she was attacked and raped.  I don't run on this particular stretch of road, but it was enough to scare me a bit.  This was my first solo run since then and needless to say, my pace was a reflection of that fear. 

Goal: 7:49-8:00

Next week's MRP will be closer to target than this almost-tempo run was.

Thursday: Run 5 mi: 5x800m with the triathlete club.  It was fun to run with company.  Since I've been doing mostly 1600m repeats and these were to be roughly the same pace, I found them easier and took things a little fast...resulting in my fastest 800m repeats ever.

Goal: 3:25-3:30.

I also had to finish strong when I passed a guy that went out way too fast each time and then died half a lap in. :)  Since when did I become this competitive?

Friday: Run 6 mi. on trails with Tanya and Michele.  I really love running with these girls.  Once trail season begins next month, I will see more of them.

Saturday:  Run 9 mi. in the forest.  Arcata Forest 5.5 Mile race and some warm-up and course sweeping to add miles.  Was supposed to be 12 miles today, but the intensity made up for it's brevity.

TOTAL MILES:  56 mi.
Hiking 5.5
Running 50.5

Notes: This week was a recovery one after the long run was completed on Sunday.  I really enjoyed this week.  It felt less like work and more like playtime.  Fast and fun.  March also brought me a new mileage PR: 208.5 (previous was 186 in Oct 2012).  I've also enjoyed how this spring has gone compared to last spring.  Last year, all my races fell on high mileage weeks, yielding a series of disappointing race results.  This year, they are at the end of recovery weeks.  This makes a huge difference.  As of right now, I'm leading my circuit division with three age group wins.

The rest of the week was busy prepping for the race.  Cookies at the finish line were a big hit.

Oatmeal raisin and peanut butter chocolate chip, in case you were wondering.

Arcata Forest 5.5 Mile Race Report

This week was a busy one.  Last fall, Matt and I signed on to direct the club's lone trail race, a very hilly and confusing route on a hillside above Arcata (we got lost WITH THE MAP on the course a total of six times during our preparations).  Unlike most of the club races, it is only accessible on foot.  Tuesday, I hiked the course with the Rolotape wheel, Saturday morning Matt set out the markers.  Then that afternoon we ran the course again to retrieve them.  We pored over maps deciding where put course monitors and extra markers.  A handful of people get lost every year, without fail.  Our biggest goal for the race was to have zero people lost.  I baked cookies and created race awards for the top finishers.  I think we were both surprised by how much planning and work goes into a race that really is one of the club's smallest and easiest endeavors.

Y. Kim, SRRC credit.

We had plenty of volunteers, so when I decided to run the race myself, Matt agreed.  Last year, I ran this race the day after a miserable 21 mile run and surprisingly enough, the race was also miserable.  I had no goal for the race other than to run it hard, and on this course of only steep uphills and downhills, that meant anything faster than a walk.

Mile 1 was completely uphill and more of a tangle with other runners to find our places on the narrow singletrack trail.  The most aggressive runners were two pint sized boys that elbowed me out of the way each time they passed me back and took the lead.  It is safe to say that from the very beginning, I felt like my heart and lungs were going to explode.

Mile 1: 9:56

By 1.5 mi, the trail evened out just long enough to keep me from feeling like I was dying.  My uphill climb felt like I was jogging in place.  We moved to a wider road and the field evened out as the 2 mile runners split from the 5.5 mile race.  I ran stride for stride with a girl listening to headphones.  She was weaker on the uphills but really bounded down the other side.  I passed her going up, she on the way down.

The cool thing about this course is that the uphills are very steep and on wide trail, the downhills are on narrow single track, weaving like a serpent between the young Redwood trees.  If we had built a new course here, it would include that type of layout as well.  Everyone likes running downhill on singletrack, right?  It was muddy and slippery from recent rains.  The thoughts in my head mostly ranged from: OMG I'm going to die. Lungs please don't explode. to EEEEK Don't fall don't fall.  If I'm completely honest, this course is not the least bit relaxing.  Exhilarating is probably the word.  I never feel quite as alive as I do when my body is pushed to its limit and here, it was for the entire 5.5 miles.

