Monday, June 25, 2012

Third Time's A Charm: Grand Tour Highland Double (June 23, 2012)

Third Time's A Charm
The Grand Tour Highland Double (June 23, 2012)


Preface
One of my crazy goals this year was to earn the California Triple Crown, to ride three double centuries (200 miles in one day on the bike) in a year.  In March, I completed the Solvang Double Century.  In May, I completed the Davis Double Century.  For my third double, I decided to sign up for the Grand Tour down in Malibu, California.  The Grand Tour has various ride options from a double metric (125 miles), a lowland double, a highland double, a triple (300 miles), and a quadruple (400 miles in day -- that's seriously crazy stuff!).  Preferring a hillier route, I opted for the Highland Double.

I talked Craig into going along with me and doing the double metric ride (he likes to cycle but has no desire for the long endurance stuff as I do).  We traveled with my friend Tawny (who was going to do the Highland Double) and our friend Todd (who was going to do the triple).

The Grand Tour


Pre-Ride

pre-ride dinner with Todd, Craig, Tracy, Tim and Tawny


Tweet: "got the van loaded with our bikes and bags...tawny, todd, craig and i are on our way to malibu!"


Tweet: "in Malibu!  checking in for our rides for tomorrow!"  


Tweet: "my number is #172...Craig got #187...awesome number! :D"




The night before, it takes me a bit to fall asleep.  I feel nervous.  I think I was just far too exhausted from riding in the NorCal Aids Cycle (NCAC) to feel any nervousness before the Davis Double.  I slept just fine the night before the Davis Double.  But here, it takes me awhile to fall asleep.  I also get a little extra anxious when I do events away from home.  I eventually fall asleep.  


In the wee hours of the morning, I wake up a couple times.  At 2:50 a.m., I give up trying to sleep anymore and get up to get my gear on.  Craig hears me and awakes.  He grumbles a bit about how early it is -- "This is not normal!"  But, he eventually gets up and helps me get ready.  He is just going to drive me, Todd, and Tawny to the ride start.  His ride does not start until later in the morning so he does not need get ready quite yet.  

Tweet: "up at 3 am...getting ready to roll..Craig is a wee bit cranky for having to get up so early but I feel lucky to have such a great boyfriend"

Craig drops us off at the ride start, Webster Elementary School, around 4 a.m..  He wishes me good luck and that he'll see me at the finish.  While I can tell he's sleepy having to be dragged up at 3 a.m., I am really glad he's here with me before I start.

Todd, Tawny, and I go check in, getting our wristbands scanned.  We each do our little things to get ready to start. Todd befriends some guy that is about to ride the quadruple.  He introduces me to him.  They plan to roll out together.  So, I decide to wait and roll out with them.

The Ride


The quadruple guy, Todd, and I roll out from the school.  About 1/2 mile out, Todd pulls over and stops.  He says his bike computer is not working.  The quadruple guy rides off.  I stop with Todd.  We play around with his wheel and the computer sensor trying to get it to read.  It does not seem to work.  Todd is concerned.

After a bit of playing around with it, another guy rolls up and asks what's wrong.  We tell him the bike computer isn't reading and he said he had the same problem but it started to work after a bit.  So, Todd decides to just start riding and hope the computer starts working again.  Tawny then rolls up near us and asks what's wrong.  We mention the bike computer problem Todd is having.  She says she thinks the light may affect the computer.  Todd turns off his head light and his bike computer starts to work.  He then opts to ride without his light on.  There is street lights and enough lights from other cyclists which should make it okay for him.  The sun should be up in an hour too.

We ride along for a bit.  Todd gets behind some guy for a bit.  I ride behind Todd.  The pace starts to slow so I ride around the guy, hoping Todd stays behind me.  I turn on my light to the brighter setting to see better and hope it helps Todd see too.  Todd stays mostly behind me as we ride along the Pacific Coast Highway.  

In my past two doubles, I had issues with my tail light (fortunately, my front light works wonderfully). For both, my own tail light had fallen off.  I had borrowed a tail light that ended up not working and another one that was just a teeny tiny red light.  So, I had to buy another one for this double.  I bought a nice one that wraps around the stem and is super bright.  And as I am riding along, my tail light is not falling off this time and it is flashing away brightly.  But unfortunately, the brightness is kind of blinding Todd.  He makes mention that he has to ride a little to the side of me because of my tail light.  


In not too long, the sky starts to lighten up as the sun begins to rise.  Todd and I join up with a small pack of three riders.  The group of us rolls along at a decent pace.  We come around a bend and I can see the ocean to the left of me.  It is a little breezy but not too windy. 


After a bit, we pass a Naval Base and see some neat looking planes.  The group gets a little larger and since we have daylight now, Todd is no longer riding behind me.  We kind of reshuffle ourselves after every turn or stop.  But, I end up following Todd for a bit.  We pass by a number of fields.  Must be strawberries as I smell strawberries in the air.  

We then arrive at the first rest stop in Port Hueneme

Tweet: "at grand tour, rest stop #1.  mile 34.  nice along the coast.  rode with todd but we'll be splitting soon"

As I dismount my bike and take off my bike lights, a cyclist approaches me and asks me if I was at Solvang. I said yes.  He says he thinks he rode with me.  There was a group that was riding really fast and were the first to arrive to the first rest stop.  He thinks we were both in that group.  I remember being in that group.  I look at his bike to see if I recognize it but I cannot quite remember it.  I am wearing my pink rabbit kit, which I had also wore in Solvang, so I think I am easy to remember seeing.  We chit chat a little bit.

Shortly after the Solvang guy talks to me, another cyclist comes up to me.  He asks me if I was at the Davis Double.  I say yes.  He says he remembers seeing me and I have a particular style when I ride that looks familiar today.  Okay, interesting.  He tells me how he remembers seeing me come around to the front of the pace line and then bridge the gap to the group ahead.  He said when I was bridging that gap, he was right behind me.  That is nice to be remembered for riding well (as there were parts of the Davis Double where I was not riding so well).

This is kind of nice that some people are able to recognize me in these doubles.  And, such friendly people too.

I go inside the building to bag up my lights.  I do not want to carry them the rest of the day and today, I am determined to finish before sundown.  In the past two doubles, I raced the sun to the finish and the sun beat me both times, just barely.

I eat a couple strawberries and then get ready to ride again.  Todd looks about ready to roll so we start to roll out.  As we are getting ready to roll out, we see a pink recumbent bike.  Craig and I had seen this pink recumbent bike at the motel earlier.  The bike is all pink and has matching pink water bottles.  But now, I see the rider.  She has one hot pink cycling shoes and a hot pink aero helmet (aka sperm helmet).  It is quite the sight.  This makes me think of my friend Kallie, who really likes pink (though I don't think she'd ever get an aero helmet).

Todd and I roll out.  The Solvang guy and another guy start to roll out at the same time as us.  The pink recumbent bike gal zips pass us.  We leap frog her here and there as we roll out of town.  


