A Little Rain Never Hurt Anyone…Except the Wicked Witch of the West. WTC 50k Race Report

Posted on March 4, 2016 by knevinger

First, big thank you to my Aunt Mary for the blog title idea. Second…I’m not even sure where to begin with this one. What an epic day – Way Too Cool 50k, my first race since North Face, hopefully the first one I’d finish in over a year, and the first in my lottery of pain this spring.

I could start with the weather predictions I’d been tracking all week, but to make a long story short, it was rain. All rain, all the time. I could start with the hellacious drive up here, but again…long story short, it should have taken me three hours. It took five. Not fun, and not worth dwelling on.

So, on to the race. As instructed, I got there early….really early. The running joke is that I’m always early for the Coastal races (or course marking…and then I get lost, but I digress). I took this to a new level. Packet pick-up opened at 6. I drove in at 5:30, right into some rockstar parking. I was glad I had the hiking socks, rain boots, and rain jacket with me for the walk to check-in. It was short, but wet. They let me check in early and soon I was back in my car for a short nap. Thank you rain for lulling me back to sleep for a bit.

I woke up an hour later, and to my surprise, it had stopped raining. And…wait…is that the sun trying to come out?
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In the non-rain, I made my pre-race pit stop….again, being early is key. No waiting at 7:15. Then, it was back to my car to figure out what to wear. I was so afraid of getting too cold and having another issue like North Face, so at first I took my black Marmot jacket and tied it into my pack. Then, I thought long and hard…it wasn’t raining. It was pretty warm. I might need that space to strip off some layers. So, I left it. Good decision. While I didn’t strip off any layers, I definitely didn’t need it. I headed to the start in my SF Run Company tank, SF Run Company quilted long-sleeved thing that’s usually too hot to run in, a Nike vest (maybe down?), an a white windbreaker (no idea who made that). Vest and windbreaker were new….so much for the nothing new on race day….staying warm is more important.

So many people at the start line, but I guess that’s what happens when 850+ people run a race. And, I recognized a lot of them. But, I guess that’s what happens when you’ve spent weekends working at trail races for a year. It was great to have several familiar faces to chat with (as well as some new ones) to calm my pre-race nerves.

Epic Parking. I was equally close to the finish.

Pre-race….layered up and nervous!

I was so glad it wasn’t raining at the start…I think that would have made it pretty tough to get going. Once I started running, my nerves turned into energy and I ran the entire way down the pavement (knee, please forgive me) to the trail. The first four or so miles were really congested – single track and lots of people. Had to go slower than I wanted in some places, but more often, I found myself forced to keep running when in the past I would have walked. I briefly wondered if this would cause me a problem later in the race, but also thought it might be just what I needed.

While I was glad it wasn’t raining at the start, apparently staying dry wasn’t in the cards. As I approached mile 2, I could hear people cheering and the entire pack seemed to slow down. Up ahead was the first of many creek crossings. Knee deep water. At mile 2.

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I saw another guy pulling out his phone and decided he has the right idea. I pulled over to the side and pulled out my water-proof camera. I mean, if you’re going swimming at mile 2, might as well have some fun with it. He looked at me and said, “we’re not going to qualify for Boston today, might as well have fun with it”.

The remaining miles of the 8-mile loop passed in a blur and before I knew it, I was back at the start/finish. I was glad to see an aid station and grabbed some electrolytes and a rice krispie treat (not my favorite race food). I had been thinking about stripping off a layer, but in the end, decided to keep them all on. Of course, by now, it had started to rain.

Next aid was only 3ish miles away and mostly downhill. I was shooting to maintain a 4 mph pace for the entire race, and a quick check on time told me I was about two miles ahead of that. I decided to worry about the end of the race later and go with it. So, off I went. After a little more uphill….down we went. It was a little sketchy, but I found myself far less skittish than I’ve been in the past. I hooked on to another runner and followed him down the hill.

I also met a runner who I’ll call Brazen Mike (he had a Brazen Racing hat on, so that’s how I was identifying him before he introduced himself). We traded places off and on through about mile 15, I think. Miles 11-15 were probably my least favorite part of the race. Trail was pretty flat, and they were some of my fastest miles of the day, but I really liked the single track, especially once the crowd had thinned out. It was also almost completely exposed and it had started to rain harder. But, the other runners were friendly and we got each other through.

I felt like I spent a lot of time hiking between 11 and 21. It was rolling and I ran a lot of the downhills and hiked the slight uphills. At some point, I decided I needed to hike it out for a bit and surprised myself at how fast I could hike. I kept asking people if they wanted to pass me….and generally, they didn’t. One guy told me he was going to follow me the rest of the race and let me hike him in at a PR.

