Javelina Jundred 2018 Race recap

The BEFORE

I'm always a sucker for a race, bc when I'm sitting in my house watching TV, any race sounds amazing. It's a great way to reconnect with nature and see what my body is capable of. I took most of 2018  off of running after having some heel pain that stuck around for the better part of 8 months. I did my Western State's qualifier early (Black Canyon 100k) and went about getting my Yoga Teacher Instructor Certification for 4 months. Then, as I was sitting back relaxing, someone told me that if I get into WS via the lottery, there's an astrix next to your name if your qualifier is a 100k. WTF????? I don't know if this is true or not, but I'm just vain enough to do something about this. Ok, so now I have to actually train and do a 100 miler this year. Everyone I knew was planning on doing Javelina Jundred, so it seemed logical to sign up for this race again this year. This was going to be the year I was serious and actually put in my miles and trained. This is the year..... and it was....KINDA.

I started out well, real miles, actual distances, etc. I started working as an intern teacher for a yoga studio, but my classes were either Sunday or Saturday, thereby eliminating the ability to go run long with friends in the mountains. And I'm not motivated enough to go run for 6 hours by myself in the mountains, frankly, I'm afraid some random stranger might kill me. (Hang out with me long enough and you may get the urge to strangle me, maybe....) Anyway, so after a great start, my training fizzled out in September when I had a hip injury sneak up on me and every mile was torture. Added to that the kids had a 2 week break and the family went on vacation. This meant low mileage. Which I thought might be a good thing, maybe low mileage would mean I would be able to get my hip firing off the way it was supposed to.  I figured if I could just start the race injury free, I might do OK. So I trained injured and hated it. I started working myself into a bad headspace before finally deciding to make an appointment with a  sport chiropractor and possibly get my hip fixed, 2 days before the race. He got me mostly working again and gave me some tips to do if my hip started tweaking midrace. Some were hardly noticeable, but the easiest one to do was basically target the glute on the other side of my body, the actual weak culprit causing the imbalance. So I would be running the race, whacking myself on the tush. Great. Nothing weird about that AT ALL.

We have friends that live in the Phoenix area that our kids simply love. So it was a no brainer to ask 1) if they wanted a fly by visit and 2) if the kids wanted to go at all. The family drove over after school Friday night (this is a huge deal because it was the night of their annual fall festival at school. Fun, games, candy, friends..... I'm not even going to pretend they wanted to come see me run a race, they wanted to go chill with their friends.) and Ryan and I headed to the start at 4am. We got me registered and found the Trail Crashers tent to get my gear settled. As everyone started trickling in for the race, the excitement started ramping up. And before we knew it, it was time to run 100 miles. Seems pretty simple, right? One foot in front of the other, don't be stupid and don't forget to eat.

Spring, me and Becca

LOOP 1 (Miles 0-22)

The first loop is an extended loop to make 22 miles since the actual loops are 19.5 miles each, the race is 5 loops run washing machine style. This is nice because you can see friends in each loop and you get a little boost seeing everyone. Loop 1 was really nice, it was a nice easy pace, the weather stayed cool for about 5 miles before starting to warm up a bit. I ran with my friends Becca and Gloria for a bit before Gloria felt great and ambled off and Becca left me at the 10 mile Aid Station. So I chilled out for an easy 12 miles, enjoying the day, whacking my right glute, normal stuff.  The ONLY thing off was my shoe. I couldn't quite get it right. It was either too tight or too loose (Yeah, I'm a princess) and I swear it was too small. I ordered 3 pair of exactly the same shoe a few months ago and each of the other ones were fine. I pulled these out of the box the day before the race and shoved them in my bag and put them on for the first time that morning (ROOKIE MISTAKE, like for real). So my longest toe kept jamming into the front, I tried a different method of tying my shoe to stop it from shifting forward, but there was still pain. I made a mental note to switch shoes, thank goodness I threw in a pair of old shoes just in case. As I ended the first loop, I saw Becca heading out, I ran in, found my friends and changed some gear for loop 2. I debated not changing shoes and then my brain clicked on and I actually did change shoes. I had my friends fill my pack with ice and my bandana with ice to keep me cooled, I ate a little and grabbed some gels I had packaged for loop 2. I left feeling pretty good. (Of course I did.)


Loop 2 (Miles 22-42ish)

Loop 2 I decided to take a couple of minutes of goofing off and get my ear buds and music going since I was alone. It was a good idea, because from there on I just trucked along singing (sorry for anyone in ear shot) and having a good ol' time. Just after the first Aid Station, I found Becca. We stuck together for about 15 miles chatting and enjoying the race. I sent my husband a text because he said the kids and my friends wanted to come out and see me during a loop. I wasn't sure if they wanted to come visit during the day time or evening, so I texted when I was 10 miles out and told then if they want I could text again the next time I was at this location.  And then I started in on my first low.... I don't normally like this section of the course in this direction because its downhill, but rocky, so I can't actually make good time on it. And it hurt my frickin' toe! Around now the boredom for the aid station food started, the dislike of water and the desire to not eat. Even though I knew I needed it. So I forced myself to eat a little bit at each aid station, even if I didn't want it. As I neared the end of loop 2 I saw so many friends who were just killing it! It was really nice to get the little boost from friends as you start to head into the main camp. And my kids were there! So awesome to see everyone. They gave me a sweet boost for Loop 3.