I ride behind Todd for a few miles or so.  At one point, the Solvang guy yells at me to turn right since he knew I was riding the highland route.  The highland route is splitting apart from the lowland route.  I wish Todd good luck on his triple and I turn right.  The Solvang guy, another guy with red socks, and I start riding towards the hills.

As I ride behind the Solvang guy for a bit, I notice he's riding a steel road bike with regular sneakers, flat pedals and the toe cages.  I do not see very many cyclists ride with the old school toe cages so this is triggering a memory.  I then watch how he's riding and I start remember where I saw this guy before, down in Solvang.  I ask him if he was wearing a white shower cap over his helmet in Solvang, since it was forecasted to rain that day.  He said yes.  I tell him that I do remember him from Solvang.

We get closer to Portero, our first climbs of the day.  My route sheet says "Climb #1 - difficult but short.  0.5 mile" and "Climb #2 - Extremely difficult for 1 mile."  I see the hill ahead. Quite the hill.

I get up the first part okay, passing a few folks along the way.  I ride along and then start the extremely difficult part.  I am climbing okay.  I see the Solvang guy not too far behind me.  There is one switch back that makes the grade a bit steeper but I continue going up and up.



I make it to the top and enjoy a fun descent.  And, in not too long, I arrive at the next rest stop.

Tweet: "rest #2.  51 miles.  did one big steep climb up Potrero.  feeling strong on the climbs!"  

At the rest stop, a kind man parks my bike for me.   The volunteers are super friendly here.  I send a text to Craig telling him I hope his ride is going well.  I hope that he is not too sleepy this morning on his ride.  I eat some GU and refill my water before I get back on the bike again.  

As I am riding along through the countryside, I spot a couple cyclists riding towards me.  One looks like he has a Rio Strada kit on.  As the two get closer, I see that it is Craig!  I was told that the Highland Double route does intersect with the double metric route so I am happy to see Craig now.  I yell out to him and he looks up and seems pleasantly surprised to see me.

Seeing Craig peps me up a bit.  He looked like he was enjoying himself on his ride.  I am happy I got to catch a glimpse of him during the ride.

I continue on and eventually pass through Thousand Oaks.  As I ride through the city, I feel like I hit every red light.  Stop, go, stop, go.  At one stop light, I encounter a fellow who is riding the triple.  He points to a cyclist ahead telling me that guy is doing the quadruple.  Crazy!

I ride along and eventually arrive at the next rest stop at some park.  The guy checking people in asks for my number and whether I am doing the double or the metric.  I tell him the double and it seems those doing the double metric go to this rest stop too.  Craig must have been here earlier before riding towards where I came from.


Tweet: "rest stop #3...mile 78...pretty day out!  though I seem to be hitting every red light...oh, I did see Craig a little bit ago...:)


I walk over to the food tables and all of a sudden, I see Craig roll up to my surprise!  He is just as surprised to see me.  I tell him how my ride is going.  He tells me how he has made a friend on the ride and they have been riding together so far.  He also tells me how he was just telling the guy about me when I rode past him earlier.

I snack on some watermelon while hanging out with Craig for a bit.  Getting to see him mid-ride really makes me happy.  :)

Eventually, I get back on the bike ready to roll out.  I see the Solvang guy and another guy waiting for me.  The three of us ride together out of whatever town we are in and head towards more hills.  In a bit, the two guys drift off ahead of me.

I ride along and as I am reading the route sheet, I see that it mentions that I must make sure I stay on a particular road and the double metric people would be splitting.  So, I might see Craig again as he will undoubtedly catch up to me.

Sure enough, in not too long, he and his new friend ride up behind me.  Craig makes a silly comment about how the view just got really nice.  Craig's new riding friend makes some nice comment to me.  And, off they go.

I continue on my way into the countryside now.  It is pretty and peaceful out here.  I ride along and then start climbing up Grimes Canyon.  Pedal, pedal, pedal.

I then reach the peak of this hill and the descent is amazingly fun.  Long, curvy roads in which I just fly down!         Whee!!

Then, I continue riding along through the countryside, pass some fields.  In a bit, I enter into a tiny little town. I see a few cyclists sitting outside a little store enjoying some cold Cokes.  Good idea.  The next rest stop is not until the lunch stop, which is after an 8-mile climb ahead.

I ride through the town thinking I might want a soda before I start the 8 mile climb.  This town though is kind of sketchy looking.  Looks a little run down.  I pass a guy with baggy clothes walking down the street.  He kind of leers at me and asks me where I am going.  I continue riding past him.  Maybe I won't stop in this town.

I then see a little store on a corner.  Outside the store, I spot a green Felt bike.  That bike had been leap frogging me earlier.  So, I head over to the store knowing that there is a cyclist there already.

I head into the store and buy a nice cold can of Coke.  The other cyclist buys a cold Gatorade.  We stand quietly outside the store drinking our cold drinks.  The green Felt guy then heads off towards the hill.

As I check my phone, I see Javier has texted me and Todd asking for a status update.  Todd has replied that he reached mile 107 lunch stop.  It is nice to know where Todd is and that he seems to be keeping good time.  I let them know that I am about halfway done.

Tweet: "halfway done.  100 miles in.  stopped at store for a cold coke!  :)"

After I finish the Coke, I take a GU and then start heading for the 8 mile climb.  The climb is not too bad.  The grade not so steep.  It is just long and steady.  I feel like this is good Death Ride training as the hills there will not be too steep.  Just like this one.  Long and steady.

My right foot burns slightly but not too badly.  I feel no burning or pain in my left foot.  I think my new cycling shoes are working mostly well.  I may do a few adjustments to my right cleat at the lunch stop.  So far so good.  


Eventually, I make it up to the top and start descending down towards Ojai.  As I am coming down a descent, I get stuck behind a truck.  I brake a little to not run into it.  Then, to my surprise, the truck pulls to the side to let me pass.  How nice!  I go around the truck and continue down the descent with ease!

And, in not too long, I make it to Ojai to the lunch stop.

Tweet: "had to do a long 8 mile climb.  good death ride training.  made it to the lunch stop!  mile 116!"

Lunch is rather nice.  I eat a really good bean burrito and some chips.  I sit at a table with a bunch of other cyclists that I do not know.  I end up befriending a few of them as we chit chat about some other doubles we have done.  We remember the misery of the horrible wind in Solvang.  We talk a little bit about the Davis Double too.  Everyone is friendly out here and I am really enjoying myself.

Tim and Tracy spot me and come over to join me.  We catch up on how our rides are going.  Tim and Tracy are doing the double on a tandem and seem to be enjoying themselves today.

After a bit, I get ready to roll out.  I see this group of cyclists rolling out too so I follow them.  The group turns out to be a Filipino cycling group.  A rather large cycling group too.  We weave our way out of town and then I hitch onto their fast pace line.  This might be a fun group to ride along with.  A guy in a green Death Ride jersey tags along the back with me too.

In not too long, the Filipino cycling group all make a left turn.  They are doing the lowland double apparently.  I have to continue riding straight.  Bummer.  It is just me and the guy in the green Death Ride jersey.  We ride along kind of together towards more hills.


