Pirates Cove 50K Race Recap - March 21, 2009

I had a fun time running the Pirates Cove 50K this past Saturday.  My full race recap is over at Trail Run Times http://www.trailruntimes.com - Check it Out!

Pirates Cove 50K Post:  Click Here

I'll continue to update Rivers Currents with my personal adventures and climbing trips.  Most of my trail running posts will be over at Trail Run Times and I will of course continue to link them here as well.  Contact me if you would like to post on Trail Run Times, the more the better!

Cheers,
Brett

Montana de Oro 50K

Ugh. Wind. Gusting freakin wind!  The first image that pops into my head when looking back on the Montana de Oro 50K is running some great trail in the hardest wind I have ever felt in my life.  Don't get me wrong, this race was a blast, but damn the constant wind gusts really added a level of difficulty and had me drained by the time I crossed the finish line.  Looking back though... dang that was fun!

I headed to the race start the Sunday morning (February 15, 2009) along with my friends Dom and Kristina, both of whom signed up for the 12K (rock on!).  We had camped in Morro Bay State Park the night before but were up constantly because of the tents flapping in the wind.  I've had better nights sleep but it was still fun to camp out, grill and laugh over the open fire, and make s'mores a la Kristina and Linsey's request (s'mores of course = great pre-race diet).

 

Pacific Coast Trail Runs and their volunteers did their best setting everything up (taking the wind gusts into account).  Wendell from PCTR gave us all the pre-race directions and then the race began right around 8:30 am on the spot.  All distances started at the same time so I knew there would be a fair amount of 12K and 25K speedsters up at the front.  I settled into a comfortable pace a hundred yards back from the front runners as we seperated from the main crowd.  The first segment ran south along the coast with some great views.

The primary climb of the race was Valencia Peak (right around 1400 ft).  The climbing started right around 4K into the race.  Under normal conditions (no 50mph winds) the climbing would not have been all that bad for in-shape hill runners.  However, the last 250 vertical feet were pretty gnarly and were on some loose-rock trail.  I think I hit the summit at right around 48 minutes and then made the fun descent back down.  There were times even on the steep descent where the wind basically had you at a standstill; I've never felt anything like it in my life.  I got back to the start/finish after the first 12K right around 1:05 (I think).

The course was basically a figure 8 of two loops, a 12K (Valencia Peak climb) and a 13.5K (Hazard Peak climb).  Those of us in the 50K ran each loop twice.  The Hazard Peak loop really was not all that bad and the second half of it was pretty much a gradual descent on fire roads.  After Hazard I made a quick stop at the aid station at the halfway mark and then continued on.  I met up with a couple 50K runners as we began to make our second climb up Valencia.  I ran with Dan Waddle for a while and we chatted about the course and some upcoming race plans.  We could see Eric Wickland only a couple hundred yards behind, followed by a few other runners back in the distance.  Dan mentioned that Eric had really solid endurance and would probably catch us by the peak.  I gradually pulled away from Dan half way through the climb and could see that Eric was also gaining.  I could not see any other runners in front of me but figured I was roughly in third or fourth place (but somewhat unsure).

True to Dan's word, Eric caught me half way into the descent and we ran into the aid station chatting about races and our upcoming schedules.  I was pumped to hear that Eric got into the Miwok 100 this May and also had plans to do the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim sometime in the next couple months with some friends.  Eric got a good laugh that this was my second 50K trail race in 8 days and I mentioned that I had my sights set on my first 100 miler, the Tahoe Rim Trial 100 this July.

I felt decent starting the last 13.5K Hazard Peak loop but the constant wind really started to wear on me.  Eric passed me for good about 5K into the loop and never looked back.  He was running strong, especially bombing the downhills.  My legs felt like they turned to lead for the last 8K but I could not see anyone behind me so I coasted down the fire roads and finished 3rd overall in 5:04.58.

A big congrats to Shigy Suzuki for taking first in 4:47.33, the guy ran really strong and is 50 years old!  After the race Dan and Eric mentioned that Shigy probably jogged in the last couple K's with no one behind him as they figured he was probably capable of posting even better times.  Eric Wickland ran second in 4:55.58, way to finish strong and break 5 hours.  Randall Vander Tuig ran 4th and Dan Waddle rounded out the top 5.  On the women's side Kimberly Gimenez finished first in 5:48:44 followed by Juliet Morgan in second, Lora Liu in third, Laura Guest in 4th, and June Gessner rounding out the top 5.  Also a big congrats to my friends Dom and Kristina for rockin the 12K and surviving Valencia Peak!  Way to go everyone!