Somewhere between 18 or 19 and before the aid station at 21, I started to lose it. I was tired…and sick of slogging through the mud. And the creek crossings. Oh the creek crossings. Was there ever going to be an end. I think somewhere in there is where I almost went swimming…thankfully, another runner grabbed my shoulders from behind and kept me upright. The journey to the aid station seemed very long and I was desperate for some electrolytes. Or something. I wasn’t really sure. Maybe just the desire to be 10 miles from the finish. But, in typical ultra fashion, the five or six of us grouped together got each other through. Kudos to the guy who helped me down the very, very steep switch backs to the aid station. My legs were tired. I was hurting. It was slick, steep, and had I been closer to the end, I may have just tried to slide down on my butt.

I thought I might be in trouble, but that aid station was like magic. First, I realized a two things: one, I was going to blow my previous 50k time out of the water (2014 Tamalpa 50K…8:45). I was still two miles ahead of my goal pace. And two, I might actually come in ahead of my goal time. Then the volunteers gave me chicken broth. AMAZING. I shook out my legs, chatted with a couple of the other runners I’d run down there with….one of them told me that if I was an hour ahead of where I’d been before, of course my legs hurt. Then he reminded me not to waste my hour.

So, off I went. And that chicken broth….I think it actually was magic. I got Mathew Wilder’s Break My Stride song stuck in my head, and I just went for it. Jogged along, barely noticed the pouring rain, passed people (me?!), and felt really good.

Then just before mile 26, I hear, ‘Great job, San Francisco’! It was one of the ladies from LA that I’d met before the race. We started the slog up to the infamous Goat Hill together before I lost her. And Goat Hill…it was surprisingly inconspicuous. I was expecting a sign…or something. But it wasn’t until I confirmed with one of the local runners that it was in fact Goat Hill. And, it was steep. It was muddy. It was….surprisingly not that bad. Thank you Fox Trail repeats. My goal was to get up the hill without stopping. And I did…I didn’t even really think about stopping.

I got to the top and was greeted by a bunch of volunteers. They were great – refilled my water, gave me some electrolytes, and some more broth. And…was that, Larry?! It was! There was Larry, who works some of the Coastal races making soup. He gave me some tips on the rest of the course and I was off. Even though I was soaked, I didn’t give my drop there a second look.

I wish I could say the next three miles were super easy and I kept up the great (for me) pace I had going. But, they were some of the muddiest, slipperiest, miles all day. So I walked a lot. Many times slower than I wanted to be…and I had the energy to run. That was a first. But, I knew I was going to come in with a good for me time. A better for me time wasn’t worth the risk of injury.

I slipped and sloshed my way to the next aid station – hiking where I had to, forcing myself to run where I could. I could hear trainer Tom’s voice in the back of my head, ’empty the tank! this is the last of your run today’. I’m not sure why there was another aid station with only 1.4 miles to go, but it was nice to see. The crossing guards were surprised at how fast I was walking, which made me smile. Once I was out of the mud, I was able to jog over to the aid station for some electrolytes and soup. One of the guys was like, that’s amazing, isn’t it? I said it was, and he said great…now get out of here…1.4 and you’re done.

And, what a 1.4 it was. Some short, steep, climbs up….rocks….more mud. More walking than I wanted, but I was going to get in by 7:30. I could hear the finish before I saw it and due to the mud, didn’t get to run in as much as I wanted. But, I did run the last piece along the road, made a right turn….decided to roll my ankle. Awesome. Only me. Thank you ankle brace for saving it, even if it is a little sore now. The nearby spectators all cheered and yelled, ‘nice save’ as I righted myself and jogged through the finish line.

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I wasn’t really sure what to do once I finished. It’s been so long since that’s happened it was a little emotional. I got a medal and someone handed me a cliff bar maybe. Not sure, I tucked it into my pack. I got one of the volunteers to take a photo….you can’t get that muddy and not document it. Even if I am the queen of layered running tops. haha…I dried off, changed clothes, and enjoyed the finish line celebration. Got the frog cupcake I’ve been thinking about for months along with a post-race beer.

So, where does that leave me? Other than pretty sore at the moment? Haha. It leaves me with a vote of confidence for Lake Sonoma. It leaves me knowing that despite having more work to do, my training plan is working. It leaves me hoping that my second race in the lottery of pain will go as well as my first.

Big thanks to all of the volunteers – being out in the rain and cold is no small feat, but you all did it with smiles on your faces and were just what I needed to see at every aid station. Thank you to trainers Robin, Tom, and the rest of Orange Theory for teaching me that I can push a lot harder than I thought I could both in class and out. And to Dr. Hal, for putting me back together again and talking me off the race ledge this week.

Until next time Way Too Cool, until next time. When hopefully it’s not raining. I’d love to see what I can do if I can actually run the last six miles.

At Least I Won’t Get Sunburned…and Other Positive Thoughts Amongst Pre-Race Jitters

Posted on March 2, 2016 by knevinger

Well, at least I won’t get sunburned. I like to play in the mud. And I’ve had earlier race start times. And I’ve dealt with rain. And survived Dipsea in the rain and the dark. I can handle this….at least that’s what I keep telling myself, as I seem to have gotten the pre-race jitters pretty early with this one.