We pass by Lake Casitas and begin some long(ish) steady climbs.  The views are pretty.  But, the climb seems to be a lot longer than described on the route sheet.  But, I keep pedaling away up and up and up, hoping at some point to reach the top.  Quite a number of cars pass me as I climb away.  Many pass a bit too close to me making me rather nervous.

At some point, I start descending but it does not take too long before I start climbing again.  The green Death Ride jersey guy passes at some point.  He comments about how he thinks the hills are longer than described on the route sheet.  I agree.

I continue riding along.  Then, I catch a glimpse of the top of a parachute/parasail.  I can feel that we are nearing the ocean.  I can smell the ocean now.  I am excited to be nearing the coast.  And, in not too long, I come to Carpinteria and can see the lovely blue Pacific Ocean.



Tweet: "after a few long steady climbs, made it to the rest stop at mile 137.  ride is pretty except for cars driving too close!"

At the rest stop, I check my messages.  Craig tells me he has finished his ride, feeling happy with his time.  He cheers me on in my ride.  Todd updated a bit ago that he got to mile 140 and about to have a chat with little Todd about what is to happen (that he's going to be doing the triple).  I update all the guys as to where I am.  Javier and Craig send encouraging replies. Just a metric century to go!

I eat some watermelon.  I spot some Krispy Kreme donuts here and listen to the volunteers talk about them.   I rather eat watermelon.  One volunteer tells me how cute my rabbit jersey is.  I tell him how I am nicknamed the Energizer Bunny so had searched for a pink bunny kit and this was the closest I could find.  He gave me props or something.  All the volunteers are so friendly.  Makes a ride quite enjoyable.

I then get back on the bike.  I roll onto Highway 101 for a bit.  Kind of scary trying to ride along the freeway with the cars passing by so close.  Fortunately, there is a nice tailwind so I just fly.

We don't have to ride Highway 101 too long before we exit and eventually get onto the Pacific Coast Highway, a less crazy highway.  I am enjoying riding along the coast with the beautiful ocean to my right.  There is a nice breeze and a most wonderful tailwind.

I ride behind the green Death Ride jersey guy for a bit.  I think about Javier and the upcoming Death Ride as I ride behind this guy.  At some point, the guy slows down so I come around him to work a little.  I intend to pull for a bit but when I look back, I see he has fallen way back.  I slow down a little hoping he'd catch up but he seems to be struggling so I continue on.

I catch a few other pace lines as we ride along the Coast.



In not too long, we get back to Port Hueneme.  As we ride through town, a little wind kicks up.  Nothing too crazy (apparently, it gets worse later on).  I am feeling a bit tired now so fall back from the pace lines.  I just pedal away, knowing I am near the next rest stop, the last rest stop.

Tweet: "just got to the last rest stop at mile 163...feeling tired now.  going to drink a coke and eat some chicken soup!"  

Tweet: "will say the other riders are so friendly today and the volunteers great!  makes for a fun ride! :)"

The last rest stop is the same as the first rest stop.  I see the bag with my lights I had left this morning are still here.  So, I take them and put them on the bike to haul back to Malibu.  I hope to not need the lights as I am determined to beat the sun this time!

I walk into the rest stop and a lady offers me chicken soup.  I say sure and the soup is fan-freaking-tastic.  The salty chicken broth along with the veggies really hit the spot.  Another cyclist at the table next to me enjoys his soup so much, he asks for another bowl.  So, I do the same.

I let Craig know where I am and when I expect to finish.  I tell him I am tired.  He sends me a nice messaging cheering me on and how he'll be there when I finish.  I can hardly wait to see him.  I see Todd had gotten to mile 190 and seems to be doing okay.  Looks like he is still making good time.  
  
A guy comes up to me and says I keep beating him to the rest stops.  Me in my pink rabbit kit.  It amuses me my pink rabbit kit always seems to attract attention when I am doing events.

After resting a bit, I decide it is time to finish this thing off.  My triple crown is near now.

I roll out of the rest stop and continue out of town and back onto the Pacific Coast Highway.  I have mostly a tailwind so that is nice.  However, I hit some rollers and my climbing legs are quite weary of climbing.  My pace drops quite dramatically with each little climb.  But, I reach the top and fly down the downhills and the flats.

At one point, this guy rides up next to me.  He asks me if I am riding the double century or the double metric.  I tell him the double century.  It's about 6pm now so I think the double metric people should be finished by now.  He tells me is doing the double metric.  He comments that he started a little late.

I then notice that he has bandages wrapping both his elbows.  I ask him if he had crashed and he said yes, earlier on a descent.  He comments that his jersey zipper broke so he duct taped himself.  I see a strip of duct tape wrapping around his torso.   Wow.  He says he is mostly okay and glad he did not break anything and that the bike is unscathed.

We ride together for a bit but we hit a little hill and he rides off ahead of me.  On the downhill and flats, I catch up to him.  He drafts behind me for a bit.  But, my legs are tired.  As soon as I slow down a little, he comes around and takes off.  I am a little annoyed by this that he did not offer to help pull me after I pulled him for a bit.

Moments later, I catch back up to the guy as he has blown himself up.  I pass him and again, he hitches onto my wheel for a bit.  And when I hit the hill, I slow down, he comes around and attacks me again.  This guy is really annoying me now.

At some point, I decide to stop for a little bit mainly to let annoying guy get ahead and no longer trying to ride my wheel.  I take the moment to send a message to Craig letting him know my ETA.  I then continue riding along, enjoying not having some guy try to attack me every few moments.

With a little more climbing, I ride back into Malibu and pass Pepperdine.  I am near the finish!  The sun is still out so I am happy that I am finally going to finish a double before dark.  I make the last few turns to get back to the Elementary School.  I spot Craig and roll up to him.

I am done. The LA Highland Double, finished.  And, that's three doubles for the year so a California Triple Crown Winner!  Woot!!  :D

Tweet: "grand tour highland double...DONE!!  AND, california triple crown winner here!! booyah!







Final Thoughts and Acknowledgments


The Grand Tour was the most enjoyable of the three double centuries I have completed so far.  I finished with my fastest average pace.  I think my overall time in Solvang was shorter as I took less time in the rest stops but I rode faster at the Grand Tour.  Of course, in Solvang, I had to deal with horrendous headwind for about 30 miles and in Davis, I had already ridden 200 miles the two days prior to the Davis Double.  I feel I had some struggling moments in my first two doubles but this one, things mostly went smoothly.  Got a little tired towards the end but that is to be expected after spending a day in the saddle. ;-)

The weather and scenery were absolutely lovely.  I remember last winter, I had gone on a ride with Triple Crown winners and had inquired with some cyclists about their double experience.  One guy told me doing the California Triple Crown will get you to see some of the most beautiful places in California.  This thought came to mind while I was riding out there.  In all three of my doubles, I rode through various areas of the state.  Today, I passed through lovely countrysides and rode along the beautiful coastline.