As always, a big thanks goes out to Sarah and Wendell from Pacific Coast Trial Runs on directing another great race and to all of their volunteers for helping out to make the Montana de Oro Trail Run possible.  You guys are great!

I learned a lot from the race and am pleased with the finish, especially after taking 50mph wind into account and also since I had PR'd at the 50K distance a week before at Woodside.  Its crazy that I ran MdO over a minute slower per mile than my pace at Woodside, I need to get that improved!.. back to training.

My Race Results:
Total Time 5:04.58 (9:41/mile pace)
Place: Overall 3rd / 36 finishers and 2nd in my age division
Full Race Results: Click Here
Race Website: Click Here
Elevation Profile: Click Here 

PCTR Woodside 50K

Pacific Coast Trail Runs put on another great race this weekend down in Woodside, California.  I made the drive south from San Francisco with eager anticipation as I was excited to run in the 50K and see what improvement on my time I could achieve at the 50K distance (around 31.5 miles).  All of us 50K runners gathered at the start at Huddart County Park shortly before 8:30 and I was really pumped to see how many people raised their hands when Wendell from PCTR asked if it was anyone's first Ultramarathon; a lot of hands went up (!) which was great to see for the sport.

The Woodside course was just as the name described, surrounded by the woods.  I am pretty sure 90% of the race was run under the forest canopy with a lot of new-growth redwoods throughout the rolling wooded hills.  The race basically felt like a forest run the entire time.. very refreshing.

The 50K racers began right around 8:30 am with Will Gotthardt and Ben Goldman setting the early pace.  I followed behind and was quickly passed about a mile in by Andy Anderson who zoomed by and quickly caught up to the lead runners (Andy eventually won).  Running close behind me were Alan Abbs and Beverley Anderson-Abbs.  Alan and I passed one another a couple times the first 8 miles or so and Beverley was no more than 20 seconds behind as I kept seeing her bright green armbands every time I changed direction on a switchback.  I kept my pace but in the back of my head I was wishing Bev would run me down so that I could pick her brain on her experiences running the Tahoe Rim 100 which I will be running in this July.

About 15 miles in I made a wrong turn that ended up costing me roughly 5-6 minutes.  It was totally my fault but I would do it again!  There was a troop of boy scouts out hiking with their parents and the kids started yelling and cheering and had their hands up for high-5s as I ran by.  I got so caught up in the moment high-fiving them that I followed the turn that they were making instead of going straight.  After a couple minutes running down hill I realized I was not seeing any race markers so I instantly knew I must have run off-course.  Three hikers were coming my direction so I asked them if they had seen any runners, they said no and then asked if I was "orienteering."  I mustered a laugh and replied that no I was running a trail race but at the moment happened to be orienteering, hahha.

I made the climb back up to the intersection where I made the wrong turn and got back on course at the same time that Jen Pfeifer was running by.  Jen and I shared a laugh at my mistake as its easier to laugh those things off than stay frustrated with so much race left.  I ran with Jen for about the next 20 minutes picking her brain on her past and future races.  I was pumped to hear she was a 3-time finisher at Western States 100 and her next big race was going to be the American River 50 Mile this April.  For the next 12 miles Jen and I probably passed one another 4 more times right up until the end of the race.

I ran strong through the end and managed to catch a couple runners that had passed me when I made the wrong turn.  I knew that Jen was right behind me for the last 2 miles and ran to the finish feeling like I was being chased down which helped in keeping a strong pace to the finish.  She laughed afterwards that she also finished strong because she was trying to run me down to the finish.

The Woodside course was fast and an absolute blast to run.  I set a new personal record for my 50K distance (4:21.09) and managed a 5th place overall finish and came in first in my age division.  After the race I chatted it up with Shan Riggs and his wife Abbey which was great and congratulated a lot of other runners on their strong performances.  A big congrats to all of the runners at all distances and also to my The Endurables coach Rachel Baker-Rodriguez for her top-10 finish in the 35K and the number 1 female finisher at that distance.  As always, a special thanks to Sarah and Wendell from Pacific Coast Trail Runs for putting on another great race and to all the race volunteers for helping out, you all are the best!