Mile 2: 8:22

I passed the headphones girl at the mile 3 aid station.  She looked like she was in my age group.  If I had one mission in this race, it was to make sure she stayed behind me.  I bounded dizzily down the hill and up the next one.  There were no other runners in sight.  Suddenly, I was glad to be the one to measure the course earlier in the week.  I knew exactly where I was and where I was going next.  I always do better mentally when I can visualize things.

Mile 3: 8:55

Another aid station appeared just before mile 4.  Paul walked the steep uphill switchback and cheered down to me, "Go Karen!"  Then Bob handed me a cup of water.  "You're looking great!" he said, "just a steep hill up ahead."  After managing a fake smile, I thanked him and continued on.  The next hill was a meanie and it was faster to walk up the 20% grade.  Thankfully, the hill softens a little bit as it approaches mile 4 and I was eventually able to run again.  I glanced over my shoulder, she was still behind me.

Mile 4: 9:58

At mile 4, I began to lose steam.  Until this point, my head was filled with thoughts of alarmed body systems.  On a swift downhill that required far too much braking, my thoughts drifted elsewhere.  "You're a stronger runner than you think you are, Karen," Alex had mentioned to me the day before.  I kept repeating that in my head.  Yes Karen, you are stronger.  Just keep going.  I passed a couple of familiar early start walkers and they cheered wildly as I passed.  Those things brought me a short second wind.

I felt as though something was stuck in my shoe laces, I kept getting mud slapped in the ankle.  Noticing it was my untied shoe, I spent entirely too much time debating whether or not to retie it.  I glanced over my shoulder and nobody was in sight, then at the mile 5 marker, I quickly fixed it, mud squishing out of the fibers as I tied it into a secure knot.  I wasn't going to let her pass me while I was retying my shoe.

Mile 5: 7:54

The course passed through the disc golf course and onto the most beautiful part of the race, a singletrack tucked into a steep ravine, towering Redwoods overhead.  A man pushing a stroller with two children in it (he must have superhero strength to push it on this muddy steep route!) pulled aside for me.  For a few moments I ran with a small terrier leading me.  He looked like this:

(source)

Of course he was cute, but he was constantly stopping to wait for me and I almost tripped on him several times.

About half a mile from the finish, I could see the runners behind me.  She was still there, but not close enough to catch me unless she could actually fly.  With her out of striking range, I passed Matt walking up the trail.  "How far ahead is the next woman ahead?" I asked him between forced breaths.  "I don't think there is one," he replied casually.  That was the last thing I expected to hear and it really motivated me.  Would I get to keep that award I made on Thursday?  When I designed and put them together, I never imagined that I would be contender for one of my own.

Y. Kim, SRRC credit.

A moment later, I caught sight of the finish line in a clearing nearby.  The footing turned from squishy mud to packed gravel so I picked up the pace.  I fixed my eyes on the clock.  I was surprised to see it in the 48 minute range.  Until this point, my mind was so fixated on moving along the trail that I didn't take time to compute in my head what the mile splits added up to.  I was hoping for 52 minutes or so.  But I crossed the line in 49:01 as the first female finisher of the day.  Headphones girl, later identified as Vanessa and also 28 years old, finished exactly one minute behind me.  I don't know who you are, but THANK YOU for pushing me.  Without you, I'm sure I would have wimped out. 

49:01
8:55/mi.
1,020 ft. of climbing.
First female finisher (of 29)
13th overall (of 56)

A handful of people still got lost, so I guess we need more flour for next year, huh?

My Best Long Run

"Nobody finishes the Four Course Feast," our waitress at Red Lobster remarked as she packed up the remaining bits of our meal.  Matt and I got in the car, he handed me the leftovers box and said, "You know you're going to be finishing that in an hour, right?"  It seems that my appetite holds steady until I get to a certain weekly mileage.  After that, I'm a bottomless pit.  Just as he predicted, an hour later, I was reheating the leftovers and licking the box clean.  Little did I know that it would be the best long run prep I've ever done.