This event also had great support.  The volunteers were terrific.  Also, I found most of the other cyclists to be quite friendly today.  Friendly people around definitely makes for a more enjoyable experience.  :)

Acknowledgments


Thank you to the LA Wheelmen for putting on such a terrific event.  Most enjoyable double so far for me.  Great thanks to all the wonderful volunteers out there!  Thank you to all the friendly riders out there that I saw throughout the day.  You made for a pleasant experience!

Thank you to Joan for getting me into the doubles and recommending the Grand Tour to me.  I really enjoyed this double and congrats to you on your triple.

Thank you Tawny & Todd for traveling along with me to Malibu for the Grand Tour.  Big congrats to you Todd in finishing your triple and congrats Tawny in finishing the Highland double too.

Thanks Javier for your encouraging and amusing text messages throughout the day.  It really helps having the support when I am doing these crazy things.  Sorry I had accidentally blocked you from my twitter updates.

Thank you to my fellow WAV and HW friends for all you have done to help me become a better cyclist.  I could not have achieved my California Triple Crown without you all!  Also, thank you to my other crazy athletic friends for your support in all my crazy endeavors!

Lastly, I give a huge thank you to Craig.  Thank you for going on the long trip down to Malibu to be there for me and for having to wake up at 3 a.m. to take me to the ride start.  It really made me happy that I got to see you at the beginning, in the middle, and at the finish of this double.  Thanks also for taking care of the random things my bike needs in order to get through this kind of ride, i.e. putting new brake pads on my bike.  And, I am always grateful for you always taking such good care of me.  I also greatly appreciate that you are always so supportive in my crazy endeavors. 

Monday, June 11, 2012

100 miles of fun and food with Joanne! (6/10/12)

100 miles of fun and food with Joanne! (6/10/12)


Prologue

Joanne got a little crazy with cycling in May (because of May is Bike Month). She started thinking about doing her first century ride. Since I needed to get some long rides in (training for a double), I offered to take her out on a century ride.   Because our ride would not be an official supported ride, I decided to make sure we had yummy food places to stop at during the ride.

The ride turned out to be quite the day of riding around and eating.  A fun day spent with my dear friend Joanne.  She's also become such a strong rider now. She makes me super proud!

The Ride

Folsom Bike to Trailhead Coffee & Bikes (Penryn, CA)


Joanne and I roll out from Folsom Bike and start heading towards the foothills.  It is a nice sunny morning.  We chit chat about various things, laughing a bit as we typically do when we are together.

Joanne talks about how our friend Lourdes always gets a Chocolate croissant when she rides to Trailhead.  However, Lourdes always takes it to go.

Trailhead Coffee & Cycling Lounge

In not too long, we arrive to Trailhead.  After all that talk about croissants, Joanne gets a chocolate croissant and I get an almond croissant.  The almond croissant is delicious!  I am going to have to come back to get more of those!  Yum!

As we hang out eating a bit, I look at the map on my phone to see where I want to take Joanne next.  I am thinking we will head up to Auburn.  

Trailhead to Ikeda's (Auburn, CA)


We ride up Taylor Road and head into the hills in North Auburn.  As we ride along, Joanne talks about the Felt Bike she test rode from Victory Velo a week or so ago.  Ever since then, she has been yearning to buy that bike.  She really wants to go back to Victory Velo.  She talks about going there today and switching out her bike.

We ride the easy side of Ridge Road.  Then, we climb up Chili Hill, Bald Hill, and Mount Vernon.  I have ridden out here before but it's been awhile so I don't remember the hills so well.  This is a bit more climbing that I had intended to do.  But, Joanne seems to be doing okay as we ride up and down these hills.  We stop here and there.  It is beautiful out today.  Both her and I are enjoying the peaceful countryside.

As we near downtown Auburn, Joanne really wants to go to Victory Velo.  She says she needs to buy an extra bike tube.  I tell her I have extra in my bike.  But, she is adamant about going to Victory Velo.  I think she wants that Felt bike.

We get to Victory Velo but it is not open yet.  Joanne is disappointed.  She peeks through the glass trying to catch a glimpse of the Felt bike she's been yearning for.

I eventually convince her that we need to keep riding.  We are almost to our next stop.  We ride a couple miles and arrive to Ikeda's.

At Ikeda's, Joanne gets a yummy grilled cheese sandwich.  I get some delicious berry pie topped with vanilla ice cream.  Ikeda's is known for their yummy pies so why not treat myself.









Ikeda's to Newcastle Produce

We leave Ikeda to ride some more.  We ride a little up into North Auburn and enjoy a few fun descents.  In order to get some extra miles in, I take Joanne out towards Lincoln on Virginiatown Road.  We ride out around Lincoln.  Joanne is continuing to ride pretty strong.  I have to really work to keep up with her.  My knees are aching.  I feel like they have not quite recovered from my four day cycling insanity in May.

We pass through Lincoln and head along the Lincoln-Newcastle Highway, Highway 193.  This road is a lot hillier than I remember it.  The day is getting hot too.  At some point Joanne stops along the side of the road to catch her breath and drink some water.  I think both her and I are running low on water now.  This extra loop towards Lincoln is a bit longer than I had intended.

We eventually make our way into Newcastle and head to the Newcastle Produce and Deli.  Inside, it is very nicely air conditioned.  This is my first time inside here.  All the food looks so good.

We grab lunch here.  We both get some sandwiches and such.  And of course, I drink a nice cold Coke.

After enjoying a nice lunch, we refill our water bottles and get ready to ride some more.




Newcastle Produce to Icing on a Cupcake (Rocklin)


We head down Taylor Road towards Rocklin.  Joanne knows our next destination is Icing on a Cupcake.  The direct route is not so far from Newcastle.  However, I am still trying to make this a century ride so not too far off from where Icing on a Cupcake is, I have us turn away and riding around Rocklin for a bit.

The day is getting might warm but Joanne is still riding along pretty strong.  I am doing what I can to keep up with her.  Man, she has gotten fast in the past month or so.  I just kind of make up where we are riding.  Turn here and turn there.  We pass by a nice park.

Eventually, we loop our way back to Icing on a Cupcake.

We head inside the air conditioned building feeling quite roasted from the sun.  The kind gals there refill our water bottles with ice and water.  Super nice gals!

Joanne and I get a couple cupcakes.  Joanne eats a chocolate cupcake, minus the frosting.  I eat a vanilla cupcake.  It is a nice tasty treat.

Though, I think both of us are pretty tired from the day and ready to finish up this ride.


Rocklin back to Folsom


We leave Rocklin and start riding back to Folsom.  Joanne's Garmin has her mileage shorter than my Garmin.  I take a few extra turns on some of the roads to add some miles.  As we ride along, Joanne's Garmin continues to spaz out.  It would auto-pause even though we are moving.  I try to get us to ride a few extra miles so that she can finish at 100 miles.

We eventually get back to Folsom Bike with my Garmin saying 101 miles and hers saying something less.  But, I don't think she wants to ride anymore.

