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Salt Point Trail Run - RunUltra Marathon


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Jenner, California
United States
Pacific Coast Trail Runs
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 25m 5s
Overall Rank = 10/17
Age Group = F
Age Group Rank = 2/5
Pre-race routine:

I signed up for this race 6 weeks ago, leaving me with barely enough time to get in ample looong training runs. But I figured I could walk what I didn't run. This was to be my first trail run and my first ultra.

Got up nice and early, 4:45a and was out the door by 5:10. Managed to make a wrong turn, get lost in the Ghetto of Oakland, find the most expensive gas station, by 6. It was a loner drive than expected, as Hwy 1 is very curvy up near Salt Point. Arrived at ~8; check-in ends at 8:15 and race starts at 8:30. I was very hurried as I had 1/2 hour to pick-up bib, wait in long toilet line, and get shoes on and bottles packed up. Made it to the start with a few minutes before the speech.

Quite a few more people than I had been anticipating. Based on the list from last week, it looked like a total of ~100 runner, with 21 doing the 50K (also a 11k and 26k). We all started at the same time on the same trail. Which resulted in a conga-line for the first 2+ miles
Event warmup:

None!
Run
  • 6h 25m
  • 31.07 miles
  • 12m 23s  min/mile
Comments:

For the 50K, you did 4 loops: 15K, 11K, 9K, 15K - all told about 5000 ft of climbing. I ran my butt off during the first loop, running almost every uphill and pasing tons of people. Not exactly smart when you have 6 more hours of running. But I never said I was smart when it came to running. Anyways, made it to the first aid station (9.5k) in 1:06. Much faster than what I had predicted I would run. And the volunteer informed me I was the first 50K female. I replied with something along the lines of "really? are you sure?" Grabbed some pop-tart bits and headed on. Breezed downhill for the rest of the loop, following a couple guys.

Loop 2 was run slightly more sensibly, but still at too hard of an effort. When I stopped briefly at the aid station at the end of loop 1, I was passed by a woman. Having been told I was first female, lit a competetive fire under my butt, even though my goal was just to finish. So I spent most of the next loop chasing her down... and having another woman breathing down my back most of the way. Finish loop 2, and find the woman I was chasing was a 26k runner. I make a quick stop at the aid station, and head out for loop 3 I drop everyone who was running near me.

Unfortunately, the wheels started to come off in the 3rd loop. I'd been pushing too hard, and going into the 3rd loop I was running all alone. I'd left behind all the 11k and 26k runners, so there were no runners ahead or behind to motivate me. I hit the hills again, and my pace dropped like a rock. Around 30K, I got a wicked stitch, which hampered my ability to run downhill faster than 12:00 pace. This was really annoying. Running slowly uphill was to be expected, but downhill as well??

Hit the aid station before loop 4, and decided to do the last loop with only 1 bottle, as the longest section was only 9.5K without aid. Bad idea. In the first 30 min I went through 3/4 of the bottle, and didn't get to the aid station for another 50 min. But, I finally had a bright idea. After struggling with the stitch from heck - no amount of slow running or walk breaks got rid of it - for an hour, I popped Endurolytes and Vitamin I (ibuprofen). That perked me up, and I was able to hold a decent pace (for running uphill) to the aid station. The guys told me I was 2nd female (I'd been passed when struggling through loop 3), and probably in the top 10 overall. Wow! I felt I'd been going so slowly that I was bound to be near the end. That news and some cool water picked me up... and the knowledge that the finish was 3.5 miles away, and mostly downhill.

My main goal for the race was to finish, preferably under 7 hours. I was hoping for a 6.5 hour time, but had no idea if I could manage that, since I have no trail running or ultras under my belt. After the first 26K, there was only 3:03 on the clock, and 6 hours seemed possible, as did being the first female. As I struggled through loop 3 I knew I was a goner and was having doubts about finishing. Loop 4 I was able to pick things up, and finish strong. There were times during the race where I was thinking "what the heck I am doing out here? and why?? this is like torture! why did I sign up for this? why have I been thinking about a 50-miler???" And now... I'll probably go and sign up for that 50-miler.

What would you do differently?:

Go a little easier the first loop. Take the salt pills and vitamin I earlier! Other than that, I think I did pretty darn well for my first 50K, and was really happy with my time.
Post race
Warm down:

After I finished, I sat around munching on candy. A bowl of chili just sounded awful to me after running that much. Chatted with a guy who had finished a little ahead of me, and who is doing a 50-miler that I've been eyeing. Then I found an outdoor shower to clean up with, and started the long drive home - stopping for a double-double and a shake at In-N-Out. Yum!


Event comments:

I <3 PCTR!




Last updated: 2007-06-19 12:00 AM
Running
06:25:00 | 31.07 miles | 12m 23s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/5
Overall: 0/17
Performance:
Course: The course, although hilly, was pretty awesome. There was a great variety of terrain/landscape: meadows, prairie, pygmy forest, redwoods, bluff overlooking the ocean. I loved running through the Redwoods, especially near the end with all the shade they provided. The end of every loop was on a bluff, which had a great ocean view. By the end of the race, there was a 30+mph wind (not fun! It almost blew me off the trail several times) which was really stirring up the ocean, making it quite a sight to see!
Keeping cool Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2007-08-08 3:27 PM

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