I mean, I didn’t finish any of the races I started in 2015. And there was that bout with near-hypothermia. And the busted knee. And the busted ankles. So, I get where the jitters are coming from.

And, they seem to increase every time I check the weather. Not looking at it seems like it would be the obvious choice, but I do actually need to be prepared for whatever is heading my way. Last I checked, it’s looking like a temperature between 40 and 60 degrees. Not too bad. Oh wait…there’s also that inch of rain. And the 20-30 mph winds in the afternoon. It sounds like the rain-pocolypse I volunteered in at last year’s Golden Gate race. Except there I could wear Gore-Tex…and water-proof hiking boots. Here I can wear….running clothes. And whatever rain gear Brian brings home from Sports Basement tonight. All joking aside, hopefully I can find something that will at least keep me warm. After the North Face debacle, I am concerned about hypothermia.

All of that being said, I’m still holding out some hope that this will be fun. Because, while there’s been (and it looks like will continue to be) a lot of crazy, there’s been a lot of work too. There’s been Orange Theory, faster training runs, more miles each week, and several rainy sweeps. I mean, after Steep Ravine and Crystal Springs, I should be an old pro at getting soaked in the rain and mud. And race induced hypothermia…that’s gotta be like lightening. It won’t strike twice. Who knows, maybe the rain will make me run faster. I’ve got this. At least, that’s what I tell myself.

I had a final tune up with the chiropractor and PT yesterday. Good news, I’ve graduated PT. Yay! And my back is all nice and lose and ready. And, Dr. Hal had some good advice around the race and what I could and could not control. Not much I can do about the time I leave work, the traffic, or the rain. Just how I handle it. He’s also run the race before, so he gave me the lowdown on the course….very similar to what I’ve read about and was anticipating. And thankfully, no more technical than the terrain in the headlands. In many places, much less.

So, here’s to an adventure on the trails (and hopefully not in traffic). Here’s to all the work I’ve put in paying off. And just keeping one foot in front of the other…or maybe in this case, just keep swimming will be the better mantra. And, most importantly, here’s to finally finishing a race.

Hanging Out Like Normal People

Posted on February 28, 2016 by knevinger

Since I am in taper mode, I had what I would consider a normal weekend. Saw friends…hung out with my husband…did nothing involving a three or four hour workout. It was a nice change. After sleeping in on Saturday morning, I spent the afternoon hiking with my friend, Meg. Well, after I found her…who knew there were three or four entrances to Windy Hill? And two roads in close proximity to each other with the same name. Once we found each other, we had a great time exploring some new trails on a beautiful day.

Saturday night, I went to dinner with Meg and some other friends. She started a book club, which is great – I love to read and don’t do it nearly enough anymore. However, time got away from me and I haven’t even gotten the book we were supposed to read, much less read any of it. As it turns out, I wasn’t the only one who had gotten behind due to life, and we decided to meet for dinner anyway.

Since the book was about Peru, we decided to have dinner at a Peruvian restaurant down on the Embarcadero, La Mar. Dinner was delicious, I has some sort of steak dish with fries and other stuff. I also had several bites of Meg’s food, since that’s what was put in front of me first. Oops. What happens when you don’t really understand the food you’re ordering. Luckily, they brought her a brand new food and all was well. We enjoyed the food and wine, and chose our next book. Really looking forward to getting back into reading, especially with friends.

Then it was on to my Uber adventure home. I’m the first to admit I have a horrible sense of direction, but this guy…this guy was in a league of his own. As he’s picking me up, another couple hops out of the car…the lady says to me, ‘he picked up the wrong people….’. That should have been my first clue, as we then proceeded to drive all over the city before we got to the Tavern in Noe Valley. After my tour of San Francisco – Pac Heights, North Beach, USF, the Castro….and finally to the Tavern where I had planned to meet Brian a half hour earlier. But, I got there, we got to watch the amazing end of the Warrior’s game, and have a few drinks….all’s well that ends well, I suppose.

And, today, rather than go exercise for four hours, we hung out like normal people. Haha. We tried a new (to me) place for brunch on the edge of Noe Valley. Delicious French Toast and mimosas and breakfast potatoes. Then we went shoe shopping….yay for new running shoes. Even though I had to order them since they didn’t have my size, but they’re on their way and should be here by the end of the week. Then we went to get food for the snake….so close to being normal….haha.

And, now on to the countdowns….

Days ’til Way Too Cool – 6

Number of Orange Theory Classes before Way Too Cool – 1

Number of Days at 24-Hour Fitness before Way Too Cool – 2

Weeks ’til Lake Sonoma – 6

Where has the time gone? On one hand, it feels like this has been the longest month ever…it was still less than one month ago that we bought the new dinning room table. But, I really can’t believe it’s going to be March next week. And, with March comes Way Too Cool….a race I’m way more nervous for than I should be….