So, Joanne finishes her first century.  I am proud of her.  It was fun spending the day riding around with her.  Kind of fun to just make up the route as we go too.  And, of course, we had some nice food stops along the way.  :)


Monday, June 4, 2012

Wild Ride to Hell: The Auburn Century 110 (June 3, 2012)

Wild Ride to Hell: The Auburn Century 110
June 3, 2012

Some friends and I are training for the Death Ride.  It was recommended that the Auburn Century 110 ride would be a good training ride for the Death Ride.  Trying to figure out all my running training and cycling training, I didn't decide until just days before to sign up for the Auburn Century.  But, I signed up thinking it'd be a good training and fun to spend the day cycling with Craig and our other friends.  What a ride it was.  The most climbing I had done in a day.  I also encountered Iowa Hill for the first time.  It truly lives up to the reputation of being hell. . . .

The Auburn Century


Auburn to Colfax


Craig and I get to Auburn in the early hours of the morning.  My upper body is pretty sore from a fall while running yesterday.  My neck, back, and right shoulder are quite tight.  I took some Motrin and hope will be okay during the day.  I am looking forward to spending the day riding with Craig and our other friends.

Javier, Alex, Sarah, and Gil meet up with us.  We then roll out of Auburn together.  It takes only a few moments before Sarah leaves us all in the dust.  Typical Sarah.

The rest of us ride mostly together as we head out of Auburn.  There is nothing flat about Auburn.  You are either riding up or down.  We hit some roller hills as we ride out towards North Auburn.  The group rides a bit faster than me.  It also takes me a bit to get my legs warmed up.  In not too long, the group disappears ahead.  Craig circles back to check on me at one point but he disappears after a bit too.

I ride along pass Meadow Vista and finally hit a nice little downhill section before seeing the rest stop about 8.9 miles in.  I roll into the rest stop and rejoin the rest of my group (except for Sarah).  We roll out after everyone is ready.  Again, it doesn't take too long before I am just riding on my own as the group has taken off ahead.

At one point, I make a turn and find myself descending.  I have come to really enjoy descending having gotten faster at it in the past few months.  I fly down the hill, passing numerous folks along the way.  Whee!

After the descent, I ride along pass some campgrounds.  Then, I make a turn and find myself climbing again. I pedal, pedal, pedal away and in not too long, I spot Javier and Gil.

I catch up to them for a quick moment before my chain falls off.  I manage to unclip without falling.  I get my chain back on.  Clipping in on a hill is rather tricky so I opt to go back downhill for a bit and then u-turn back uphill.  A few cyclists pass me asking me if I am okay.  I just tell them I had to fix my chain but need to go down first before going up.

I clip in and u-turn my way back up the hill.  I pass a few cyclists who joke that I need to have my chain fall some more so they can get ahead.  I truck along up the hill and manage to catch back up to Javier and Gil again.  We ride together the rest of the hill.  The hill gets rather steep towards the top but my climbing legs seems to be doing okay.  Javier asks how I feel after my fall yesterday.  I tell him it is my upper body that is sore but fortunately, I don't need to move my upper body too much while cycling so it isn't bothering me so much.  It only bothers me to turn my head to look back or something.  But, I seem to be doing okay.  The three of us climb, climb, climb.  We chit chat a little bit during the climb so that helps us get up the hill.

In not too long, we arrive in Colfax for our second rest stop.  Sarah, Alex, and Craig are already there waiting for us.

Colfax to Dutch Flat and back to Colfax


At the rest stop, I wander around looking for Craig.  Someone hollers my name and I turn to see my friend Bill with his girlfriend Ingrid.  I spot Craig and wander to talk to him.

I go to the bathroom and there's quite a line of cyclists there.  Standing in line for a bit, I see a female cyclist exit out of one bathroom.  The male cyclist in front of me says I can go to that bathroom.  I didn't realize they were men & women's bathroom.  This is rather an amusing sight as there is a long line of guys going to the men's bathroom and no line to the women's bathroom.  I guess only in cycling events does this happen.

After going to the bathroom, I join the others and snack a little bit.

We then all head out towards Dutch Flat.  Craig and Sarah are joking around about the "scenery" (namely me & Alex ahead of them).  We then hit the descent and I start flying down with Craig.  The others catch up after we hit the bottom of the short hill.



The ride out here is peaceful and pretty.  Lots of tall trees and shade.  Shade is nice as I was a little worried it might get hot.  I ran a race yesterday and got roasted out there.  I am grateful for the shade now.  But, there is more climbing.  The group gets ahead of me during the climb.  I think I am the slowest climber of the group.

At one point, I see a few of them waiting for me at a turn.  I do not see Sarah (no surprise) nor do I see Alex.  Craig tells me how he had encountered some girl who worked for Apple and had started up a conversation with her.  This somehow led up to her maybe being able to help Alex find a job there.  So, Craig had made Alex continue riding and talking to this girl.  Craig seems rather excited for being a wing man or something.


We ride along for a bit towards Dutch Flat.  After a bit of climbing, I start descending another hill and nearly miss the rest stop as I fly past some of my friends.  

We hang out here for a bit.  I eat quite a bit as I am hungry.  Potato chips and kit kat bars taste great.  They also have these tortillas with hummus and avocado on them.  Sounds odd but they taste yummy.  And, it really hits the spot.  I eat a few of those.

We then start rolling back to Colfax.   Alex apparently wasn't able to exchange information with the girl.  Aww.

As soon as we start hitting a hill, I just watch the rest of the group disappear ahead.  I just climb away at my own pace.  I ride along mostly by myself all the way back to Colfax.

To Hell and Back:  Iowa Hill


I arrive into Colfax and see Kallie there.  Kallie is riding the 40 mile route.  It is nice we get to see her during our ride.  We chit chat for a bit and my coworker Richard surprises me by walking up to me.  He says hi.  Kallie says Richard and her had been riding together for a bit.  I tell Kallie that Richard is my coworker.  Small world that my coworker Richard would happen to befriend one of my cycling friends Kallie on this ride.

After fueling up and bidding Kallie good bye, we start heading to Iowa Hill.   This would be my first encounter with Iowa Hill and I am nervous about it.  Craig has said if he went through life never having to go to Iowa Hill again, he would be happy.  Other friends have equated going to Iowa Hill as going to hell.

We start rolling towards there.  Now, with Iowa Hill, you go downhill before you start climbing.  Craig starts the descent and I stay right on his tail.  This is a fast descent with some sharp corners.  I think it is good Craig is ahead of me as I may have taken some of the corners faster than I should.  We fly to the bottom and then turn onto Iowa Hill.

Craig tells me the first part is 1.9 miles and it is tough, but doable.  Not as hard as Mix Canyon.  So, I shift into granny gear and up I go.  The first part of this road is rather steep but I am climbing okay.  I just pedal, pedal, pedal away.

At one point, I see this guy coming down slowly.  He passes me and he looks like he's turning.  I hear a crash. I look back to see that the guy that had been going down had tried to u-turn back up and toppled over on the side in the dirt.  I continue climbing and I hear someone ask the guy "are you okay?"  I know that voice.  It's Sarah.  She's close to me.