Loop 3 (Miles 42-61
I was about 3 miles into loop 3 when I had a road crossing, as I looked behind me, I thought I saw a my friend, Rob, but he was WAY ahead of me, so I was sure I was imagining things. Until he got alongside me. When I asked how he got behind me, he told me he took a 30 minute nap and was chilling and going for an easy finish. So.... he sat on his butt for 20 minutes and chilled out and we are at the exact same place. *Sigh* I'm SO SLOW!!!!!! Anyway, we carried on, walking, running, chatting, he tried to find lizards and snakes to scare me with. You know, normal stuff. By now my hip had stopped hurting, so that was stupendous. As I made it to the farthest Aid Station from the main headquarters (Jackass Junction), I was definitely feeling my stomach. So I grabbed a hamburger and a sip of coke and headed back out. This is by far my favorite part of the course, in either direction. Its smooth and runnable. I ate a ridiculously dry burger and tried to get my stomach to settle down. I think it worked, for a bit anyway. I was using a new headlamp because my normal one mysteriously vanished after crewing San Diego 100 in June. So I wasn't sure about the particulars of this one. It was crazy bright and I had to shield my hand over it as runners came in the opposite direction. I looked like a walking disco party. I wish I felt the same. As I was coming into  Javelina Jeadquarters (the main staging area) I was definitely feeling WORKED over. I wasn't having fun. I wanted to stop, I was bleh. Just bleh.

Loop 4 (Miles 61-81)

But I left for loop 4 anyway, because that's just what you do. And everything was going Ok, I thought. Until I decided to fuel up at the first aid station. I ate some cantaloupe, coke and pretzels. Nothing seemed wrong, so I left to go on to Jackass Junction. I got as far as across the street before my stomach told me quite emphatically that it was not doing well. Ugh. So now we start that mess. I slowly made my way to Jackass and decided the burger had helped before, maybe it would help again. I sat down and the fabulous volunteers asked me if I needed anything. So I asked for a hamburger, that I held in my hand for 10 minutes while deciding what I was going to do. I was having a pretty good pity party for myself. I was tired. I was bored. My stomach was sh!t. My legs were tired. I still had 30 miles to go. As I sat there, staring at the hamburger in my hand, my friend Spring came rolling in with her pacer Phillip. She of course gave me some sass and asked what I was doing sitting down. I told her I was done. She responded with "that's ridiculous, you can't quit here anyway, walk with me to the next aid station, we are just walking anyway." That was followed up with "Are you going to eat that hamburger? Because I'm hungry." I haven't mentioned it yet, but I'm pretty sure she's insane. So I got up off my lazy butt and followed her out of the aid station. She ate my burger and I stole her soup, it felt like a fair trade. As I slowly attempted to get my stomach back (I'm not certain how I was attempting that since I wasn't actually eating or drinking anything. I think I was attempting to convince it with my weak mind that it was fine.) we hit that section of the course that is so lovely. Downhill rocks. Spring had blisters and I wanted to hurl. Becca and her pacer Cinda passed us and I attempted to stay with them until my stomach clenched and said NOPE. Sometimes you have to listen to your body. This is one of the few times I actually did. So we continued our slow amble to the next aid station, ate some broth and whatever looked appealing and Phillip made us leave again. We slowly shuffled into the headquarters for our last loop. At this point, you have to finish. its just a matter of pride, its only 20 miles left. 20 LONG FREAKING MILES. 

Loop 5 (Miles 81-100)

As we geared up and put on some long sleeves, drank some sparkling water to attempt to settle our stomachs, I changed out headlamps. Mine distributed light weird, so I used my new back up headlamp. One of my trail running friends, Saul,  had come out to support the runners and volunteered to pace me the last loop. Of course I said yes! I felt bad for him, because I was definitely not amazing company. I tend to get very quiet when I'm running tired and I was not in a good mental spot right then. But he was a trooper, forced me to eat and drink. Listened to me gripe about why I didn't want to do that. Listened to me puke and forced me to eat after (If no one has ever told you, ultra running is an incredible sexy sport.) And eventually I did manage to get my stomach back in order. We force marched the first 10 miles, passing Becca who was having some foot issues, and eventually found Jackass Junction. I swear, this is the hardest Aid Station to find in the last loop EVER. They had breakfast burritos that actually sounded appealing and I managed to eat the filling out of half of one (I need to go check my pack, I'm pretty sure the other half is still in my pocket.). As we came out I texted my husband to let him know I was headed to the finish and he told me to hurry up because he was already waiting. That made me laugh and made me speed up. So I turned on my music and told Saul it was time to wrap this up and I was done with this. I yelled back to Spring we were running now and it was time to go. She apparently told me it wasn't time, but I didn't hear that. We went off at a blistering 12 min mile pace. Ha. After 90 miles, I'm going to call that a blistering pace. As the music fluctuated, so did our pace. In the last 9 miles, we picked off between 15-20 runners on our way to finishing. Only 1 runner had any gas left in her tank to come back and pass us again within 100 yards of the finish. As I came in a spectator shouted "Great job, way to go!" I looked over my shoulder to see if I knew them. It was Scott. Fricking. Jurek. Ultra legend Scott Jurek just told me I did a good job. Holy Hannah. I ran through the headquarters towards the finish and I was so happy to be done. I saw my husband and my friends and I was so happy to no longer have to be running. My official time was 27:12:22. 

It wasn't what I was aiming for, I just wanted a better time than last year, but after my huge pity party, I was just glad I finished. I know I said I was never doing this again, but I think I want to sign up again next year. 

My biggest supporter.

My awesome pacer Saul

Gloria, Scott Jurek and me. 

Trail Crashers (Eric, Maros, Me, Robert, Becca, Jeff, Gloria and Spring)

San Diego 100 Endurance Race take 2

A little over 8 years ago I had a friend mention to me that he was considering something called "Ultra running." My immediate response was "Why? I don't get it." Why run more than a traditional marathon distance?  Isn't that challenging enough? Why make your body go LONGER than 26.2 miles? What's your incentive?  Then I found myself toeing the line at a 100 mile race.....

 
                                  

I'm pretty shy. You can never find me in a crowd.

This journey began over 18 months ago, when I registered for the 2016 running of the San Diego 100 Mile Endurance run, and got cut for time last June at mile 71.7. The inability to complete this race fueled my need to make sure I completed it this year. Needless to say, I was glued to every device I had available the 2 weeks prior to the race checking the anticipated  temperature range for the 2 days involved. As things started to get a little more real, race day temps looked ideal. Perfect in fact. 

