Somehow I went almost a whole week without blogging which is so unlike me! I am not sure how that happened, it’s just been a busy week I guess with running, sleeping (a lot!), eating, working, and family time.
I was originally signed up for the PCTR Pacifica 30k that had been previously moved from January and I was excited to get a little revenge on that course. But we received an email in the middle of the week that the race had been moved again. There has been a lot of drama surrounding a couple of the Bay Area trail racing companies, and I don’t want to get into any of it – I just want to run!
I immediately checked the other trail race websites and signed up for Inside Trail Racing’s Lake Chabot race that was happening the same day. I ran their inaugural race, which they did a great job at, so I was excited to get to go run another one of their races. I wasn’t too excited about the course since I did the double half marathons there for New Years, but I was excited to see the 30k was one big loop without having to loop around a bunch of times. I didn’t look closely at the rest of the map, which would end up being a fun surprise!
(source)
Another benefit to the race was it was on my side of the bay, so I didn’t have to get up and leave as early. I woke up, did my normal pre-race/long run routine of coffee, toast + peanut butter, and a Clif Bar. I got dressed and drove the 30 minute drive over to Lake Chabot!
Cate and Jana signed up too and I was so excited to see these two! We all made it there and found each other very easily. We got our bibs, stood around talking for a bit, used the bathroom and pretty soon it was time to run!
Me, Cate, baby Ellie and Jana – thank you Cate for the pic!
This was my “cutback” week for my long runs, so the 30k fit in perfectly with my long run schedule. I wanted to treat this just like a long run and practice my fueling and all of that, plus just enjoy being outside on another perfect Bay Area day.
The course starts on the paved path that winds around the lake for almost 2 miles, then we hit the dirt! In the other races I have done, we did an extra loop before crossing the bridge that takes you around the lake, so I was surprised when we went right across the bridge.
Then I was surprised again when we turned left instead of right going up the big hill that I had done in the New Years races. I had never run this way before! I was really excited to see some new trails and routes around this lake and I probably had a big smile on my face the whole time.
I was running along feeling pretty good but still trying to find my groove. I have noticed lately that it takes me a long time before I start feeling good and find a zone. Sometimes even 10 miles! I am getting used to it now and know not to get frustrated and just keep running.
We had a couple steep climbs in miles 3-5 that I would hike/run up, but a good section of the race was very runnable. I loved this part of the trail and was so excited I had decided to run this race. If I would have paid more attention to the course map I would have known!
We hit the first aid station just after 5 miles, but I didn’t take anything. I had a couple packs of Shot Bloks with me that I was eating every 2 miles and those were working just fine. I was carrying my bigger 20 ounce handheld to make sure I had more water. I also took my salt caps every hour or so. It was a little warm in the sun, but luckily there was a lot of shade!
I ran along continuing on the yellow loop and ran into Emily is who is a blog reader! I love getting to meet people out on the courses and trail runners are so nice, so it was fun to chat with her for a minute. The orange loop split off soon after, and the 30k and 50k runners turned right while the half marathoners went straight. I had never been out to this portion of the park before and it was great. We had some wide fire roads on the way out, some single track in the middle and some shaded fire roads on the way back. It was so fun and I was feeling better every mile.
Once I got to around mile 10 I started feeling really good. I felt like I could run up most hills and just felt stronger as I went. I was running faster than I normally would on a standard long run, but wasn’t pushing the pace too hard either. I was definitely in the happy zone. I hit the last aid station with about 4 miles to go, drank some coke (seriously loving the soda mid-race right now!), filled up my bottle again, and headed out to finish up strong.
The next few miles went by pretty fast and before I knew it we were back on the paved path with about a mile to go. I pushed it a little bit harder here and ran all the rollers knowing the end was close. I ran into a friend here too and talked for a minute and just kept on running. I could see the finish line up ahead and knew I was getting close! I rounded the finish so happy I ran this race.
18.4 miles/3:07:55/10:11 avg pace
2100+ elevation gain
AG: 4/10
Overall: 24/56
After the race I hung out for a bit chatting with Jana, Cate, Mike, Ellie and with some other friends too. It’s so fun to know people at all these smaller races. It’s definitely a great community I am so grateful to be a part of.
143, I love you! 
Overall I am so happy I did this race. The course was fantastic (and now I have some new routes to explore on my own!), the volunteers were amazing and Inside Trails had another very successful race. I will most definitely be back again!
Good job! I love hearing about your trail running & it has be itching it try it. Do something that scares you is in my near future!
Sounds like a great race. Congrats on having a fun time too!
Nice race report and a great race! I was just like you – not really interested in Lake Chabot again so soon after the New Years halves, but the new trail bits were a nice change and made it fun (even if it did seem to put us even closer than normal to the shooting range).
Those guns were LOUD yesterday!! My friend didn’t know about the shooting range so it was quite a surprise for her
Sounds like a good time! Just out of curiosity – do races like that have a decent amount of food for runners a the end or do you end up having to bring your own?
At the aid stations or after the race? The race companies I have done races with have had plenty of food and snacks at both!
After. I figure if they give you bagels and fruit at the end of a 5K where you’re running for half an hour, they should be serving a 5 course meal at the end of a trail race or an ultra where people are running longer than most people sleep per night…
Nice work out there!!
Reading your blog make me want to start trail running. But crazy trail hills really scare me. I guess I have to start slowly.
YES! The thing with trail running is you just hike the hills and pretty soon you will be able to run hills you used to never dream of. It’s so fun to watch yourself get stronger and get over being afraid of them – I was in the same place!
Congrats! Another great race
Wow, that’s crazy to think of taking up to 10 miles to ‘warm up.’ I get frustrated after 3. Amazing how ultra running will change your perspective.
Congrats on a strong 30K!
Thanks for the inspiration again! A trail race is in the cards soon for me too – I can feel it. (Like Rena the hills scare me right now…). I’m definitely trying to get into the mindset of hiking the hills, and taking that opportunity to take more photos.
Aww love Chabot- looks like you got a fun new route out of this one, I’ll have to join you next time.
AND nice job, speedy! 10 min/mi !
nice placement!! you’re doing so well on the trails. keep it up!
Hey Aron! It was nice to meet you out there on Saturday. Great job on your race! Keep up the 50 mile training, you’re doing great so far. See you at Cool!