Alex and Sarah shortly pass me.  Both say good job as they pass me and disappear in the distance.

The hill has some switchbacks, which are quite tough.  I am dripping in sweat and I continue to climb away.  The grade seems to have gotten steeper.  It feels like it is over 20% now.  Oh boy.  It is too steep for me to reach down to grab my water bottle as I am gripping my handle bars and pedaling as hard as I can.  I weave a little towards the random little shady patches on the hill. I just stare at my bike computer watching each .10 mile pass by.  1.9 miles Craig said.  I am nearly halfway up the hill.

I glance back to see Javier is right behind me.  He eventually does a very slow pass of me.  We are going about 3-4 miles per hour each.  We trudge away up and up this hill.

After another switch back, we are exposed into the sun.  My sweat is dripping into my eyes.  I continue pedaling away.  I see some cyclists have stopped to catch their breath or just walk.  I am stubbornly doing what I can to not stop on this hill.  I climb, climb, climb away.

Finally, I see some people at the top.  The ones checking in those that opted to do the time trial.  I ride pass them and a lady says "Helen?  Good job!  I have a coke for you!"  I look to see it is Diana, a girl I met at the NCAC ride, and tell her thank you but I am okay.  I continue on for a short bit before hitting the water stop.

I drink a cold soda and refill on water.  That was a tough hill but I feel proud that I made it all the way up without stopping.  That wasn't so bad.  Tough but doable as Craig told me.

However, that initial steep climb is not the end of Iowa hill. . . .

After everyone is ready, we start rolling out again.  In mere moments, the group has mostly disappeared ahead leaving me to ride along.  This time I am a little annoyed as I barely had clipped in before everyone just took off.

I ride along.  Then, I see some roller hills.  As I hit one, I find this "roller" is rather steep.  I check my Garmin.  It says it is over 15%.  Then, another roller.  20+%.  Then, another roller.  I start to descend a little bit and think finally, this must be the descent only to encounter another steep roller.  This is quite frustrating.

I ride what seems like forever with no one around.  Roller after roller.  And not nice easy gentle rollers. Each roller is a climb into itself.  I am getting crankier the more I ride.  The initial climb is not what makes Iowa Hill hell.  It is all of this after it that makes it hell.  I am a bit frustrated with Craig at this point too. He had wanted me to come on this ride and I feel like he's riding with everyone else and hardly riding with me.  We had left the last stop and before I was clipped in, he was gone.  I had liked it when we had rode Wildflower together and he would wait for me after climbs or turns.   Where the heck is he now?  Why am I riding all alone out here.  This sucks.  I am so irritated right now.

After 10-11 hellish miles, I am highly cranky now.  I catch a glimpse of Gil.  I try to catch up to him but I can't quite get to him.  This is even more disheartening.

After what feels like forever, I finally arrive to the next rest stop, what I thought was to be the lunch stop.  Instead, I see a rather barren looking rest stop. I see my friends sitting in the shade on the side.  I do not want to interact with any of them as I am so pissed off right now.  I just roll pass to the corner of the parking lot where I park my bike.

Craig comes over to see how I am doing.  I unleash a bit of my frustration onto him.  We argue a little bit.  Not wanting to let things get too out of hand, I just tell him I am cranky to just let me be.

I go to try to get a soda and something to eat.  The guy tells me they are out of Coke.  But, he offers me a Sprite and is trying to be enthusiastic that I take the Sprite.  I snack a little bit but disappointed there is not lunch here.

To China Wall and the Best Rest Stop!

I then get ready to ride again.  I do not feel like hanging out anymore.  I just want to ride.  The group is waiting on someone.  I tell them they'll catch up to me and that I am just going to go ahead.  I do not want to be around anyone right now.  I just ride off.

Not too long after, the group catches up to me.  Some just pass me and continue on.  I see Craig is hanging back to stay with me.  My frustration is slowly fading the farther I get away from hell.

At one point, Craig excitedly tells me we should take a picture of us when we finish and say "we had a lot of 'ups' and 'downs' on this ride but we made it through it, get it?" (ups and downs because of all the hills).  So cheesy.

We ride along towards China Wall.  Craig gets a little ahead of me but never out of sight.  I know he wants to go faster but he's hanging back for me.  I appreciate this.  I think about how he always tries to do things to make me happy.  Most of the time, he's pretty good at it.  :)

Gil and I are riding about the same pace so we chit chat a bit.  He is getting tired so has slowed down a little bit.  We talk about how we are both doing Death Ride for the first time and how our training is going.  I talk to him a little bit about the doubles I have been doing.  My mood has gotten a lot better.  Though, I am pretty tired now.  And, my feet are starting to burn.

Gil tells me how he has not been able to get a Coke.  They have run out at every rest stop.  Someone always gets the last one right before me.  He hopes that there is Coke at the next rest stop.  Me too.

We finally arrive to the China Wall rest stop.  The volunteers here are highly peppy.  I park my bike and take my feet out of my shoes.  I pour a little water on my feet.  I then wander over to the food tables.  Craig has gotten two Cokes, one for me and one for him.  I give my can to Gil, making sure he gets one.  Fortunately, they have more cans of Coke so I get one for myself.

A gal offers to make me a sandwich.  Whatever I want.  I ask for a wrap with hummus and cheese.  Since I did not get lunch at the last stop, I am happy this one has some real food.  I eat the wrap and then get some pie and ice cream.  Yum!

I think all of us are in better spirits now that we are eating some real food!  the pie and ice cream helps too!  All of us tell the volunteers that this is the best rest stop in the ride!

China Wall back to Auburn


We roll out from the rest stop and start heading towards Foresthill.  Finally, we are descending.  I feel there has been far more climbing then descending.  We fly along down the hill towards Foresthill, all of eager to be done with this ride.

Craig and Javier fly down the hill.  Gil and I follow shortly.  We eventually catch up and latch on as the Craig and Javier pull us along.  As we are going down the hill, we spot Alex ahead of us.  We are narrowing in on him.  Craig and Javier decide to keep a gap between us and Alex just for fun.  We watch Alex soft pedal, waiting for us to get behind him.  But, we keep a few bike distances away from him.  Alex seems confused but Craig and Javier both are amused by this.

We continue this way all the way to Foresthill.

After a quick stop in Foresthill, we continue our way to Auburn.  We pace line for a bit but eventually, Alex, Craig, and Javier disappear ahead of Gil and I.  Gil and I ride along Foresthill Road.  The afternoon is getting warm and we both are pretty tired.  But, we stay mostly together as we trudge our way back to Auburn.

Finally, we reach Foresthill Bridge and have to do one steep climb back up to Auburn.  This climb, in the hot afternoon, is quite the grind.  As I climb up and up, I start to have trouble breathing.  I have been having breathing issues here and there lately.  Climbing in the heat does not help at all.  I am wheezing away as I grind my way up this hill.  I get to the top and sit at the stop light, gasping for air.  I look across the street at the Chevron gas station, where I had hope the group would wait to regroup.  But, I see no one has waited there for us and am quite disappointed.  My chest hurts as I am still trying to get my breathing back to normal.