I awoke the next morning to heavy rain.  We had planned to get an early start to our run to beat the afternoon heat, but with the cloud cover, it would be awhile.  Sure, we could sleep in another hour.  By about 9am, we finally were headed out for our run.

The rain had tapered off to a light drizzle when set out.  Running along Redding's Sacramento River Trail is always a pleasure.  It would be twenty one miles with just a single stop light, the rest was mindless chatting.  The first three miles took us across the Sundial Bridge and back.  We tread lightly across its glossy slick surface, careful not to fall.  I had rolled my ankle on the trail run at Whiskeytown the day before and didn't want to do any further tweaking to it.  The muscle was tight and a little sore, but otherwise it held up nicely for the run.  Once I was warmed up, it made nary a peep.

Matt noticed that I was taking three mile splits.  Usually when I run long, I try to find a way to take a number of even splits, but not every mile.  After the first split, he became concerned about our average pace.  "Isn't that a little fast?" he asked.  I had never run much below a 9:00/mi for my longest training runs, so I could see how an 8:30/mi was slightly alarming.  I was a little bit concerned myself, but it felt good so I kept with it.

Our route on the trail took us up to the Ribbon Bridge and back along the other side of the river before retracing our steps.  On the left side of the river, rain alternated between a light drizzle and large heavy drops.  On the right side, it all but stopped.  We joked that it was only raining on one side.

We enjoyed chatting in the rain and the other runners we came across.  "Beautiful day for a run," one commented as we ran by.  "Nope, no overheating today!" I replied.  I was surprised to see that each of my three mile splits dropped several seconds from my overall pace with each push of the lap button.  I felt great.  Usually I struggle with becoming too sweaty and dehydrating.  Other than a major chafing spot beneath my sports bra, I felt incredible.

At mile 18, Matt and I decided to part ways for a fast finish.  With the exception of a really steep 150 ft climb in the first mile, the remainder would be flat.  I decided to finish fast myself with something at MRP or faster.

The first mile went by painfully as I crested the hill, the rest were wonderful.  I watched as children hunted for Easter eggs at a couple picnics.  Onlookers watched me curiously, I recognized a few of them from the previous two passes I made by the park.  They probably thought I was nuts running by over and over again.

At mile 20, a man on a bicycle that we had passed earlier in the day slowed to a stop before I passed him.  "Couldn't keep up with him, could you?" he said sarcastically.  "Nope, you saw him, boy is FAST."  I know he meant well, but it annoyed me at the time.  CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.  Thanks to the renewed motivation of his slightly off comment, my last two miles were faster than I have ever finished a training run before.  They felt great.

I couldn't have asked for this training run to go any better.  Had I run a marathon at this pace today, even though this was a lower intensity level than race day will be, I would have run about a five minute PR.  Thinking about what the Avenue will be like about six weeks from now, I can only smile.  I have a feeling that 3:30 WILL be mine. :)

The math:

My previous 20 miler was in 2:56.  This run, I added a mile and finished in 2:53. WOOOHOO, that's pretty darn cool.  Looks like the Red Lobster feast worked!

Last Week: March 24-30

Sunday: Run 6.25 mi. in Prairie Creek Redwoods Park.  The trees were perdy. 

Monday: Rest!

Tuesday: Run 6 mi in the Arcata Forest.  Trails and super hilly.  Matt, Alex, and I ran the course for a race we're directing that happens this weekend.  I ran it hard and made this run my speed work for the week.  Strength: Core, legs.

We only got lost twice.

Wednesday:  Run 5 easy during a tsunami siren test.  I was pretty wrecked leading up to this run, so I took it really easy.

Thursday:  Run 10 mi MRP.  This run was awesome and I tried to slow myself down, but legs didn't want to.  Who knew I had a pace gear at 7:45/mi. that felt comfortable? Strength: Core, legs.