I came into this race with more mental preparations than last year, but less actual training. I started working last August, which made it harder to get those mid-week runs in (go figure) and the guilt of already hoarding the majority of Saturdays from my husband last year caused me to work my run schedule into more local (not mountain) runs. But, I learned a couple of  important lesson from last year.... ready for this?..... 

1) PAY ATTENTION TO THE CUTOFFS. Whaaaat? Pay attention to the cut offs? I have been a road runner for over 15 years, a trail ultra runner for a mere 3 years. Cutoffs were never a thing for a road race. You just go out and run. There's 1 cut off, the finish, and those times were usually ridiculously generous. 

2) EAT. Seems pretty self explanatory, right? Well, I just finished the PCT 50 mile race in May and I forgot to eat. "Forgot".... I ended up with a great 20 miles, and not so great 10 miles and 20 miles of forceful power hiking and making it the next aid station. Followed by one of my worst finishes and a night of nausea and vomiting (too much?). A seasoned 100 mile friend told me to find a gel that worked for my stomach and eat 1 every hour. That was my plan. And whatever aid station food appealed to me.

Ok, cutoffs and eat. Seems easy enough.  Got my drop bags ready, got my crew ready and I think I got me ready. 

Drops bags, crew bag, misc bag, and binder. All ready to go.

Race morning came way too early. Everyone was jittery and ready to go. This year I had a crew, a plan, and told so many people I was going to do this race that I couldn't NOT finish. 

The amazing Ricky Roane. 

It's just 100 miles Whitney, no worries....

An amazing runner. She does 200 mile races and smokes me in every race
that I have run "with" her.  Also coming into this race injured.... 

As the race started it was easy to get into a nice steady jog. The first mile is pretty much single track through gorgeous tall grass around Lake Cuyamaca. We went slower than last year and had to stop a few times for mud/water crossings. Our first climb started around mile 1.25, it was a nice wide dirt and gravel road. The first section was fairly uneventful, other than a mostly desiccated deer on the road. A nice reminder that there are mountain lions around.  I saw 2 of my runner friends ahead of me that I knew were going to finish ahead of me, and the desire to attempt to catch up was a strong one that I tamped down and just ran at a comfortable pace for me.

Paso Picacho

At the first aid station, the Running Skirts team was there to get everyone set to climb Stone wall Peak. I asked my friend Fern to fill my pack with water, thinking I had consumed enough.  I was informed sternly that my pack was still full, and that it better be empty when I made it to the next aid station. My job was to drink and run. Damn. I needed to listen to him too, because not only was he seeing with outside eyes, but as one of the top ultra runners in the SoCal area, he has "some" experience under his belt. So, I left AS #1 with plans to run and drink. Considering I only had 7.5 miles in me, the first part was harder than I thought it would be. So was the second. But I met a buddy I occasionally run with and chased him down the mountain. And when I made it to the next AS, my pack was empty.

Chambers and Sunrise 1

When I checked my time vs my pace chart, I noticed I had managed to be slow enough in the beginning of the race that I was now officially running my "oh crud" pace. I figured I wouldn't get here until at least after Pine Creek (mile 36). I made it a point to bring myself back into my "realistic" race pace. So I ran more than I felt comfortable with, but then again, there's really nothing comfortable about ultra running.  It started to get hot at this point, and I knew the next two sections were going to be hot, exposed and warm. The extra push got me into the AS within a better buffer of my realistic pace vs oh crud pace. Maybe my crew expected me to stick to the slowing pace I had been displaying and not suck it up and run, but we missed each other at the first crew AS. I had tucked a few extra gels in my pack just in case, and I knew I'd see them at the next aid station. This meet up was important since I would then have to go 20 miles without another crew AS, so I definitely needed to see them.

As I left the  Sunrise 1, I got a cooling buff from the Running Skirts, some hugs from the Trail Crashers working the AS, and some ice and food. I ate a coupe of pickles, and had some soda to wash down my CarboPro and BioTropic.  I took off down the most beautiful section of the race. It's also sneaky hard. Last year it was so hot I felt like I was getting baked here. This year, I turned on my music and had some fun hopscotching and chatting with other runners. It was perfect. I had a great song playing in my ear and one of my training partners in sight. As I worked my way closer, I was so happy I started singing out loud (apologies if you were within hearing, I'm not a good singer.).  I hoped that as I passed my friend he would follow along. I got a smile and a head shake. I wasn't sure if it was a "she's so crazy" head shake or "I'm riding a low point and can't go with you" kind of shake.  Last year my absolute favorite picture was taken in this section. And I didn't buy it because I have a rule about not buying pictures from races I don't finish. So even when I was tired, I ran around every blind corner just in case a photographer was there. Alas I was disappointed, but I finally made it to the next AS, so there was a positive!

Pioneer Mail 1

AS #4, Pioneer Mail 1. I had made a mental note to get a BIG bag of gels, my watch charger, a battery pack, and a spray down with bug spray. I had heard a rumor that the biting flies had been in the area, and I was NOT going to take any chances.  After getting the AS crew to fill my pack with ice and getting a piece of plain bread (yep, already trying to keep my stomach from going south), I met my crew (at this point only Marvin) to grab all the essential gear and a few encouraging words. The next 2 sections always make me work hard. And I'm far enough into the race that stuff is hard, my legs are tired and I'm questioning why I do this.  Maybe this whole "remembering to eat" stuff thing is working for me. I was FAR less grumpy or worn down in this section. I was actually running, go figure. Same hopscotching, different group of runners. One guy swallowed a bee and got stung in the throat. Seriously, stung in the throat. We stopped for a bit to make sure everything was OK and his breathing was good and unchanged. Everything seemed to be fine and he said he was not allergic to bee stings, but we agreed he should take a benadryl just in case. And, I guess he was ok because he made it the the next AS before me!