Gil comes up shortly behind me and we start riding our way through Auburn back to where we started the day.  We hit various small roller hills but eventually get our way back to Recreation Park.  We ride into the parking lot relieved this rather long ride is over with.

Epilogue


The Auburn Century was probably one of the toughest rides I have done so far.  Definitely my most hilliest ride.

Most of the hills were fine but I think Iowa Hill really got to me and definitely put me in a bad mood for a bit.  I feel as Craig does that if I never ride Iowa Hill again in my lifetime, I would not be disappointed.  I am glad though that I managed to drag myself through all the climbing of the day without needing to stop or walk any hills.  So, I feel I will be ready for the Death Ride.

I think the ride support was mostly good on the ride and the course was well marked.  But, I am not sure I would be inclined to do this ride again anytime soon.   But, I did enjoy spending some of the day riding with my friends.


Falling to First: Auburn Trail Run 25k (June 2, 2012)

Falling to First: Auburn Trail Run 25k
June 2, 2012


Preface
Since pacing in AR50, I have tapered down the running for the past couple months.   But with the Tahoe Rim 50k coming up in July, I find it is time to kick up the trail running training again and rebuild my mileage.  Checking out the calendar of events, I saw the event for the Auburn Trail Runs coming up.  So, I signed up for the 25k.  I needed to get in a long run on this weekend and thinking 15ish on the trails would be good.  And, there will be aid stations so that'll be helpful.

So, I signed up for the 25k race with thoughts that it would be a good training run.

The Race


Pre-Race


In the morning, I start of the day with my usual pre-race routine.  Get into my running gear, sporting my favorite running shirt, the Java Joggers shirt.  I make a stop at Starbucks for my usual vanilla latte and oatmeal.  Then, I drive up to the Auburn Dam Outlook (ADO).

Arriving at ADO, I think it has been months since I have run on the trails out here.  In winter and early Spring, I had run out here a lot in training.  But since AR50, I had not run out here.  It will be nice to get back on the trails again.

I get my race number (lucky #226), eat my oatmeal, and hang out.  I put on my fuel belt which carries two 10 oz water bottles.  I debate carrying my hand held bottle (which I usually carry on long runs).  But, I think, there will be aid stations so the two bottles should be sufficient.  So, I leave the hand held bottle in the car.

This race is a small race so not too many runners about.  I eventually see a few of my running buddies and hang with them for a bit.  While talking to Diane, I talk to her about how I am trying to get myself back into trail running mode.  She says this will be a good race to reignite the fire back into trail racing.

We hang out and watch the 50k runners start their race.  Then, we wait about 15ish minutes before the 25k runners can start their race.


ADO to No Hands Bridge



Around 8:15 a.m., the race begins for the 25k runners.  We all start running down from ADO towards the trails.  We hit the single track and start running mostly downhill-ish.

About 1/4 mile into the race, my foot hits a tree root or a rock or something and into the air I fly.  Bam!!  I hit the ground and my face into the dirt trail. The wind is knocked out of me.  I lay there for a moment, dazed.  I see feet flying over me as the runners run by.

One runner, an older gentleman, helps me to my feet.   I stand for a moment catching my breath.  The rest of the pack passes me by.  I wipe some of the dirt off of me.  A bunch of dirt is smashed into my white shirt and my face feels like I have been socked.  I put my water bottles back into their holsters and try to gather myself.  Diane stops to see if I am okay.  She notices that my water bottle is leaking water.  One of the bottles tore in half.  I take the bottle out of the holster and lay it on the side of the trail.  I will pick it back up on my way back.

I then ease my way back into running.  My legs do not feel too badly.  A slightly scraped up knee.  I think my upper body and face hit the ground moreso than my legs as my face is stinging with pain.  I also note that my palms do not hurt at all.  I think I fell too fast for my hands to come out to brace myself.  My chest, my right shoulder, and right breast are sore.  I think I skidded a bit during my fall.  My lip and teeth hurt too.  I think I banged my teeth.  But, I just run along towards No Hands Bridge.  I feel like an idiot though.  I cannot believe I fell so early in the race and what a fall too!  Flat on my face!  Good grief!  This race is going to be remembered as the race where I face planted myself.  Ugh.

I run for a bit and pass a couple people.  But then I find my shoe laces are loose so I have to stop to retie my shoe.  Runners pass me during this.  I am still early in the race so I think I can still make my way from the back of the pack to the middle of the pack.  I want to catch back up and not be at the back of the pack so I pick up the pace.  I pass a couple folks as I head to No Hands Bridge.

I can feel the day is warming up already.  I take a sip of my one water bottle and ingest some dirt. I sputter a bit.  My bottle got quite covered in dirt during my fall.  I try to wipe it off as best as I can.  My white shirt is all brown now.  I feel a little concern that I am only running with one 10 oz bottle now since the other one broke.  Today is a hot day and I have some tough hills ahead.  I hope I do not run out of water.  I think I jinxed myself by not bringing my handheld bottle, which I am used to running with in long races.

I eventually get to No Hands Bridge where there is an aid station.  I drink a cup of Heed, refill my one measly bottle and snack a little.

Up K2 to Cool


Leaving No Hands Bridge, I head to K2, a beastly hill.  I trudge my way up it, mostly hiking.  But, I am trying to hike briskly.  I am trying to catch up for the time I lost from falling.  I sip water as I push my way up the hill but try to be somewhat conservative as I do not want to run out of water.  Up, up, up I go.

My face still stings pretty badly.  I hope I do not bruise.  I remember a recent conversation with another trail running friend about how we get all scraped, bruised, and banged up from running trails (namely our legs).  I remember we had made a joke about having to tell our non-running friends that it is from trail running and that we are not being abused.  I think I hope my face doesn't bruise.  I picture myself telling people at work on Monday, no my boyfriend didn't beat me up, I fell on my face on the trails.  Really!  I imagine people going "sure, sure...you 'fell'" ...random things I think about to keep me going during a long run.

As I head up K2, I remember when I had volunteered for the K2 Vertical Beermile.  Halfway up K2, I see the faded chalk of where I had sat during the Vertical Beermile.  I also see a couple other runners.  While still walking/hiking, I find I am going a little bit faster so I end up passing them (slowly).  My legs are feeling strong so I continue to hike as briskly as I can up K2.

Near the top, I spot a few more runners.  I slowly but steadily pass one after the other.  My water bottle is nearing the bottom.  I knew this hill would probably require me to drink most of the water.  I am trying not to drink it all as I am not sure when the next aid station is.  But, it is hot and I am starting to drip with sweat so I sip a little bit here and there.  But, the bottle is running low.

I reach the top of K2 and see no aid station.  I had hoped to see one at the top.  I continue running and being extra conservative with my water now.  But, the day is starting to get hotter and hotter.