My Race Results:
Total Time 4:21.09 (8:29/mile pace)
Place: Overall 5th / 81 and 1st in my age division
Full Race Results: Click Here
Race Website: Click Here

PCTR Pacifica 50K

I ran the Pacific Coast Trail Run Pacifica 50K this past Saturday, January 17.  This was my first ultramarathon of 2009 and it was a pretty damn tough 50K course with over 7,000 feet of ascent and descent. To put into perspective, the hike from the Yosemite Valley floor to the top of Half Dome is around 4,800 feet.

The race kicked off at 8:30 and started with a climb up to the summit of North Peak (11.9K/7.4 Mile loop).  There was some pretty challenging single track but I kept a steady pace even though I felt like a lot of runners were ahead of me.  I figured they were mostly 21K and 30K racers and realized I was correct once the runners in front hit the turnaround at the summit and I could start counting race numbers.  I felt good and stuck to my pace and game plan.

After two loops of the Hazelnut Loop (9.3K / 5.8 Miles each) we again climbed North Peak.  I caught up to Charles Hofacker at the start of the loop and chatted for a bit until he pulled away on some steeps.  As I was still heading up, Nathan Yanko came cruising down in the lead and looked to be running real strong.  No one else passed me and I ended up catching Charles on the descent and I pulled away to have a bit of a cushion.  I figured I was in second place as just Nathan was in front of me, and was told the same at the last aid station (that Nathan was about 16 mins ahead).  I did one last loop of Hazelnut and came cruising into the finish in 4:58.43.  Somehow I ended up in third (?) but was still pretty stoked for breaking 5 hours in a 50K for the first time, and that it occured on a pretty tough course.

I chatted with my The Endurables coach Rachel Rodriguez after as well as with a few other racers which was great.  Nathan Yanko ended up winning and I was shocked to hear that it was his first Ultra!  The guy ran really strong and probably has a lot more first place finishes on the horizon.  I also was pretty stoked to finally meet Shan Riggs and his wife Abby as I had come across Shan's blog after his 1st place win in the SF One Day (24 Hour race) and his 23rd place finish (3 spots ahead of me) in The North Face Endurance Championship which was great.

Overall it was a great day and a blast to be back out on the trail.  Congrats to all of the runners at all distances and thanks to Sarah and Wendell from PCTR for another great event.  Also a big thanks to Rachel for sticking around for the finish and having a few of us over for post-race burgers at her place in Pacifica.

My Race Results:
Total Time 4:58.43, 9.438 Pace
Overall Place 3rd / 51
Full Race Results: Click Here
Race Website: Click Here

PCTR Angel Island 25K

I kicked off the 2009 Trail Running season with the Pacific Coast Trail Runs Angel Island 25K on Sunday, January 11.  I took all of December off after The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 Mile on Dec. 6 so I planned on using the Angel Island 25K as a great kick-start to building back some training strength.  The weather was perfect and all distances were completely sold-out days before the race.  The course was 3 laps; perimeter (paved road), middle (mostly fire trail), and summit (fire trail and single track) up to the summit at Mt. Livermore (the top of Angel Island).  There were some speedsters that tore up the 25K but I still did well and managed a respectable 12th overall which I was pleased with considering my training in the weeks prior and especially since I feel I'm better at longer distances in the 50K range.

 

 

After the run my friend Anna and I hiked back up near the top of Angel Island to take in the amazing San Francisco Bay views (best there are of the bay).  The sun was warm and we had perfectly clear views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Tiburon, Sausalito, Bay Bridge, Alcatraz, and the San Francisco skyline.  It was a great day and fun hike.

 

My Race Results:
Total Time 2:02.15, 7.47 Pace
Overall Place 12th / 114, Division Place 4th / 13
Full race results: Click Here
Race Website: Click Here

New Years Weekend in the Sonoma Wine Country

I had a blast bringing in 2009.  Ryan and Meaghan, my great friends and former roommates from Washington DC (now of The Minnie) flew out for a long weekend of Northern California living... San Francisco, coastal hikes, and a couple days in the wine country of Sonoma and Mendocino Counties.