I’m worried about getting there since I can’t plan to leave work early to miss traffic….hopefully all of the reports that day come in early. But, regardless, if I end up leaving late, I can pick up dinner from Amici’s and eat before I leave, and just worry about getting to Auburn, rather than finding food along the way or once I get there. Or, hold out hope that I can leave early enough to pick-up my bib before pick-up closes Friday night and get an extra half hour of sleep the next morning.

I’m worried about the race itself since I didn’t finish any of the races I started in 2015. Looking at the course and my previous times, I should be fine…but, I’ll feel much better after I actually run it. And, at this time next week, it will be over.

I keep telling myself it will all work out in the end. I’ll have an amazing race – feel great, have fun, and get a frog cupcake at the end. Then sleep ’til noon the next day. Rest for a week and start gearing up for my next adventure…..

Because, after all of that…there’s still the beast that is Lake Sonoma….

And, on to the taper…

Posted on February 21, 2016 by knevinger

So, I am officially in taper mode. Well, sort of…I do have three Orange Theory classes this week, and nothing about that says taper. But, I am dropping my weekly mileage from nearly 50 miles this week to 30 next week.

I had quite the final big week of training: two Orange Theory classes and four days of running equalling 47.3 total miles for the week. The Orange Theory classes were a great workout…well, one more so than the other. Yay for coach Tom and some uncensored DNCE. I still can’t wait for publishing to be over so I can get back to coach Robin’s classes too. And, speaking of Orange Theory….I can’t say enough about how great it has been for my running. I’m running longer (without walking) and faster, after only four weeks.

Wednesday and Friday, I ran at Edgewood before work and got in 13 miles between the two days. I actually enjoyed running the trail in the morning and then heading to work more than I thought I would. And, it was fast (for me)…all of the miles under 13 minutes per mile.

After Friday, I ran my way through the weekend. First, a course marker check on the north peak of Montara Mountain during the race this weekend. I’d forgotten how steep that part of the course was…the way up was one thing, but the way down….geez. Hopefully it helped train me on descending. Of course, something happened between my watch and strava, so that run never uploaded. And, I was so curious as to how I did in comparison to the other times I’ve run that route. I was hoping I’d continue to see myself getting faster and get some additional confidence going into my race. But, alas….the file got eaten somewhere.

Today, Brian and I headed back out to Canada Road/Edgewood – he rode and ran, and I just ran. I set out with the goal of 16 miles. Based on the rest of my week, that would get me between the 45 and 50 I was looking for. I started out heading into Edgewood, and it was a good run, but there were a lot of people and I ran there both Wednesday and Friday, so needed a change. So, I took a trail leading out of the park and back down to Canada Road, followed that over to Crystal Springs Trail, and down into Huddart. Yay Huddart.

There were only a handful of people there, but it’s big enough that I never really saw them. With all of the rain, it was a gorgeous run through the redwoods.

I ran through the remnants of the recent rainstorms – it’s still muddy – probably due to the shade of the redwoods. But, the rains have done the park well. In addition to the luscious greens, the wildflowers have begun to bloom, giving off the fresh feeling of a new spring.

I spent about an hour running through Huddart before beginning the journey back toward the car. Getting back toward the car, I realized I still had some time (and miles) left to do, so planned to make another trip through Edgewood and take the long way back. I ran into Brian on my way to Edgewood and made a failed attempt to keep up with him up into the park.

Once I was back in the park, I realized I was out of water. I thought about heading to the main parking lot to refill, or just turning around and heading for the car to retrieve my Gatorade…then I reminded myself that I swept three miles up Diablo without water. If I could handle that, there was no reason I couldn’t handle Edgewood when it was 30 degrees cooler. So, I got through my last three miles. Enjoyed my Gatorade. Stretched. Waited for Brian to get un-lost. And enjoyed the fact that my hat had a new salt stain.

So, where does that leave me? Hopefully ready to bang out 31 miles at Way Too Cool in two weeks. I mean, I was able to pull 30 out of somewhere the month before North Face…and, I feel stronger now than I think I ever have, so I can do this, right? I think so. This new way of training is different than anything I’ve tried before, and not going to lie, the unproven-ness (is that even a word) scares me. But, as I’ve said before….doing what I’ve always done will continue to get what I’ve always gotten. And, I want to do better. And, hopefully it works, because in all reality, I don’t have time to completely adjust my training in the five weeks between Way Too Cool and Lake Sonoma.

In other news, North Face has opened up. I was really hoping it would wait until after Lake Sonoma to open so I would (hopefully) have a 50-miler under my belt before I had to make a decision on which race to sign up for. But, I’m afraid it will sell out if I wait too long, and then I won’t be running any race. The good news, is that I can change my distance, so long as I do it before the race.

Weekend of Running

Posted on February 14, 2016 by knevinger

After my Wednesday debacle, I realized two things. One, I needed to run both days this weekend. Two, I was going to find out how complete double day training worked for me. Ideal? Maybe…maybe not. I don’t know. I’m going to go with, doing what I’ve always done will get me what I’ve always gotten. Meaning, long days of a lot of slow miles would get me through the race, but probably at the slow pace I’m used to. Maybe trying something new is just what I need.

