Since I'm pretending I'm going to train for the North Face 50, I wanted to get a run in prior to marking. I made sure to check on sweeping for Sunday before deciding on the additional mileage - I didn't need a forty plus mile work out over two days....well, I do, but unfortunately I'm not ready for that. Glad I checked, since the plan was for me to sweep the nearly 15-mile pink loop. That meant a four mile pre-run, rather than a fourteen mile pre-run.
I got to Tennessee Valley in plenty of time to get in a four miler, but you never know, so I took off up Marincello as quickly as I could. My trip up Marincello was pretty good...it had been a long time since I'd been up it, so it was like reuniting with an old friend. I did notice there were random colored ribbons tied to wooden stakes throughout the trail....trail maintenance of some sort, I think. Nothing I could do about it, but something that I thought could cause confusion, so I took a picture and made a mental note to let Wendell know when I met him a few hours later.
Before I knew it, I was at the top. Sort of. I planned to do Marincello - Miwok - Old Springs, coincidentally the yellow loop for the race tomorrow. And, the top of Marincello, is the top of that hill, but there's still a little more up before you hit the airport surveillance thing-a-ma-bob and head down to Miwok to Old Springs. Since I was at the top, I was definitely in the fog or rain or whatever had started. Luckily, I only tried to fall twice on the way down. Thankfully, I decided I was going to be the cool girl on the trail with two ankle braces, so I didn't hurt anything.
Once I hit Miwok, I jogged down until I got to the nastily steep part....and it was wet....lucky me. After almost slipping a second time, I decided to gently walk down the hill. Ugh...when did I become so chicken on these hills.
I'm a big fan of Old Springs, so once I hit that trail, I was definitely up for a jog. It felt great....a little scary, but great. Again, why am I so chicken....ugh. I jogged down Old Springs and then wanted to get in four miles, so did a little bit on Rhubarb trail until I hit my four and then walked back to slimer. At that point, the rain had started (or the fog descended into the valley....never can tell here), so I moved him into the main parking lot (rain starts and everyone takes off, haha - my day had just begun) to wait for Wendell and Lynnard. As I was hiding from the elements, I made the decision to completely change into my long sleeved shirt - I was wet, sweaty, and cold. Not a good recipe for marking in the rain. I decided to risk the heat later on.
Wendell arrived and showed me what I'd be doing....not only marking from Tennessee Valley to Point Bonita, but also taking a second trip to the airport surveillance thing-a-ma-bob and Old Springs to mark the yellow only portion of the course. And then back up the crazy descent. What a good time I was in for.....well, I definitely needed the miles. I let him know about the random markings due to the construction and I was off.
Heading up Marincello a second time was nearly as painless as the first. For some reason, it's the one hill in the headlands I can walk up like I own it. Every time. It was also nice to be headed uphill in the cold, wet weather that had developed. It was pretty windy at the top, so I was worried about my pink 'go straight' sign and my yellow 'go right' signs. By the time I had finished placing the yellow, the pink one had blown away.....so, I tied it to the tree branches instead. A little sooner than I wanted it, but at least it would be there for the runners.
Off I was to mark the yellow, knowing both the trip down and the trip up would be an adventure. Down because, well, I'm afraid of everything and it was wet. And up because, well, it's steep. I only briefly questioned myself....not sure why...I know these trails and I've been up there tons of times. Around the airport thing I went (different than I went before!), and down to Old Springs. And then back up.....on my way up, I ran into a couple hiking that asked me if I was taking all the signs down. Nope...putting them up. The race is tomorrow.
Getting back to Marincello, I realized that my yellow 'right' and yellow 'straight' signs had blown over. So, I had to be creative and find bushes to tie them to. Not ideal, but at least they'd be there for the runners. Once that I was done, I buried the yellow ribbons in my bag and headed off to mark the pink to Point Bonita.
Then, the rain stopped...and once it did...the beauty of the headlands came out....nothing like fall in the bay area.
Overall, the pink loop was uneventful.....I mean, it passed through the place on SCA where I busted my good ankle a few weeks ago and the place where I ran out of ribbon while marking Golden Gate, of course, not to be outdone by the turn I missed when I ran Coyote Ridge last year.....but, all that considered, pretty uneventful. I blew up the turn I missed last year....hopefully no one misses it this year, headed up the road towards Point Bonita, passed the place I ran out of ribbons this summer, and spotted Slimer in the distance. I made it. Haha.....11.5 miles later, 15.5 on the day, and I was heading home. Ready for a shower and some food.....But, I did capture this photo before I headed out....the beauty of a golden gate sunset is second to none...