The weather was great for the first day of 2009 so Ryan, Meaghan, Linsey Utz (also of MN) and I loaded up the car and drove up the coast a little ways from SF to Muir Beach for some afternoon hiking.  The views were great and it was a lot of fun showing friends around the trails that I have spent so much time training on over the last couple months (and it was fun to hike them and take in the views vs. running for once).

 After hiking we made our way up to a house we rented for three nights in the heart of the Northern Sonoma Wine Country.  The house was 10 minutes outside of Cloverdale, on a hill overlooking vineyards.. beautiful views even during our "rough" NorCal winters.  We cooked up several great meals including 1.5" NY Strips the first night and Alaskan Snow Crab the second night and enjoyed some great bottles of wine including a bottle we all really enjoyed that I snagged in Lodi after skydiving.. Macchia's Zin "Voluptuous."

Friday the four of us headed up to Anderson Valley (Mendocino County) to taste at several of the wineries there.  The highlight was definitely Toulouse as ol' Vern was pouring his latest Pinot which was FANTASTIC as well as his recently bottled 2008 Gewurztraminer and Reislings.  I still had a bottle of their '03 Estate Pinot at home but should have snagged some more!  Throughout the day we also hit up Handley Cellars, Roederer Estate (sparkling), Navarro Vineyards, Standish (mostly Chardonnay), Goldeneye (Pinots), Breggo, and Zina Hyde Cunningham.

Saturday morning 6 more friends came up from SF and Berkeley and we hit up wineries in the Dry Creek Valley area in Northern Sonoma County.  We tasted at Ferrari-Carano, Bella Vineyards, Quivira Vineyards, Papapietro Perry, and Peterson Winery.  The weather was perfect and laughs we shared all day.  The 10 of us cooked up a big feast back at the house that evening.

 

  

  

 

This was a perfect start to 2009 and thanks to all of the friends involved in a great weekend in the wine country!

San Diego Weekend

The weekend after the The North Face Endurance Challenge I made a Fri night to Sunday night trip down to San Diego to relax and visit a city I hadn't been to since college.  My main objectives were to relax, eat some great seafood, and a some point stuff myself with fresh fish tacos (and a cerveza or two).  The weekend flew by but I was able to grab Sat dinner and Sun lunch with my friend Dana from college which was great.  I had my first bloody mary in quite a while Sunday morning while watching the Chargers game.. followed by a great lunch of fish tacos on the water in Point Loma.  Thanks Dana for the great recs and showing me around!

 

  

 

The North Face Endurance Challenge Championship - My First 50 Mile Ultramarathon

Saturday December 6, 2008:
2:05 AM - Alarm sounds after 3 hours of anxious sleep.  Hell I practically slept in my running shorts and socks with a Gu under my pillow.  Take a quick rinser and eat some oatmeal and honey.  Fill my water bottle with some Cytomax and throw the last bits of gear into my bag.  Take my time getting ready but am finding it very hard to stay relaxed.

3:15 AM - Walk out my door in North Beach, find where I parked at 8:00 PM the night before after a long day at work/long work week.  Make the 30 minute drive over the Golden Gate Bridge to Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands, still trying to stay relaxed.

4:00 AM - Hop on the shuttle (an old school bus) that is taking runners from the parking lot to the race start/finish a mile away.

4:15 AM - Find a chair, rub some body glide on my feet, pull my socks and shoes on.  Look over at the guy who just sat down next to me and I say "hey are you Kyle Skaggs?" (Record Holder at the Hardrock 100 Mile, only person ever to finish under 24 hours).  It was..

4:45 AM - Take a pre-race snapshot with my teammates Kendall and Oliver and our coach Jim Vernon.  As I look around I see LOTS of faces of people I've seen only in the pages of Trail Runner and the other running magazines or on the brand websites.  Think to myself, shit this is a deep field.

 4:58 AM - Start laughing in my head.  How the hell did I find myself at the start of The North Face Endurance Championship, headlamp beaming on my head so I can see in the dark, about to run 50 miles with 10,700+ feet of ascent and decent.  I had only completed my first marathon four months prior and a year ago I didn't even know that there were people who ran more than 26.2 miles let alone with hills!  Hell, I was a freakin 1st-time race VOLUNTEER at this same race a year ago (aid station mile 47 woot!) just so that I could see what the people looked like who ran in this.