So, Saturday….I headed to Walnut Creek for coffee with Lisa and the Coastal Trails awards lunch. It was great to catch up with Lisa over some coffee…I miss seeing her more frequently. The awards lunch was a lot of fun too. Got to hand out medals, coasters, and shirts, to the yearly winners. And enjoy some pizza too. Always a good time. Anyway, on to the running.

Post-lunch, I headed over to Mt. Diablo to tackle Eagle Peak. A route one of my friends runs loops on, but I had never done. Diablo was also somewhere I hadn’t been since the summer. Once I got around the medical emergency…)hopefully everyone is ok, it didn’t look good. Helicopter and everything.) I got going pretty quickly. Brief stop at the ranger station to make sure I wouldn’t get locked in, and I was off.

Sort of…good god, I’d forgotten how hard running on Diablo was. It was pretty much a slow uphill slog until about mile five….mile four on my watch since I’d forgotten to turn it on after checking on the parking lot situation. It was pretty though. Totally different world in the green before it all turns brown.

As tough as it was, before I knew it, I was making my left onto Eagle Peak Trail. And, what an adventure that was….between the times I was sure I was going down, I wasn’t sure I was actually on a trail. I was glad I had put on my long sleeved shirt….I was also pretty sure the bushes were trying to tear off the skin on my arms. It was also steep….steep up and if the report is read was correct, even steeper on the other side on the way down. I rather quickly decided I’d turn around and head back the way I came. A steep descent wasn’t worth the injury and going back the way I came would get me more miles.

As tough as the way up was, the way down was amazing. I ran nearly all of it…other than the moment I stopped to ask a peace officer which trail to take down. Anytime I started thinking I wanted to walk, I asked myself why I was going to walk…did I NEED to? Generally, the answer was no. The end result, just under a 14 minute per mile pace overall…faster than I’ve ever been on Diablo. And, just an overall feeling of strong. Thanks Orange Theory…or this multiple/back to back training thing. Or both.

Which brings us to today. Brian wanted to do a brick workout (bike/run…really any triathlon sport combo for those not familiar with the term), so we headed toward Canada Road. I wanted to get in more than just flat, so I had him drop me off at Wunderlich Park. Cause an exercise Valentine’s Day, nothing fits us better.

Anyway, I don’t think I’d been to Wunderlich since the summer, so had forgotten how hilly it was. You’d think the route I made on Strava last night would have clued me in. Haha.

It was basically a six mile slog uphill to skyline and then some. But, after about three miles, I started to feel pretty good. At five, the terrain started to roll and I was able to run more than hike, which was great.

And, once I turned around….amazing. Down, down, down, I went. Again, I ran almost the entire way…stopping only to calculate mileage to the end and determine which trail to take, or to carefully move around downed trees. No matter how good I felt, nothing is worth injury.

I continued down the trails…some back where I’d come from, some brand new. So much fun. At one point, I looked at my watch and saw I was running an 8:50 mile. I never run that fast….especially on a trail. But, holy crap….I never run that fast, especially on a trail. And I’m 11.5 miles through a 13 mile run. Thanks, Orange Theory…and let’s enjoy this til the end. Or until I run into an entitled horseback rider….

OMG….stop.

You can’t run towards a horse and there’s four up ahead of you….

Seriously?! If your horse can’t handle sharing a FIRE ROAD with people, perhaps it doesn’t belong out there. Luckily, I was in a good mood and all of my snarky comments stayed in my head. I’m all about sharing the trails, but really, to tell someone to stop running?

So, I doubled back and headed down a neighboring trail. All the while this lady tried to make friendly chit chat. Nope, sorry….not sorry…I have a trail half marathon PR to break and you’ve already interfered enough.

In the end, 13.1 in 3:04. Faster than I’ve run a half on a trail by 30 minutes or so. Wow, that felt good.

After this weekend’s runs, I feel cautiously optimistic about Way Too Cool. The stress of getting there not withheld. Lake Sonoma is another story. Hopefully one with a happy ending, but I think I’ll feel better about that one once I get through the 50k and see how I do. Hopefully I’m on to something with the new training plan and Orange Theory. I think, for the first time, I just might be trained properly…or at least trained to the best of my ability.

Until next time….

What a Wednesday

Posted on February 10, 2016 by knevinger

“Don’t worry about the future, Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing Bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind. The kind that blindsides you at 4 p.m. On some idle Tuesday,” Baz Luhrmann

The day began like any other Wednesday, or similar to it. I was taking my quarterly half day to get another long run in before Way Too Cool, so I had a bunch of extra stuff with me….and one side of my throat had started to hurt, so I made some tea for my drive to try to help it. But, other than that, pretty ordinary.