I run along the trails towards Cool.  I cross a tiny little creek with a tiny bit of water.  I put my hands in and splash a little water on myself.  Then, I continue running.  On the downhills, I try to really pick up the pace.  Again, still trying to make up lost time for my fall.

Finally, after a bit, I see the aid station.  My friend Tony yells at my across the field asking me if I am okay from my fall.  I say I am mostly okay.  I am glad to see Tony as I feel I am back to the group of people I had started off running with.

I hit the aid station.  The volunteers see I am covered in dirt and ask if I fell.  I tell them I did and that I only have one bottle now.  They help refill my bottle with more water.  I eat a GU and then head on my way.

The next stretch is on the paved road mostly exposed.  I run along picking up the pace a little bit.  I run a little faster on the road than on the trails so I am taking advantage of the road now.  I zig zag a little bit from the left side to the right side of the road depending on where there may be a little bit of shade.  But, I get into an okay running groove. 

At one point, I pass a lady spectator walking down the road.  I remember having seen her earlier in the race somewhere.  She tells me that I am seventh overall and third female.  That is nice to know where I am in the race.  I feel good that I am third female now.  This kind of motivates me a little bit that I am towards the front now.

In not too long, I reach the Cool Fire Station where there is another aid station.  Again, I refill my water and feeling pretty good about the race.  I know these trails from here to the finish quite well.  One of the volunteers recognizes me and says my name.  I look up and sees that it is Jason, a fellow in my running group I have run with a few times.  I greet him and he wishes me luck.  Always nice to see a friendly face during a race.

Then, off I go.  I wonder if I will be able to see any of the girls that are ahead of me.

Cool Back to No Hands Bridge


As I run from Cool back down to No Hands Bridge, memories of the Way Too Cool 50k come back to me.  This is part of the course.  I pass the point where I had caught up to my friend Scott in the WTC race and we had run together the rest of the way.  I see a runner ahead of me not too far in the distance.

I make a turn and run along on the dirt path.  I lose sight of the runner ahead of me.  I continue on and pass a sign and trail to the right of me.  I then stop.  I see a tiny torn off pink ribbon on the sign.  We were to follow the pink ribbons.  I stand at this junction wondering whether I am supposed to run straight or go on this trail to the right.  The runner that was ahead of me is no where in sight.  I scan down the trail to the right and see another pink ribbon a ways down.  Okay, I think this is the way to go. So, I run on the single track trail to the right.

I look back to see if any runners are behind me so I can wave them in this direction so they do not miss the turn.  But, I do not see anyone coming.  I continue along.

This stretch back to No Hands Bridge is mostly downhill so I try to kick up the pace a bit as I know from No Hands Bridge to the finish is all uphill and I will be slowing down quite a bit then.  I fly along on the trails on this warm day.  These trails are familiar and I feel what Diane had said about the fire being reignited.  I had enjoyed my break from running for a bit but here I am back on the trails, having my memory refreshed as to why I love trail running so much.  My face is starting to sting less but I feel a fat lip coming on.

After a couple miles, I see her.  The girl ahead of me.  I get really close to her and she hears me coming.  She picks up her pace.  I cannot quite catch up to her.  But, she is mostly in sight now.  I think when we start going uphill is when I will really try to pass her.

The day is warming up though.  My legs are sweating.  All of me is glistening with sweat.  I am wearing running shorts that I have not really raced in.   I have run in them but not raced in them.  I am now finding that my shorts and thighs are starting to chafe a bit.  It is quite uncomfortable.  But, I keep going.  I am kicking myself for not wearing my usual running shorts that I am used to racing in.

I eventually make it down to No Hands Bridge.  I refill on water.  I drink some soda and eat some m&m's.  I only have a few more miles to the finish.

From No Hands Bridge back to ADO


I cross No Hands Bridge and start heading back up to ADO.  I see the girl ahead of me.  She stays ahead for a bit.  We then hit some of the steeper hillier part and start walking.  I power walk and eventually pass the girl.  I wonder if that lady was right in saying I was third female.  I wonder if I am really second female.

I continue on my way walking briskly up the hills and running when I can.  I pass various hikers out and a couple horses.  I continue on up towards ADO.

Then, I come around a bend and I see a guy and a girl on the hill ahead of me.  Yes, the other girl ahead of me.  I push myself and get pass her on the hill.  She did not look so pleased that I passed her.

I catch up to the guy ahead of me.  I feel like I can start running a little bit now so I start to run.  My calf twinges a bit, the pre-cramp twinge.  I listen to my legs and just continue walking up the hill.  I eat another GU just to be safe.  I drink a little more water.  Though, I find myself running low again with this hot weather and the climbing.  I wish I had more water, not just to drink but to just pour on my face as I am starting to feel roasted.


When the trail levels off again, I start running again, when I can.  I still walk/hike the steeper hills.  I keep looking back to make sure the girl behind me does not catch up.  I see her pick up her pace on one stretch so I pick up my pace.

I pass the marker that tells me I am a mile from the finish.  I am pretty much out of water.  I try to drink whatever droplets are in the bottle.  It is hot but I feel I can go this last mile.  And, it is a little more shaded here.  I look back to see if any runners are narrowing the gap on me.  I do not see any behind me so I think my lead is safe for the time being.

I get near to where I fell earlier and start scanning the side of the trails for my broken water bottle.  Then, I spot it.  As I pick it up, I see that the way I had laid it down had allowed about 1/4 of the water to remain in the bottle.  Such relief.  I squeezed a little water on my face and drank some.  Then, I stuff the bottle back into my harness and start to run knowing I am definitely close to the finish now.

After a short bit, I run/walk my way up to ADO and cross the finish line.

And, they tell me I am the first female finisher!  woo-hoo!

Final Thoughts

While this race started off as the race where I completely face planted myself, it turned out to be the race where I finished first female over all.  That's a nice turn of events.  :)


I will comment that the race was not very large.  Also, I technically got second overall too as some of the front/fast guys ended up getting directed the wrong way.  Also, a few folks behind me ended up missing the turn I nearly missed.  But, I did fall on my face and pick myself up and caught back up.  And, I did pass the two girls that the lady said was ahead of me.  So, I did do something for the win.  ;-)


I feel pretty good about the race.  While winning was nice, I liked more that it reignited my passion for trail running and got me more fired up about my upcoming 50k (TRT).  I have been spending a lot of time in the past couple months doing crazy cycling things.  While that is fun, I find I am more of a runner.  Running will always be the greater love.  ;-)


As far as the race goes, it was put together by Elemental Running, who had taken over for Robert/Linda Mathis after their untimely deaths.  The race was small and laid back, which I enjoyed.  It was very nicely supported.  Everyone was super friendly and the post-race BBQ was nice.  All the finishers got nice pint glasses.  For winning, I got a nice duffle bag and a book, It Has Nothing to Do With Age, by Dr. Frank Lieberman.  Dr. Lieberman ran the 25k too and after the race, he autographed the book for me.  So, that was nice.  :)