Muir Beach 17K Race Report

The soreness from last week’s foray into bona fide trail racing had largely faded and I was ready to give it another go. I signed up for the Muir Beach 32K shortly after registering for the Woodside edition, but with the beating my legs I had taken, I opted to drop down to 17K instead. Just over 10 miles sounded like a cakewalk compared to 20+ last week. The race series now had moved north over the Golden Gate Bridge to the famed Golden Gate National Recreation Area (over 75,500 acres!). I had done a midweek run down the Coastal Trail, up the Rodeo Valley Trail, and completing the loop along the SCA trail. The terrain here is a stark contrast to that found in New England. Low growing Mediterranean brush, rocky cliffs and the serenity of the Pacific Ocean just beyond. Today, I was feeling more comfortable with my surroundings and less anxious about what lay ahead.

An added twist for this Saturday’s race was this weekend coincided with my best friend’s bachelor party in SF. I had more than a couple drinks and was greeted by father hangover this morning… guess I always need a challenge. After scanning the results from the previous year, the times seemed to roughly correlate to a half marathon time, so shooting for a 1:25-1:26 would put me in contention. Although shorter than last weekend’s course, the elevation change was equally challenging. Galvanized by last week’s experience, I decided to start conservatively.






As we lined up on the dark sanded staging area in anticipation of the start, I soaked in the cool and refreshing Pacific beach air. I wasn’t sure when I’d be back to do this again, so I tried to soak in the moment. I had even toyed with the idea of bringing along my camera to capture the coastal scenery, but decided I didn’t want to risk flinging my camera down a ravine during a rapid descent. I went out easier this time (partly sticking to race plan and partly out of necessity due to the hangover) and found myself comfortably letting other runners go by on the initial ascent. There were sections steep enough on the first climb that I was reduced to a fast walk to keep from redlining. At the first fork in the trail, the course leveled off as we were treated to the morning sun reflecting off the ocean surface. After a brief descent, a steeper climb ensued paved with uneven steps.

I was beginning to wonder if the hangover would ever release its hold and whether it was a mistake to race again. I finally reached the top of the climb and could see the entire Tennessee Valley stretching before my eyes. I glanced at my watch and made a mental note that I would need to be closer to 30 min. rather than 40 min. at the first aid station to be on pace. I had no idea what place I was in and I was happy to pick-off runners on the steep descent. After my first trail racing experience, I started to dread the downhills. However, I quickly realized on this first descent that descending was my strength. I had been trying to keep pace with the only runner I recognized from last week, Will Gotthardt, who had placed third in the 50K, but flew by him on the descent. The course included a half-mile of paved road leading up to the first aid station. I took a couple swigs of electrolyte drink and set off on the 2nd loop of the course. (33:25 – 8:40/mile)

The 2nd climb started gradually for the first ¼ mile and then gets noticeably steeper for what seems like almost two miles. Fortunately, the traction was good, the grade was even, and I had some company on the climb. While the 33K & 50K runners kept going straight, we 17Kers made a sharp right turn and continued climbing. I could now clearly gauge the competition and saw 4 or 5 runners ahead that were within striking distance. If I didn’t catch them on the final climb, I would get them on the descent. I passed by a curious looking structure at the top of the climb that appeared to be part of air traffic control. I was feeling pretty good now and really started to hammer on the downhill. I’m pretty sure I was out of control on the steeper portions, but by the time I hit the Tennessee Valley aid station again, I had passed 4 out of the 5 runners, and the fifth runner was in eyeshot. (29:08 – 7:49/mile).

I caught him on the paved section and asked what place he thought we were in. He pointed to one guy just in front, a woman maybe two minutes ahead, and possibly a couple more in front. I was still feeling strong and wondered how many more runners I could reel in. From what I remember, the last climb was the steepest and it was no joke. It was steep and the top wasn’t visible, but I could at least see the next runner ahead and keyed off of him. I tried to take small strides and maintain turnover, but a half-mile in, I was reduced to a walk. The runner I had just passed slowly gained, and he said, “Wow, you’re walking as fast as I’m running.” I replied, “at this point, I don’t think it makes a difference.” With the summit in sight, I was just trying to limit my losses so that the two runners were within striking distance on the final run down to the finish line. I quickly caught the first runner shortly after the cresting the hill. The ocean view emerged before me and with the beach now in view, it spurred me on. Soon, I was in full stride, arms flailing to stay in balance. This was an instance I wish someone videotaped me because I must have looked ridiculous! Form notwithstanding, I was absolutely flying and I think I covered the last stretch (~1.5 miles) in less than 9 minutes. I caught the next runner on the last switchback and the momentum carried me through to the finish line. (23:35 – 7:58/mile)

The next runner came through only a couple seconds back, and collapsed to the ground, making some comment about young guys with fast twitch muscles. I ran this race much more sensibly, as the splits indicate my effort level rose gradually throughout the race, as opposed to the abrupt fade last weekend. Mentally and physically, it was a much better way to race. The 17K results show some impressive performances. It looks like there was a pretty good battle at the front, with two guys finishing with 7:30/mile average paces. The next finisher also had an incredible race, and she has a great blog. She was way ahead and there was no way I was catching her. In retrospect, I’m glad I dropped down to the 17K; there was no way my legs could handle another 20 miler and I found it easier to focus on the shorter distance. If I’m lucky enough to be able to do next weekend’s Rodeo Beach race, I’ll try to tweak my race strategy again and even out my pacing over the distance.