5:00 AM - We are off!  Headlamp beams guiding us, I start off with my teammates Kendall and Ed.  We are all buzzing and set a pretty strong pace while catching up with each other on what we have been up to over the last couple of weeks.

5:30 AM - Look at my watch and laugh to myself.. "only 9 more hours to go."  I glance over my shoulder down the ridge we had just climbed.  A million lights (runners' headlamps) seem to be gliding up the Bobcat Trail.  The sky was clear and lots of stars were out.

5:40 AM (Mile 5) - Yell over at a runner that he's going in the wrong direction at a Y in the trail and at the same time I trip over a rock and eat crap.  Hands are a little scraped, luckily I had gloves on.  Take a sip out of my water bottle while sand in my mouth helps me realize the damn nipple on my hand bottle is covered in dirt from the fall.. laugh it off.

6:10 AM (Mile 11) - Yell over at some more runners starting the wrong direction at the Y where Coastal meets Pirates Cove.  They pass me a couple minutes later on the very technical downhill of Pirates Cove.  I take in the killer views (even at night) of the coastline down below.  Still keeping a very strong pace.

6:30 AM - Turn off my headlamp as I can finally see well enough from the dawn sky.  Stuff it into my small hip pack, barely room, good thing I pulled a Gu out of there a half hour earlier.

6:50 AM (Mile 13) - Get to the Muir Beach aid station, crush some grapes, a couple chips and a brownie while my bottle is refilled.  Realize that Nikki Kimball is standing right next to me also refilling (North Face sponsored runner, 3 time winner of Western States 100, best ultra-running career of any woman).  I was honestly a little in awe but remained in race mode.

6:55 AM - The footsteps behind be are Susannah Beck's (just won the Xterra Championships).  We chat for a couple minutes. Mid-stride I bend down and pick up a Gu wrapper that someone had dropped on the trail.  She compliments me on my form, no big deal..

7:10 AM - I start making my way up the switchbacks of the Heather Cutoff Trail.  Susannah Beck and some other runners are still right behind me and we are chatting.  We catch up to a guy who I instantly recognize so I say "hey are you the guy from all of the The North Face running ads?"  He gives me a fist-pump and responds laughing "yes, I'm Guillermo Medina."  My jaw is on the floor but I play it cool while thinking in my head "holy crap right now I'm running sandwiched between Guillermo Medina and Susannah Beck!"  Guillermo starts setting a pretty good pace so I pull over and allow Susannah and a couple guys she knows to pass.

7:30 AM (~mile 15) - A recognizable face from the magazines catches me from behind, its Nikki Kimball who I ran into at the Muir Beach aid station!  We start chatting away and I quickly realize that besides being a great competitor she is also super nice.  We run alone together for about an hour while talking about running, hunting, life, good beer and future races.  I ask her if she's ever done the Tahoe Rim 100 and if it is a good one, she says yea its great and nothing more (I come to find out the next day that she won the dang race last year).

8:30 AM (~mile 23) - Heading up the Matt Davis Trail (the hardest ascent), Nikki and I pass two of the guys who passed me when Susannah Beck did.  Around the same time I start feeling some cramp flashes.  I wish Nikki goodluck and slow my pace.

(miles 24-30) - The out and back section to McKennan Gulch isnt the hardest trail but is grueling as I run through my first major wall of the day.  The cramps in my quads have me worried.  Still, its cool to see Kyle Skaggs, Kami Semick, Guillermo Medina, Susannah Beck and my teammate Cliff Lentz coming in while I'm headed out on the out and back section.  Nikki Kimball runs by and we yell at each other to keep on rockin. I eat a peanut butter sandwich, grapes, Gu, skittles, potato chips, and pop a couple more salt tabs at the aid station at mile 26.  A guy Nate down from Oregon who I met on the trail is there and we share a laugh at our experience on the stretch from miles 21-30. By the time I reach the Pantoll aid station at mile 30 I am feeling a lot better.