Since I've been dealing with one injury after another (and then my foot turning blue), I've been good and followed Dr. Hal's orders over the past few weeks and run on the flat, predictable trails of Woodside. I've been home for about an hour and a half and I'm definitely feeling the hills from today. Oh, the cramping that's threatening. I hate being out of shape....ugh. I feel like I ran 30 miles, not 15. And to think I actually felt fine after 17 miles of flat.....
Sunday brought an early morning - we were up and at Muir Beach before the sun. Thank God for headlamps, haha. The day started with me trying, and failing, to open the gate to the parking lot. Luckily, Brian was with me and knew how to open it...or was strong enough to open it...or something like that.
I helped unload and then set up and worked registration - there were a decent amount of people registering day of, which kept us busy. Lots of questions about bag checks and parking too.
After a short stint at the start/finish helping with registration, I headed out to the Point Bonita aid station - of course it would be the one I never made it to...haha. I got there, and wow....the view was amazing. It pretty much put the views from Saturday to shame....the city behind the bridge, as the sun came up. Always gorgeous....always breathtaking....no matter how many times I see it, or from what vantage point. I mean, really, the picture doesn't even do it justice.
We were the second aid station and runners were only hitting us once, so my time at the aid station was pretty short lived and passed quickly. The runners were all in good spirits and many stopped to say hello and let us know how their run was going. I spent a few minutes talking to one guy about the Umstead 100, a race he had run before and I hope to run someday. A couple of them had questions about the course, and it was nice to being familiar with the trails and able to answer them.
Once we had wrapped at the aid station, I packed it up in the Xterra and headed out to sweep - the journey of nearly 12 miles begins with a single step. Haha....I thought the first section would be new to me, as it was the part I missed the year before when I got lost and I don't really run much on that side of Tennessee Valley. But, I realized two things....first, I have been on those trails and second, I picked the right part of the course to lose (give me a walk up Miwok any day). Oh the hills....it goes up and up forever....past the battery....and then up some more. I vaguely remember running down the same trail during my first 50k....I think going down was just as brutal, with the added threat of falling and busting myself. To keep the hike entertaining, I stopped to take a photo of a couple with their dog and to smile at a group of hikers who were impressed with how quickly I was hiking up the hill.
Going down the other side of the trail was pretty steep, but really nothing I should have had a problem with - if I wasn't so afraid of the trails. Stupid injuries. But, I survived the descent and made it back to the Miwok junction, right where I found the course when I ran the race last year. I'm pretty sure there was a moment where I threw my arms over my head, and exclaimed, 'it's the course!'. I'm pretty sure anyone that saw me would have thought I was crazy.
This year I saw two rental mountain bikers looking at an upside-down map (oh Blazing Saddles...). I stopped and asked where they were headed. They were trying to find Tennessee Valley Road...at least it was something I could help them find. And there were two other bikers that came up on us and offered to play tour guide. I love the nice people I meet on the trails.
After that, I made my way up the steep part of Miwok for the second or third time that weekend. At that point, I'd lost count. I paused to cheer on some of the 50k runners who were on their way down. Somewhere between there and Point Bonita, probably along Coastal, I ran into another rental mountain biker looking for directions....what was with them on Sunday? But, I've been a tourist plenty of times and am happy to try to help.
I came up on the sharp left, the one I missed last year, and was happy to see that my gerry-rigged 'wrong way' sign held up. Because of the wind on Saturday, and the importance of the sign, I created a tripod for it as opposed to the two we usually use. Unfortunately, I found out later that one of the runners had missed it. I grabbed all that stuff, headed up the hill, and on to the road.
After being on the road for a bit, I wasn't sure I'd ever been so thankful to see our car....well, I feel like I say that ever time I get tired and just want to be done. But, regardless, I was thrilled to see our car - I was done! I sent Brian a text to let him know I was on my way and took off. I should have paused to take off my super cool ankle braces, but I just wanted to get back. Ouch....bad decision. As much as the braces had saved my ankles for the past twelve miles, my ankles were done with the braces. But, I really just wanted to get back down to the finish....I knew I was late and they probably needed help, and selfishly, I was hoping there was a dry race shirt I could put on. If I had thought I was cold before, I was definitely cold now.
After briefly following someone who felt the need to drive down to Muir Beach at 5 MPH (thankfully they pulled over quickly), I got back to the start/finish to find it mostly cleaned up. And, yay there were extra shirts. Hooray for a dry shirt....went a long way with feeling warm in the wind at Muir Beach. We finished loading up pretty quickly....joked about my ability to load a tent without breaking my leg....and my text about running out of ribbons (just kidding this time ;)).
Ok....after two days on the trails, I am exhausted. Until next time....
No comments:
Post a Comment