Traffic was traffic….maybe not as bad as usual, maybe just as bad. I don’t really remember. Typical backed up places, typical nightmare 280/380 interchange, but since I do it everyday, I’ve learned to handle it. Then came the interchange on to 101….

At first glance, it looked like things were moving, which isn’t always the case. Great, we like that. As I drove down the on ramp, I noticed something that looked like a cloud of dust or smoke or something. However, as I saw other cars swerving to get out of the way and about ten of them pull over, I realized it wasn’t smoke or dust or anything other than an SUV rolling across the freeway.

It came to rest in the median between my on ramp and 101 just before I passed by. It seemed like for a moment, maybe more, everything just stopped. The cars on the on ramp came to a standstill, people poured out of the cars that had pulled over, running to help. A great showing of human kindness amidst the chaos. I remember thinking I should call 911 and digging out my phone, but just as quickly tossing it away when the line was busy. There were several people on phones on the median – I would assume doing the same thing I was.

Before the traffic on the on ramp began to move again, I watched a woman climb out of the SUV. Her look of terror, relief, and confusion, is not one I will soon forget. Hopefully she escaped with minor injuries and was the only one in the car.

As I proceeded down the road, I saw the emergency vehicles coming from the opposite direction. And, then life moved on. Cars kept moving…..cars merged on to the freeway from further south none the wiser to what occurred only a few miles behind them. Me, it just got me thinking.

Who knows where anyone involved was heading this morning…..work, school, picking someone up at the airport. But, I can pretty much guess that this wasn’t anything that they planned on. Then life changed…..in the blink of an eye. Scary.

For only a short while ago, I was headed out of work early for a holiday weekend. I stopped for gas and was heading to join the gym. And a truck tried to drive straight through the back of my car. Thankfully, this was a far lower speed (compared to the freeway….I still maintain the guy never slowed down), but nothing I was expecting. I was excited for the long weekend – a race on Saturday, something fun on Sunday and Monday, maybe a couple of runs in there somewhere. And in the blink of an eye….I’m dealing with insurance and driving a rental car for six weeks.

“I really regret that run,” said no one….ever.

After spending half the day at work, I continued with my plan to get out on the trails. I was hoping for 16-20 miles, and I know a great 18 mile course at Horseshoe Lake (conveniently located near the office), so the clock hit 12, and I was off. I should have known it wasn’t going to be my day when I got parked and tried to set up my watch. Of course it’s locked…..and of course, no matter what I press, I can’t get it to unlock. Not annoying at all. Luckily, I had my phone and my Strava app, so I could still track my run.

Things started off just fine, I planned to run the half marathon and five mile portions of the Horseshoe Lake race course, both of which I had done before and I had a map, so I knew where I was going. Kind of. Sort of. Basically follow the Bay Area Ridge Trail. Some climbing, some rolling, good training. But, for some reason….not sure if it was my morning or because it was the middle of my work day or because my watch didn’t work or because I was already sore and tired, but I just wasn’t feeling it.

I ran along the half marathon course, quickly finding my way through the Christmas Tree Farm and on to the trail, up to the point where Ksenya and I turned around a mont ago (back when I started to get sick….who knew I’d still have remnants of it a month later). I paused there to admire the beauty of it all….the trail, the sunshine, the fact that I’m able to get out there.

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Shortly after that, I hit my stride…at least for a little while. Music was good. Trail was run-able. I was in it. Until this happened….

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Now, it says the trail is open for hikers….if that’s the case, why are both the gates locked? It’s bright and sunny…it can’t be that muddy. And, I’m little, I could always fit through the gate, right? After some brief contemplation, I decided that fence jumping onto a closed trail was probably a bad idea and there were just as many trails back towards the car, so why not head that way.

I was able to run most of the way back to the car. Hopefully that means I’m getting stronger and Orange Theory and the back to back shorter days are paying off. Once I got back to the car, I headed up the five mile route, but at this point, I really wasn’t feeling it. Again, maybe it just wasn’t my day.

But, not to be outdone by the beauty of the first lap, the second lap was just as nice and included some friends.

These two came flying down the trail and off to my left quick enough to scare me a bit. They get close here too! I feel like the deer in NY would run away if you so much as walked by the window, but here they come right up and walk on by.

I turned around shortly after seeing the deer and headed back down to the car. I ended up with eight miles…not the greatest, but eight miles more than I would have gotten had I not hit the trails. The shorter day today combined with the sick I’ve been fighting forever, has me a little worried for Way Too Cool. And, really more than that, Lake Sonoma. I can probably pull 30 miles out of somewhere….I did in late October/early November, but 50, as I’ve learned is a whole different ball game. But, Way Too Cool first…let’s focus on that. I’ve still got this weekend before I need to taper and the back to back training day thing is new for me. Hopefully it gets me there.

So, after giving myself a pep talk during the car ride home and a nap once I got there, I leave Wednesday with two thoughts. One, a day in the sunshine on the trails, no matter how tough, beats the office any day. Two, I need to stop stressing about this race. Life is too short, 2016 is a new year, and it’s supposed to be fun. And I’m a stronger runner than I’ve ever been….I’ll get through it.