The road to Pine Creek is another level of hell, I'm sure of it. I forgot what a terrible experience the road to Pine Creek was. First you emerge from the trail to a hard packed dirt road that climbs, and rolls, and climbs. And its hot, and climbs more. Maybe now would have been a good time to take a gel, but it didn't happen. And I slowly made my way forward. Watching all my new friends leave me, even bee sting guy. And when we finally made it to the top, it was a never ending hot road down (I've officially entered the complaining phase of ultra running). Forever. And frickin' ever. You would think downhill would be nice, but it hurt so much. My quads sent out a protest and made sure I knew that they did not like the current situation.  Zip it short stuff, we're "running" here....

Pine Creek

I finally freaking made it. It was about 20° cooler this year than last, and I was totally not hungry. But I made myself eat just a little something (slice of watermelon and pickle spear, no, I'm not pregnant), got my pack filled with water and ice and took an iced coke to go. Oh, and filled my sports bra with a big scoop of ice. It was AMAZING. I highly recommend this move.  As I took off up Noble Canyon I attempted to not let little demons whisper in my ear about being tired, or hot, or how hard the climb was. Sip, eat a gel, climb, get startled by a piece of ice falling out of my sports bra. I was passed by several people having a slightly better point in their race, but as long as I didn't stay in this low, I was Ok with that. Soon I was passing people. I was had some runners envy of people who had poles. I've never trained with them, but I felt like they definitely HAD to help, right? Soon enough (it felt like forever) I made it to Big Tree (is this THE Big Tree or just a rather largish tree?), where the aid station usually is for the Noble Canyon 50k, so I knew the road had to be coming up soon.  Crossing the road was a mental sigh of relief. The AS had to be soon, right? 3 miles now? I was "mostly" done climbing for this section, right? I always forget there's just a little more climb after the road, and some more to get to the AS at Penny Pines 1. Soon another runner passed me on what I think was the last mile before the AS asking if it was close. I told her what I knew, "I've been thinking it's close for about 2 miles now...." I finally made it to Penny 1, so much earlier than last year.

Penny 1

As I sat and had a cup of soup, I thought about this next segment. Runnable. But could I run it? I got my drop bag, retrieved solid food (which I couldn't eat), some gels and a battery charger for my phone. I left feeling tired. So I took a gel and tried to walk fast. Soon I felt it start to revive me and I ran some. I thought about seeing my friends at Meadows (the next AS) and how close I was to the last real challenge, heading down to Cibbits and climbing back up again, a 14.8 round trip, down and up a mountain. But before that, I has to make it to Meadows. So I walked the uphills and ran the flats and downhills. And didn't get passed by a single runner after the gel revived me. I thought that wasn't too shabby considering I had around 45+ miles on my legs.


Meadows

As I made it to Meadows, I could not see my crew. I could see other people I knew, but none of my guys. Oh well. Good thing I threw a small flashlight in my pack that morning or I would have been totally screwed. At this point my stomach was really starting to turn. More soup and plain bread while I hoped for my crew to show up. They had an extra flashlight I could take with me and a long sleeve shirt (it was starting to cool off). I left Meadows without sighting them and hoped what I had would be enough. The group I was running with had a little pep and we decided to run. I made it about a mile with them before stopping for a little walk break (and decided to free my poor soup and bread from the apparently evil confines of my stomach).  More running, some walking while debating getting the crystallized ginger from my pack. Finally, I stopped, took off my pack and started digging. No ginger. I know I packed it. More looking, no ginger. I forced down another VFuel and hoped it would stay with me. A friend ran Western States last year and ended up vomiting most of the race, a kind older gentleman told her that as soon as she emptied her stomach she needed to put something back in. That was my plan, keep something, anything, in. While I was digging for ginger I took my tiny flashlight out and kept it handy. Soon it would be dark enough to need it. I was envious of the runners who had their headlamps as they passed me moving slowly down the trail. Then my flashlight stopped working. I was literally in the dark. I didn't know how much battery my phone had, but it had been plugged into a charger for a while, so I turned on the phone flashlight. Hallelujah, 95% battery! It wasn't ideal, but it was a light.  I had lost sight of all headlamps of nearby runners and there was a split in the trail. Damn. So I took a chance and headed down a well trampled trail, only to see a couple of frogs about a half mile in. My standard rule of thumb is, if I see wildlife, I'm on the wrong path. Arg, I backtracked to the split and went uphill, eventually finding course markers again. Up, up, up. I had forgotten how much of this section went up to the aid station, and how far the aid station was. I was moving fairly slowly since I really didn't relish the idea of getting lost and adding more miles again. I eventually made it into the aid station and found my crew waiting for me at the very edge as I came in.

Red Tailed Roost

A change of clothes, more gels, another battery pack, a headlamp and a friend. I picked up my pacer here.  She had gotten injured midway through training and kindly offered to help me with my race, it was going to be so nice to run with someone for the next 25 miles. 25 really hard miles. It wasn't cold enough for a jacket, so I tossed it in my pack just in case it cooled down more. As I geared up for the next section, Fern (yep, same Fern who forced me to drink) told me that 4 of the people I started with dropped from the race. Of my friends and training partners, I only had 3 left running. I was really surprised by this news and Neily, my pacer, and I had some material to discuss while we walk/ran to the next aid station. The first little leg from Red Tail Roost to the start of the descent to Cibbits is on a  rough dirt road, the wind started to pick up and as we ran/walked we were blinded a little by dust. But, it was only 1.3 miles, we could handle this. I didn't realize that the aid station was just for runners returning from the climb, and they wouldn't let me grab a ginger ale as we passed thru, ugh. But, we do get to go downhill and see a lot of runners who were climbing. The wind did not settle down and we were often hindered by the dust flying into our eyes. I was really regretting getting rid of my sunglasses and my hat. I made most of the descent with my hand covering my eyes and my mouth firmly closed to prevent getting a mouthful of dirt. My pace going downhill was slower than I would have liked, but we still made it to the next aid station with plenty of time to spare.