(miles 30-36) - I start to pass some of the 50K runners as I head out of Pantoll at mile 30.  I run by the big rock that Randy bouldered while he, Dom, and I were hiking here a couple weeks earlier.  I get passed by at least 3 runners while headed from Pantoll down through Muir Woods.  I wonder if I'm going to slow but damn those runners are really hoofing it on some technical downhill.  I stick to my gameplan and sure enough I pass two of the three during the ascent up from Muir Woods.  I'm told I "walk fast" during a steep ascent, I laugh and say thanks but all I can think about is reaching the aid station at mile 36 as I went through my water bottle way too fast on this leg.  Also, where the hell did that third runner go who passed me..

(miles 36-41) - I cross Muir Woods road to a new trailhead and a group of leisure hikers yell at me asking what the race is.  I yell back that I just passed mile 36 of the 50 mile North Face race.  All I hear back is FIFTY.. like FIVE ZERO?!  I join them in laughter for a second and shortly thereafter I see the third runner who passed me.  We are in a pretty flat section and I am setting a stronger pace.  We run together and chat for a minute, is a really nice guy and looks damn familiar.  A minute later he lets me pass.  Sure enough it turns out it was The North Face sponsored runner Sam Thompson.  That guy is awesome!  The Dias Ridge climb sets in at around mile 39.  I speed hike it but its tough, I pass a couple 50K'rs hunched over taking breathers.

(miles 41-44) - I eat another peanutbutter and jelly sandwich at the Shoreline aid station at mile 41 and run into a couple teammates running the 50K.  We quickly say hello and share some positive support before I head off.  I'm feeling good but keep looking at my watch.  Damn, Hugh one of of the VPs/my buddy from Zynga is waiting for me at the aid station at mile 44 to pace me in for the last 6, I need to hustle!

(mile 44) - I cruise into the aid station at Tennessee Valley and am charged by a madman yelling and running right towards me.  Its Hugh!  I have my bottle refilled while quickly throwing some food into my mouth and then we take off heading up Marincello for the last climb of the race.  I run 100/speed hike100 up Marincello while listening and cracking up to jokes from Hugh.

(mile 47) - The last aid station!  I top my bottle off one last time, grab a Gu and then Hugh and I head off.  I tell Hugh the story of how I was a volunteer at that aid station a year earlier and had never heard of anyone ever running 50 miles.  Glancing at my watch I realize that I would definitely break my 91/2 hour goal but also might be able to break 9 hours if I really hustled.  We bomb it down Rodeo Valley for 1.5 miles and then hit the flats for the last 1.5 miles.  1/2 mile to go and I take one last 10 second speedhike break before we bust around the corner of Fort Barry to the finish.

1:56 PM (mile 50 Finish Line) - I give Hugh a high-five right before the finish line and then start yelling up into the air as I cross.  I am so amped I cant settle down.  Scattered in the crowd at the finish are Kevin, Dom, Linsey, and Vanessa along with my coach Jim and some teammates who ran the 50K and had already finished.  I'm glowing while chatting it up with everyone.  I thank my friends for coming out and for their support and positive energy as it means a lot.  We take photos and I run into Guillermo and Nikki and tell them thanks for the support during the race.  Kevin and I bump into Dean Karnazes and talk with him briefly which is sweet.  I hang out at the finish and get to see Kendall come across followed by Ed a little later.  Its great to see them as we had spent so much time training out on this same trail to be able to be here at the finish.  What an awesome experience, a Top 10 day?  Definitely.

 

Me with Hugh my pacer for the last 6.5

Jim Vernon my coach and me

  

my teammate Kendall Wu and me

  

me and Kevin

Dom and me

  

Linsey and me

 

Vanessa and me

 

me with Guillermo Medina

 

Nikki Kimball and me

 

Kevin, Dean Karnazes, and me

My Race Results:  Total Time 8:56.24, 10.44 Pace, Overall Place 26th / 172, Division Place 5th / 41
Full race results:  Click Here
Race Website:  Click Here
Information on some of the Pro runners that I met and ran with such as Nikki Kimball, Guillermo Medina, and Sam Thompson:  Click Here
Information on training with Jim Vernon, Rachel Rodriguez and The Endurables Running Club which I joined to train for the event and continue to belong to:  Click Here

A HUGE thanks to everyone who helped me with training, motivation, and positive support!