Until next time….

Who Knew Getting Lost Could be So Much Fun…

Posted on January 30, 2016 by knevinger

Since I’ve spent most of January sick (maybe that’s why it feels like it’s been such a long month…), I’m a little behind on long runs, so I knew the 30 miler I had previously planned for today was not going to happen. So, I decided I would head to Lake Sonoma and see what happened. I was more comfortable doing a shorter run if I’d get to see more of the race course. And, I’d already planned a run for Sunday as well, which was a good way to make up the distance and get a double day in. Anyway, on to the adventure that was Lake Sonoma.

I made a plan over a hot toddy last night. I’d park at Lone Rock, just beyond No Name Flat where I parked for my last adventure. From there, I could access a portion of the course I had yet to see, run a few miles out, then back to the car, and then head out towards No Name. I’d seen those trails before, but there’s only so far I’m willing to limp back to the car if I break myself. Not that its happened before or anything….

Before stopping at Lone Rock, I drove the extra few miles to Liberty Glen to see if there was any day use parking – it’s another good place to access the course, but all I had read about was camping parking. Good news! There was day use parking. But, I already had a plan, so I headed back to Lone Rock.

I got ready, paid the parking fee, grabbed a map and headed across the road to the trail. After that, it took approximately three miles for my plan to fall apart. I found the first trail I was looking for, Outcrop, pretty quickly. And then what I thought was Madrone. So, down I went. The whole time thinking, it’s really going to suck to come back up this.

And, then it ended. Just got down by the lake and stopped. There was a short, steep, downhill that I thought might lead to a trail….nope just goes right into the lake. So…now what. I decided to make my way back up the trail and see what I could find. If all else failed, I just needed a trail to run on. Rolling hills look like rolling hills, and at the end of the day, I just needed to get a run in. Oh, what’s this…Cove Trail. Not on the map. Oh well. That works.

So, off I went….and really, so much fun. Since I didn’t really know where I was, I focused more on time (run out on a trail for a half hour, run back), rather than how many miles I had run or how fast I was going. So, I splashed through creeks and slogged through mud without too much of a care in the world (I mean, it is still hog hunting season)…and I actually felt really good (Orange Theory is going to be worth every penny if it’s already making me feel great after two weeks), when I wasn’t hacking up my lungs. That part wasn’t too much fun.

After about four miles, I decided to turn around and see what else I could find. Didn’t want to get too much further from the car. I got back to the service road and hiked back up to Outcrop where I had come down. At this point, my lungs were pretty sore (stupid sick), so I briefly thought about heading back then, but curiosity got the best of me and I decided to see what happened if I continued to head up the fire road.

That led to Liberty Glen, which I knew was part of the race course. That took me to Serpentine, which according to the map, would take me to Rancheria. I enjoyed the trip down a rocky descent and arrived at a junction…..Rancheria….’hey there trail…I’ve been looking for you all day’. I pulled out my map again to see which way I should go, and that was when I flipped it over. And realized there was a detailed layout of the Rockpile Road trails on the back….I’m an idiot. haha….oops.

I made a right and planned to follow Rancheria out until about 2:30. That would give me a half hour to get back to the fire road and I’d be on my way back to the car by 3. I ran more than I thought I would….it reminded me a lot of Matt Davis and my run out to McKennan….until I came across a recently downed tree. Apparently that was my cue to turn around. Since one side was a cliff down to the lake and the other side was a hill up, there wasn’t a safe way to get around it.

So I turned and headed back toward the Wulflow shortcut….once I got there, I decided I’d try to take the long way back up. Since I now had the map and all. And the more of the course I saw, the better. After about a half of a mile, I thought better of it and turned to head back the way I came. I didn’t know how far it was that way, I didn’t have a good track record with not getting lost, and my lungs were just about done. So, up I went. It was actually a lot further than I remembered, and at some point I realized I didn’t really know exactly how to get back to the car. I mean, there was always the road, so I wasn’t completely lost.

And that’s where the adventure began. At one point, I thought I was at the fire road that brought me down to the trails (conveniently named fire road….as was the other one), so up I went….of course it wasn’t the right road and I just ended up in someone’s campsite. So, back down I went. Lots of time with the map…..of course not all the trails are on the map, so lots of potential for some brief wrong turns. Finally, I got back to where there were some markings and an exit to the road….and other runners. Of course, rather than ask them if they knew where Lone Rock was, I just picked a direction and started jogging down the road. After spending the last two miles trying to get off the trails, I was all set with guessing games for now.

So, down the hill I went. Past a closed parking lot/event site…I think I remember passing that on the way in….around several more corners, I kept thinking I would see the lot, to no avail. Until…..there was…..

No Name Flat.