Cibbits Flat - The lowest of the low

I hate Cibbits Flat. Hate it. Its a hard, rocky climb down and you know you have to go right back up again. As I got to the bottom we found Marvin waiting for us. I grabbed more gels, ate more soup and tried to take some Carbopro and Biotropic with a coke. Buuuuttttttt...... It didn't stay with me. Super fun. Another friend at the AS told me yet another person from my group dropped, but I didn't believe it, he is a really strong (and smart) runner and came into the race uninjured. I guessed I would find out when I had time to look it up. Neily and I left the AS and started the steep climb up the road and the mountain. I mentioned I HATE this? I'm back to wondering why I do these races. But I was on a mission. I got cut from the race last year at the top. I missed the cut off by 12 minutes. I was determined to get there in time this year. I had a better buffer than last year, but that didn't mean I allowed myself to lollygag. I was seriously starting to be tired. Not sleepy, just tired of running, and walking and being pelted by the wind and dirt. My legs hurt from getting hit from all the shrubs, and I really, really wanted to be done. There was only 1 way to be done, so we kept moving forward.

Dale's Kitchen

We cruised in to Dale's Kitchen at 4:14 am, 46 min ahead of cutoff. Not as much wiggle room as I would like, but still decent. We both had soup (I think we were both trying to save our stomachs) and then headed off to the next AS. Todd's Cabin felt so far away, and we heard some weird noises coming from the mountain, so we were a little freaked out. I took 1 picture during the race.  I couldn't help myself. It was just so amazing to be out there during sunrise. This is my favorite section from PCT 50. You've just finished climbing and can run through beautiful trees and some non-technical trails for a bit. I think we started to slow down after we finished climbing, but we needed to remind ourselves that the race wasn't over yet.

Mountain Sunrise

Todd's Cabin

Mile 75.3. My farthest run to date. We were getting dangerously close to the cutoffs and my throat hurt. I wondered if I was starting to get the cold that's been floating around my kids and my friends for a couple of weeks.  At this AS we only had a 27 minute buffer. So we tried to get in and out as fast as we could and headed to the next aid station. As we shuffled, ran, walked, and everything in between, I really started to sweat the cutoff, I was going to kick myself if I made it past Dale's Kitchen only to get cut at mile 80. As a 73 year old racer hustled past me on a downhill, I really took it to heart that I may really miss the next cut off. It was rocky, but I should be able to run this. I let Neily know my concerns and started running. I ran more than 75% of this section and skated into the aid station with 13 minutes to spare.  Believe me, I was starting to try to figure out who I needed bribe or what names I would have to drop to keep going.

Penny 2

I grabbed what I needed, hugged Neily and thanked her for her tremendous help and hustled out. A couple of guys left a minute after me, but they were running more than I was and soon passed me. I kept looking behind me to make sure I wasn't about to be overtaken again, but everything seemed to be OK. About 2 miles into the leg I saw 2 more runners coming up on me, fast. I couldn't believe how fresh their legs were. So I ran, I finally started walking when we reached an uphill and they were right behind me. They nicely asked me how I was feeling. What was the appropriate response? Beat? Tired? Freaking tired? Ready for a huge glass of sweet tea and my patio? I replied "oh, you know, like I just ran 82 miles. I'm just 82 miles tired." and of course asked about how they were feeling. Please, please, please say "I'm really really tired..." Instead, they let me know they were the sweepers and they were fine since they only had about 7 miles on their legs. MOTHER TRUCKER!!!!! I had the sweepers on my tail. This is very much NO BUENO. I double checked that I still had 45 minutes and it was about 2 miles to the next AS. The let me know my numbers were mostly correct. Hmmm.... I did NOT like them on my tail. So I politely said bye and passed the guys who took off past me out of Penny 2. Letting THEM know those guys were the sweepers. The seemed less alarmed than I was. There's nothing like the sweepers on your tail to make you run out of your comfort zone. I ran the next 2 miles to the AS.

Pioneer Mail 2

Only 1 more aid station after this. Now I'm counting down aid stations. 19 minute buffer, at least it was getting better. I saw my amazing crew waiting for me. And.... my kids. What?  My husband came up and I (rudely I'm sure) that he was at the wrong AS and he wasn't supposed to start pacing until the next one. But they said they had worked it all out and the guys would take the kids and Ryan would run 16 miles with me. So he grabbed his gear and we left.  Coming into Pioneer 1 was great, you have a super half mile downhill. Leaving Pioneer 2 sucked, you have a savage half mile UPHILL. Halfway up I realized I left my sunglasses, I had wanted them for the sun and the still blowing dirt. Oh well, no way I'm going back for them. Then we reached the top and started across the road to the trail, the wind was blowing people around. I watch 2 guys ahead of me get tossed about and even Ryan was having a hard time with it. He offered to take the drop off side, but I just grunted no. We ran and walked (or maybe it was upright crawling. Is there a word for that?) to the next AS and I bitched and moaned about how far away it was.  But Ryan was great, and even said I wasn't as whiny as he anticipated me being. Which made me laugh. We got tossed around a bit, but not off the mountain, so that was good. We were back on the stunning section of the run, so while I was tired and my throat still hurt, at least it was gorgeous out. I had tried a throat lozenge, but it didn't help. So I did what was working, kept my mouth shut and didn't talk. This is probably the quietest I've ever been.


Sunrise 2

Finally! Only 9 more miles left and I had increased my buffer to the cutoff to 45 minutes. This is the first time I actually KNEW that I would finish. It wasn't just a thought. It was going to happen. I had over 3 hours to walk/crawl the 9 miles to the finish. I did a quick change into cooler clothes and ditched my pack (I'd regret this later), and grabbed my last bottle of sparkling water (the only thing that appealed to me).  My crew chief let me know he was in bad shape, he had been sick all night and really needed to get home. I felt so bad that he didn't let me know earlier, we could have made things work and he could have gone home to take care of himself, but I was sad he wasn't going to be at the finish. He started this stupid ultra running thing....He's also probably my best friend. But, we will have HIS first 100 finish to share (right Marvin?????), when I can get him healthy enough to train for 100.

Automatic smile, there's a camera pointed at you!