Dist (Km) Split Pace Avg HR Max HR
6.2 33:24.5 8:40 163 171
6.0 29:07.7 7:48 168 173
4.8 23:35.3 7:54 170 177
Totals
17.0 1:26:07.5 8:09 167 177

Woodside 35K - My 1st long trail race

Recently, I’ve been finding races by serendipity and this one was no different. I was headed out to the Bay Area for a conference and best friend’s bachelor party and was looking for some local races. In the last two weeks, I’ve been picking up the mileage again and my legs are feeling back to normal after New York. After doing a cursory search of races in the Bay Area, I came across a promising trail race series. They organize trail races of varying lengths (8K-50K on one day) along some of the most gorgeous trails all along the Pacific coast of California. The minute I discovered this, I was sold. I immediately signed up for the Woodside 35K and reasoned that a 20 miler on trails would be much easier to recover from than one on the roads.

I cruised down 280 the morning of and tried to soak up the clean mountain air. The temperature was perfect when I pulled into Huddart Park and with about 15 minutes to spare, I quickly pulled on my racing gear, got my number, and headed straight for the bathroom to get rid of some baggage. I really had no idea what I was getting into and I approached this like a normal training run. However, I was leaving the world of the “roadie” and entering uncharted trail racing territory. Just to give you some brief background, my favorite training runs these days are on trails. However, my trail racing resume is comparatively thin, consisting of the 7.5 mile Skyline Trail Race in the Blue Hills Reservation, and the Stone Tower 15 K in the Fells Reservation a week before New York. Now, I was doubling the distance. I looked at the map and elevation profile (see below - yes the scale is in thousands) and quickly realized these hills were going to make Heartbreak look like a mound of dirt.





I went strong on the initial downhill to try to get position on the ensuing single-track and once we hit the wider trails, I settled into a more manageable pace as the climbing began. My heart rate was around 170 and I questioned whether this was something I could manage for 20 miles. The hills weren’t steep, but the first climb was LONG! It soon narrowed to single track and my heart rate was quickly getting out of control. The 35K had started with the 17K, so I really wasn’t sure with whom I was running. The climb just kept going and at some point, I stopped caring where the top was and how long I had been climbing. Later on, I saw a guy that had passed me earlier doubled over and puking his guts out. Shortly before reaching the top of the first climb and the first aid station, a strong looking guy came motoring by, who turned out to be the eventual 35K winner. Most of the front-runners seemed to be carrying water bottles and I wondered if this was going to be an issue later on in the race.

The course mercifully leveled out after the first aid station heading out to Bear Gulch and I finally settled into a more even rhythm. A bunch of runners I was with turned around (meaning they were 17K runners), so at this point I had no idea what place I was in. I cruised along this portion of the course largely on my own. It was more rolling hills rather than an extended climb, so it felt great to stride out on the downhill portions. After a longer than normal descent, the course leveled out, then entered a series of ascending switchbacks. Now I was running into other 35K runners making the turnaround and quickly deduced that I was in 3rd. An older runner was also hot on my heels as I entered the aid station. I downed some electrolyte fluid, some coke, grabbed a banana and a handful of shotblox, and began the return journey. My legs were still in reasonably good shape and so I was able to maintain a pretty good cadence. I started to put some distance over the next runner, but also passed a runner on his way out that I knew had passed me awhile back. He must have taken a wrong turn at some point.

The return trip was a little less lonely with the other 35K runners still making their way to the turnaround point. I spent most of this portion just enjoying the scenery, but in the back of my mind, I also wondered when I was going to hit the wall…. Yes, probably not the most productive thoughts to be having, but with the hard start and my low mileage base, I was just being realistically. Surprisingly, what did happen was about a mile and a half from the next aid station, I started to feel a tightening in my right medial quad. I have never cramped up during a race, and I wondered if I was starting get dehydrated. The cramp got progressively worse and eventually, the fellow who had taken the wrong turn passed me about a mile from the aid station. I tried staying with him but the cramp was preventing from opening up my stride and it was worse on downhill portion. I was in real trouble now, as the last portion of the course was mostly downhill.

I made it to the final aid station barely in front of the older runner (2:25), and he left the aid station before me, meaning I was now in 5th. Two other runners were not far back, and in my condition, I knew I was going to get passed by both of them. Uphill portions were tough and the downhill portions were aggravating the cramp. The first downhill reduced my stride to a trot and that was how it stayed for the remainder of the race. Two more runners passed me in quick succession and now I was sitting in 7th place. I spent the remainder of the run walking the uphills and jogging the downhills. When I finally hit the asphalt road, I was just happy the run was going to be over. One more runner went buzzing by about a mile from the finish and I finally struggled into the finish area with a time of 3:07:57 (8:35/mile).

So, what can I say about this race? All-in-all it was a very interesting experience for my first long distance trail race. First of all, it was a great way to get in a long training run, which was my original intent. The scenery was breath-taking and more dramatic than anything I’ve seen in the New England area. However, it was also a learning experience. No matter how much of a base I have, I cannot expect to finish strong in a 20+ mile race after averaging about 15 miles per week in the last two weeks. Also, starting out conservatively is even more critical in a trail race with rolling terrain and huge elevation changes. I took the first climb pretty aggressively and paid for it at the end (I could only manage a 9:14/mile going downhill!). Finally, personal hydration strategy is a must for longer trail races. I’m positive I was dehydrated and the ensuing cramp was compounded by my lack of fitness. Nevertheless, I was happy with a top 10 finish and found that I enjoyed the challenge and adventure of trail racing.

Results: 10th out 173, 5th in my division

Dist Split Total Pace
9.7K 54:51 54:51 9:07
9.1K 45:30 1:40:21 8:03
9.1K 45:11 2:25:32 8:00
7.4K 42:25 3:07:57 9:14