Friday:  Run 10 mi easy before driving to Redding.  It was sunny, sweaty and warm--the first day I've worn a tank top all year.  All the sunscreen sweat off and I was left with some sexy tan lines all over the place.

Saturday: Run 5.5 mi at Whiskeytown.  Then I spent the rest of the day crewing for friends at the 4MPH Challenge.  I'm so impressed, they impulsively ran an ultra distance while giggling and making it look easy.

TOTAL: 
Running 42.75 mi.

NOTES: Since we decided to support our friends, we swapped Saturday's long run (Mar 30) with Sunday's recovery run (Mar 31).    It looks confusing, but it is just a one day swap.  It was basically a 60 mi week, and next week will look unusually high for a recovery week. This week had many high and low points, for sure.  I began the week wrecked from the RWRR 15K last week and it took a little bit to recover, the week finished strong with Sunday's long run.  I'll write more about that tomorrow. 

4 MPH Challenge Crew

It's not often that Matt and I turn down a racing opportunity when our friends suggest something, but we did on Saturday.  Shasta Trail Runs put on a race called the 4MPH Challenge.  One completes a 6 mile loop under 90 minutes.  Then after that 90 minutes, runners do another loop.  And another and another until they don't want to anymore.  Categories were: 3 loops (18 mi), 6 loops (36 mi), or unlimited.  You could quit at any time, and if you were racing in your category, you would race the final loop for time.

Since Matt and I had already planned a weekend away and a 21 mile run in Redding, we decided that we would crew for Tanya, Alma, and Sue.  We arrived at Whiskeytown just in time for them to begin their second loop, then Matt and I went out for a run.  It was already about 70F and very humid.  The run along a canal trail was mostly flat, but not very enjoyable, as we felt rushed to get back in time for the next loop to start.  We caught a quick wipe bath and then began the fun part of our day: sitting around doing nothing.

After two laps, the ladies chatted happily with us until the third one began.  "It doesn't even feel like we've gone 12 miles yet!" Sue remarked adding her longest run prior to this challenge was 10 miles.  The three planned to run a total of 24 miles and call it a day.  They also decided they had to beat the girl dressed in Victoria's Secret Love Pink apparel.  Her hair was perfectly coiffed and she sported a full face of makeup.  "We have to beat Runner Barbie," they explained, "she looks too pretty."

Meanwhile, Matt and I leisurely set up lunch.  When I'm running long, I get sick of cookies and Snickers eventually and real food is amazing.  We prepared turkey and mushroom quesadillas for their return.  When they returned to hot food, fresh from our camp stove, they were again in good spirits.

They went out for loop 3 and Matt and I grabbed a beer, magazine, and my pillow from the car.  It was awesome.  I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt outside all day, it never is warm enough at home.

At the end of the sixth loop, a total of 24 miles, the trio returned with wide grins on their faces.  "We decided we're going one more loop." Alma explained.  That would make two of the three first time ultramarathoners, they were giddy at the thought.  They watched as several runners didn't make the 90 minute cutoff.  Since this race is all about continuous slow pace, it seemed to enrich the competitor camaraderie and everyone appeared to be friends after a few loops.  When one person wasn't allowed to continue on, the entire group was saddened.

Matt and I decided to meet them at the end of their 30 miles.  We could hear them from about half a mile away, giggling as they ran along.  We fully expected them to add more miles again and say, "one more loop," but Alma and Sue decided to call it a day, finishing ahead of the really cute young girl they'd targeted earlier in the day.

Tanya on the other hand, heard that if she finished the 36 miles, she would place, since only three women remained.  Out she went for the final lap.  She eventually placed second overall and ran a trail PR on the last six miles. They all did great!  My friends are so awesome! :)

I never thought that I'd enjoy drinking beer and napping while others were running.  I almost always want to join in the fun, but on that Saturday afternoon, it was perfect.  Runner energy and excitement without being exhausted afterward.  And they trusted us enough to only eat some of their food stash.  It also ensured we were rested up for our Sunday adventure, a 21 mile run along the Sacramento River Rail Trail in Redding.