So Ryan and I took off down the path and worked our way to the finish. Its a good thing he loves me, because I wasn't very good company at this point. And I'm sure I smelled terrible. I really wished I had run more of this section, because its completely runnable, for fresh legs. But we fast walked and I would attempt a run every now and then. Ryan was super sweet and tried to kick rocks out of my way, which only served to stir up dust. I let know know the rocks were ok, since I was a disgusting trail runner.  We soon caught up with a gaggle of other runners making their way to the finish, all chatting and happy. Waaaaaayyyyyy happier than I appeared. Well, at least way more chatty.  But I was happy enough, I was slowly working my way to the longest race I have ever run. Now that I had some space between me and the cutoff, my mind shifted to things other than getting to the next aid station. The sweepers behind me at Penny 2 made me realize that 2 other friends who were behind me must have gotten cut. So at best the Trail Crashers would have would have 2 finishers today. We started with 7 and I had another 3 friends running, we were down to potentially 4 would finish. Bad numbers.  Well, I would find out when I had time to sit down and check.

As we pass the first 1/3 of this section, we spent a short time one a packed dirt road, and a swarm of bees flew past us. One was so intrigued by my awesome scent that it got entangled in my hair. Ah, so I spent a couple of second crouched into as small a shape as I could manage and Ryan found the insect and freed it. Nature, so fun. But, it actually was funny. And it got my heart racing. We set off again at a blistering 16 min mile pace. My watch started beeping and finally shut off. Damn, I did such a good job keeping it charged and when I ditched my pack, I ditched the charger and external battery pack. (Anyone have experience getting a saved run to sync up? I can get every other run that I stop normally to sync, but not the race, it's saved though. I emailed Suunto, but so far no response.)

Same section of the race, different day. Such a pretty run. 

 I was mentally drained at this point. I tried running, and it hurt too much to run. I could walk fast, and I tried to keep every mile under a 17 min mile, but when my watch turned off, I could only go by feel. So maybe I did and maybe I didn't push. Soon we were on the last little bit, and I swear the lake was farther away than ever. I could see and hear the finish and the people, but it felt like forever before I could get there. The prideful side of me wanted to finish at a run, the realistic side of me said just get there at a walk.  Because a finish was a finish no matter what.  We finally made it to the same path we ran out on and I could see the orange chute. This was really going to happen, and soon. I saw Daniel, my friend, and my kids, and made myself run the last 1/4 mile. My two boys ran the last bit with me, my daughter took a tumble, and chaos ensued later because she did not get the opportunity to run  across  finish line with me. 

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And.... it was done. I just ran and walked 100 miles. I'm an ultra runner.... right? How do I feel about that?  Tired. Sore. Like I may lose my gels....

But happy. When did I become someone who would be happy being outside, running for 32 hours?

My friend who I was told dropped at Cibbits finished an hour ahead of me. 

I did it. I managed my stomach, watched my time, and kept myself moving forward. The keys to 100 I guess. Pretty much immediately after finishing my brain asked "huh, wonder if I can do it faster next time...." DUDE, brain, let the body rest bit will ya?

He did finish. My running brother. 

Thank You Daniel!  Next year, you get to run. 

I'm actually afraid to take off my socks because I'm the one who  has to clean out the car. 

All that swag.... Where's the buckle???

Ultra Slam complete. Noble Canyon 50k, POT 50 Miler, Cuyamaca 100k and SD 100..... 

Thank you to my amazing family for the many, many Saturdays and Sundays I was gone nearly all day,  believing in me and cheering me on. A special thank you to  my very fabulous husband for 2 years of craziness and training. Thank you to the Trail Crashers for making me stronger! Thank you Marvin, Neily and Daniel for taking time from your lives to be with me while I spent 32 hours in the mountains and watching my kids. Thank you Tamara, Deb and Gaby for being with me last year when I failed miserably and tracking me endlessly during this attempt.

Hello friends, it's been a while.

It's been quite some time since I put fingers to keyboard. But, I haven't had a single ultra race in that time. And now I have one looming in 8 days. 8 days!!!!! So, yeah. I'm freaking out just a teeny tiny bit.

8 days from now I will be running the PCT 50. My first true technical 50 miler. This will be my 4th year running this particular race, wow. I've been an Ultra runner for 4 years. I can't even believe that. I still don't feel like one. I sort of have the feeling that to truly feel like an ultra runner, I have to get the coveted 100 mile race done. And in 35 days I'm going to attempt that again at the San Diego 100 mile Endurance Race .  I mentioned I'm freaking out, right?


I've been keeping healthy this training season with a mixture of BioTropic Labs and recovering with what I think is the yummiest post run drink EVER from The Feed.  

Some days I run long just so I can have some of this. I'm terrible at making sure I eat immediately after a run to replenish my body, so this drink is just perfect. I'm attempting to balance the running and my family/work life and I feel really guilty if I take time to do anything after a run because I'm running for 2-3 hours 2 times during the work week and from 4-6 hours on the weekends (not including driving times).  That adds up, and kids need some "mommy time" too. But this drink makes recovery easy. I just pour the powdered mix into a water bottle and drink it as I drive home. It tastes like a deliciously cool latte (because I like the coffee one. My husband likes the chocolate one.). Boom, done.

I also take a daily supplement from BioTropic Labs that I think really helps me recover and maintain endurance during a race, I started taking it late last summer, and feel like its helped my body fight off the normal aches and pains associated with running stupid distances. My usage of Advil the day after running has dramatically decreased and the back to back long runs are completely manageable. (I'm not going to say I'm pumping out FAST next day runs, but I'm getting them done and I've been injury free this whole year! [knock on wood.])  If you would like to try BioTropic, you can use code NartayaM10 to get 10% off! If you aren't sure, there are some pretty good testimonials on the site, you can see how other "athletes" have responded to BioTropic (ugh, I just referred to myself as an athlete, sooooo not true). If you have any questions, just leave a comment and I will get back to you!

I'm both super excited to run PCT 50 and a little nervous. My heart is pounding. And I can't wrap my head around SD100 yet. I'm just going to go into this with an open mind and a smile, keep going forward until I'm done. That's all I can do. The training has been (mostly) solid, and I trust my training plan. I can't say enough about a good training plan and super supportive friends and family getting you to the finishing line of a race. 