Really?! Seriously?! I had only run about a mile in the wrong direction. Ugh. Poor lungs. Across the road and back I went….a couple of cars went by…for a fleeting moment, I thought about flagging someone down for a ride. Let’s not pretend it would be the first time.

Thankfully, it didn’t take too terribly long to get back to where I was and then literally around the corner was Lone Rock. Steps from where I’d come off the trail. Awesome. Only me. Despite being desperate to be back at the car, I looked down to see that I was at 13.8 miles. Can’t have that, so I took a couple of laps around the parking lot to make 14. And of course as I was doing so, I thought about what a great day I’d had on the trails. How much fun it was being caked in mud. And how I couldn’t wait for next time. All of this now that I was back in sight of the car of course.

The best part, once I got home and looked at Strava, I was actually on the race course, if not all day, close to it. So that’s good. The giant hill I ran down – definitely Madrone. The Cove trail….it’s actually Rancheria. Apparently Strava decided to call it something else. Or the course map did….or something. Oh well….was a fun adventure and I’m glad I saw a lot of the course.

I also came home to an email from the race director – there’s the potential for a training run that will let me see all of the course. Hopefully it works out…..not too close to Way Too Cool, not too early since it’s two hours away, etc., etc. He’s also planted some water on the course for people training and let us know what local water is potable. It also looks like one of the creeks is 18 inches deep….good times. Sounds like I’ll be running in shorts. I never wear shorts. Hopefully it’s warm.

Now, I’m hungry….where is my pizza. And that hot toddy I’ve been thinking about since about mile six.

Next up – three hill repeats on fox trail tomorrow…because I hate myself or I need to get ready for goat hill. Or maybe both. And, barring any madness, I should hit 100+ miles for January. Not bad for the sick girl ;).

Trying New Things

Posted on January 15, 2016 by knevinger

Before I get to the point of this post, I have to call-out the new site. I’m learning to use WordPress at work (they also host our public work website), so I wanted to set up a site of my own that I could play with during downtime. After learning in last week’s training class that I could import multiple blogs, I thought, ‘what a great idea – I can combine the two blogs I have into one site, sweet!’ Then, as an added benefit, my Asia travel blog was already a WordPress site making the combination even easier. Really though, even importing from Blogger was painless. I’ve had fun over the past week creating the new site and I’m sure I’ll be playing around with it as I learn more….so many links and widgets and gadgets and such. Anyway, on to the real stuff….

Yesterday I had one of the best workouts I can remember having in a long time. My 24-hour Fitness membership expired last week, and after getting over the plague from earlier this week, I decided to check out the gym that opened in the same plaza as my office. Orange Theory. I had never heard of it, but read a little bit about it online and popped down during lunch to check it out.

It’s an instructor led, hour workout, generally half cardio and half weights/abs/etc. They showed me around – very nice looking gym, and signed me up for a free class later that evening. I was a little concerned that it might not be the best way to train for my lottery of pain later this spring, but I like new things and the concept was pretty interesting.

Before class started, they gave me a little heart monitor and the instructor showed all the new people (two of us) how the machines worked and explained how the class would go. I liked this – definitely took out the worry of feeling dumb because I was new.

I got to start class on the treadmill, which was nice – I’d much rather start with some cardio to warm up. I did notice that the other group, who started with some of the weight exercises, did warm up on the rowers first…I think that would have been ok too. It started out simple enough – get to a pace on the treadmill that you could run for about a half hour. Then we spent the next six minutes taking that pace up and down and back up again. Because the speed was constantly changing, the time passed really quickly and it was on to the weights.

Well, the weights and the rowing machine. The rowing machine and I, well, we’re not friends…it became a joke between the trainer and I, but I’m sure I can learn it over time. After the rowing, the floor set involved a couple of different weight lifts; curls and flys and stuff. I haven’t really done weights since bootcamp, so it was a welcome change to my workout routine. In hindsight, I could probably use heavier weights (channeling my inner Cat ;)). Something I can definitely change for next time.

Six minutes later, it was back to the treadmill….this time and the next time (there were three treadmill rotations total) were all about hills. I’ve never set the treadmill at a ten percent grade….until last night. There were definitely times that I thought I’d slide right of the back of it, but I managed to hold my own. ‘Running’ up the hills made the one percent grade feel like a downhill.

The other floor sets consisted of TRX (another favorite I haven’t seen since bootcamp) and ab work. Halfway through…a quarter of the way through….I don’t remember. I was dripping sweat. The other new girl and I kept looking at each other in disbelief or something. What a workout! It kept changing, so I never got bored and the hour passed so fast.

After class, the instructor took a few minutes to explain the monitors and the results. Pretty interesting. And I was in the acceptable ranges, so I did something right. Haha. And burned approximately 600 calories. In an hour. Crazy. Ending verdict – I am still sore today and have plans to make this part of my regular routine.

In other news, my present…the purse I ordered last weekend, has arrived. What a great ending to the week :).

Until next time…

Adventurous Wanderer

Ramblings of an Adventurous Wanderer

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