Cuyamaca 100k (very post race) wrap up

*****a month late.....******

Hawaii was awesome! But now it's time to get back to the regular world and to the races I've signed up for. Cuyamaca 100k will be my last big race of the year, I am so excited that I do not have anything left to run this year. Running has taken up a lot of time and energy, and basically, I'm tired. 

Kitchen update, everything is taped up and painting has commenced. Let me repeat, everything is taped up, in the cabinets. EVERYTHING. I keep all my running food and stuff in my kitchen cabinets. I had just purchased nutrition before Noble Canyon to use for both races. So, now I need to go buy more stuff and hunt up things to use for Cuyamaca. Pretty much after my SD100 attempt things ended up in a heap in my bedroom. Unpacked and untouched. Time to start digging through to find stuff you need for a long distance race: head lamps, charging cables, extra battery packs, arm warmers, buffs, gaitors, flashlights, etc. My goofing off trail friend couldn't pace me, so last minute, I asked my former running coach who is currently training for her first 50k. She agreed! I was elated. 

Goodies to hand out race morning and my gear for the race. I'm over packed for sure, but anything can happen over 62 miles.

I'm fairly certain my neighbor has a list of my races and only plan parties for the night before a race. I attempted to get to bed early Friday night, but  loud music was thumping from next door. They really only have 4-5 parties a year, and it wasn't worth the effort to make the call to ask them to turn down the music. I can race on 4 hours of sleep, right? 

My plan was to drive myself to the start and hang out until everyone finished (who knows, maybe I would be the last runner and win the bottle of champagne the RD was offering) and take a nap in my car if necessary before driving home. I didn't really have any expectations for the race, just run. Run as much as I could, walk what I couldn't, and don't get cut from the course due to time. I would like to qualify to enter the lottery to run Western States, but I haven't run a 100 yet, do I dare attempt this one as a first? To be able to enter the lottery, I needed to finish in under 17 hours. This was going to be hard given my complete lack of training. 

 I showed up early, brought my stuff down with me and found some friends to share some pre-race jitters with. After checking in and getting my bib on, I attempted to sort myself out and decide what kind of day it was going to be. Would I coast and just cruise control it? Or was I going to go out and try to run this even though my mileage was minimal? 

She's pretty happy about her YumButter!

It was almost time to start running, and I still had no idea what race I was going to run. I felt good, happy, and not at all stressed. I think going into this with absolutely no expectations was helpful. When the race started, I headed out with some friends at a nice leisurely pace. The RD changed the course from last year, and the first few miles were sort of a fresh view. 

Waiting for the start, you know, back when it seemed like a good idea?

I love the sections of races where you can see other runners. The first aid station was a turn around point, so we made our way in and I had a chance to greet a lot of friends and running acquaintances before heading back out again.  In an effort to get through the aid station as quickly as possible, I took a cup of watermelon to go. Which seemed like a fantastic idea at the time. Until I was 5 min outside of the aid station, with no more watermelon and a hard, inflexible plastic cup to deal with. I was too far away from someone who could help me tuck it in the bungee straps on my pack, and it was too large to fit in my pockets. (And I was too lazy to take off my pack), so I shoved it in the straps crossing the front of the pack. That made for a very loud and somewhat uncomfortable few miles until the next aid station. Leading in to the next aid station was packed dirt road that wasn't a terribly steep downhill, but it was hard enough, and steep enough that my back started to protest in slight pain. After the pain that came from Stairway to Heaven, I was so scared that this race would cause equal pain. In an effort to prevent it, I took a few minutes to stretch my back and try to get things loosened up again. That seemed to work, and I ambled into the aid station. Got more ice in my pack, at a pickle or two and took a cup of potato chips to go. I was then told by a volunteer it was 9 more miles to the next aid station, primarily uphill..... (You read that right, I took a cup of chips to go, in the same cup, d'oh! I never learn). So I finished my chips, and asked someone  running near me to shove that darn cup in the bungee cords on my pack. The next section was challenging and fun all together. The mileage went from 14-23, so it was just far enough into the race to be able to justify the fatigue I was feeling and to try to find that second wind.  As I was dragging myself up yet another hill and feeling like I was 80 years old and not 40, my friends caught up with me. Obviously better trained. Now I had to dig deep and summon the energy to keep up. We slowly started spreading out over the mountainside. And one friend started to pull away, I now had someone to chase.

I did manage to catch her right after passing this amazing looking tree. Its so funny how you can train on the same trails and every time you run you see something new. I was pleasantly surprised that the grassy trails were better this year. There was a definite trail to follow and I wasn't hoping not to step in a hole or on a snake with every step. I could see my feet! I managed to pass quite a few runners in this section (we were all feeling pretty fatigued I guess).And before I knew it, I was climbing the extremely (Ok, it felt extreme) steep road to the top of Cuyamaca and the aid station. Another great opportunity to see all the runners slightly faster than me. I was hungry by now, so I made sure to get some actual food in me. I had watermelon and some quesadillas (even a piece with bacon in it, OMG, it may be a new favorite). I did learn my lesson and left that damn cup in the trash at this aid station. I left flying down the hill with 3 quesadillas in my hand (Ok, 3 may have been 1 too many. The last one went down with some tough talking).

Hmmmm.....quesadillas.... ok, So, maybe 3 pieces may have been too many.

The next leg from the top to Paso is a fabulous downhill, unfortunately its also crazy rocky. So I let every runner pass who came up on me, because I am for too chicken to run down these rocks. I would rather waste a little time picking my way down and save myself from a fall. My friend Neil passed me here, he always gets me on the downhills. He was so fast, that by the next curve, I had lost sight of him.  Before too long I was finishing the hardest of the 3 loops that make up the race. I turned on my phone and texted Katie that I was finishing up the first loop and she was getting her approx 3.5 hour notice.

Yay, Loop 1 done.

The next loop is only 13 miles, but its sneaky hilly. You don't realize it, you just feel defeated. Last year I had a gentleman in his 70's pass me on the first section. It was humbling for sure. All I had to do was make sure I kept going. The climbing and grassy field felt like forever.

Don't think my head wasn't on a swivel in the grassy areas!

There is only 1 aid station in this loop, and it felt like it took me forever to make it there! After several false alarms and some internal grumbling, I finally found the aid station. Only 5 more miles until the end of this loop. I like this aid station, it's the Gator station, and as a Florida girl, its fun to see them. I left there with more liquids and turned on my phone again, this time I wasn't watching where I was going and ended up falling almost on my face because it soon because a sandy ditch and I lost my footing. Time to pay attention! I texted Katie her 1 hour notice while I still had a signal. Next I meandered and ran the tree covered trail until the course made a sharp right straight up a gnarly hill. WTF. I do not recall this at all last year. Not a bit. I ended up climbing a about mile before it flattened out. I was so tired. This was 42 miles into the race, so I guess it was ok to be tired at this point. It would kind of be insane if I wasn't. I was excited to get to the end of the loop to start the last one. The last loop would be 18 miles, but it was the last 18 miles I had to run for a while. I was making myself all kinds of mental promises of how long it would be before I had to run again. I may have promised myself as much as a month off. I don't know, I was kind of punch drunk here.  I finally came into the transition area and prepared for the last loop. 

My first running coach and great friend Katie agreed to go out of her comfort zone and pace me my last 18 miles, and run the trails in the dark. It was amazing. I started this loop in the dark last year, so it was nice to see what I missed.  I immediately let her know my current status as far as my stomach, my legs, and what I would be capable of running and what wasn't going to happen.  My stomach was fine, make sure I keep eating. My legs hurt. Don't let me walk the flats. We are running downhill if its not too rocky. I can't run the uphills. 

So we started the last loop and within a mile of leaving the aid station, I could feel a hot spot. My legs were starting to chafe. So we stopped and grabbed the aquaphore out of my pack (the make little tubes that are amazing and extremely handy to have on hand!) after 2 applications, we slowly made our way onward. I was starting to get a little grumpy and I was tired of eating. And tired of forcing myself to eat. After many stops and starts, and some external grumbling and a whole lot of internal grumbling, we slowly made our way to the aid station. It appears to be in the middle of nowhere and is a shining light in a big dark mountain. It's just gorgeous. if I had more energy I would have taken a picture. More food, some soup, more griping and we left again for the next and last aid station. Headlamps were very important now because this leg was very rocky. But I felt like it was less rocky than last year, it may have just been that my legs were a little less tired. But I was definitely fatigued and had a couple of people pass me up on this section. The competitive side of me wanted to chase them, but I just didn't have it in me. We finally made it to the mostly flat section that lead into the aid station. As we ran in I heard someone yelling "Go Robert!" Oh no!  Robert, who I hadn't really seen in about 20 miles, caught me! Akkkkk, turns out they were  mistaken, but he was super close, so I hustled.  He had been chasing me half the day, As I was getting ready to head out, Robert did show up. I yelled "Akkkk, Katie, we have to leave, Robert is here!" I really didn't care if he caught me or passed me, he is a far better runner. But the levity helped ease some of the fatigue I was feeling. We headed out to the last few miles. So close and yet so far away. 

I kept thinking that I just had to keep going. I was going to shave so much time off of last year's finish, which was frankly amazing, because I hadn't put in the work for this one.  I was basically coasting on grit and determination. And an unwillingness to conceded defeat. I'm kind of stubborn that way. I get that from my mom. 

The last 6 miles or so were runnable, which makes the tiredness and fatigue seem so much more apparent. But, as with the last 12 miles, I ran when I could and walked when I had to. We ran a few miles of packed dirt road, which would seem like a great surface, but it hurt so much. And I was fairly certain at some point there would be a sign that told us how much farther, but the longer we ran without sight of the magical sign, the more I was sure I imagined it last year. 1 mile from the finish we finally saw a sign that told us we were close! I was so happy. I 'happily' (this was a month ago, so I may not have been so happy) ran in to the finish, following Katie, and I was really glad I was behind her. She stopped short of a closed gate that was hard to see in the dark and cautioned me to not run into it. I'm pretty sure I would have run right into it, which would have been a lovely end to a pretty good trail run. 

As we finished I saw all of my Trail Crasher friends waiting and cheering, It was amazing. I was so happy to be done. And, I managed a qualifying time for the Western States lottery! 

This may be the hardest I've worked for a finish in a long time. 

Post race: we sat a while and waited for the rest of the finishers. The RD was offering a trucker hat and a bottle of champagne for the last runner, so there was a lot of joking about waiting at the line just before the finish and being the last one across. There was food at the finish, soup and burritos I heard, but I was too tired to walk over and see what they had. I wasn't hungry yet, mainly just tired. They also had warm showers at the finish, but that would require going to my car to get clothes to change into, and I just couldn't muster up the energy to walk the 1/4 mile to my car. Finally I forced myself to do it, and of course I couldn't get the fob on my car to unlock. After a few very cold minutes fighting with technology, I remembered you CAN get into your car with just the key. It wasn't a stellar mental moment for me. But, I gathered my stuff, managed to drive closer to the finish and made my way into the shower to wash off all of the disgustingness that had accumulated on me. It was magical. I never wanted to leave that shower. When I finally pulled myself away and went back to the finish to cheer more, my stomach was finally ready to take some food in. But I was still too lazy to venture to the food, so I just 'sipped" on some YumButter to get some protein back in my body.  Seemed to work great, because my energy returned and I was able to drive the hour home without my stomach getting queasy from hunger or becoming tired. 

So, yay, another race done. A new PR and a qualifying time for the WS lottery.  This race now has me wondering what kind of finishing time I would have had if I had trained for this race....  If you want to try some Yumbutter, message me for a coupon! I would love for you to try it out, it's amazing and so portable!!! (Yumbutter.com for more info)