When Cristen, Lauren, Caron and I began planning our adventure, we wanted to take advantage of the amazing places in our very own state.  Not only is it easier logistically (drivable!), but California is such a huge state with so many parts that none of us had explored yet.  Cristen threw out the idea of the Lost Coast area and we began brain storming and researching which parks were the best to run in.  Yet again, I stumbled on Leor’s blog post the same day we were figuring out where to go, and we knew right then Prairie Creek Redwood Park was where we were headed.

We continued our research on which trails we wanted to see, how we could connect them all together, and how to cover 30+ miles without retracing any footsteps until finally it clicked.  We had a big heart-ish shaped loop drawn out, starting in Redwood National Forest, going all the way through and around Prairie Creek Redwood Park and circling back. We rented an amazing house on the ocean just south of Trinidad and everything else fell into place.

Friday morning I picked up Cristen then we picked up Lauren and made our final stop at Caron’s before making the 300 mile drive north to Trinidad.  I had never been on Highway 101 past Cloverdale, so I was excited to see so many new parts of California on our way.  We hit up a local co-op in Eureka for groceries and finally made it to the house around 4pm.  The pictures hadn’t done the house justice and we were all walking around in awe.

That night we cooked pasta, watched the sunset and set out all of our things getting ready for the next day.  We were all very excited, but I was able to get a great night of sleep listening to the sound of waves crashing outside the window.

We woke up at 5:15, got dressed, ate breakfast and made sure we had everything we might possibly need.  We made the 30 minute drive north to Orick and found the trailhead off the dirt road where we would be starting.  We were all really excited at this point, full of anticipation of what the day might bring, and then it was time to start running!

We began by running back down the dirt road we had driven up and then ran a mile north on 101 before turning left into the Elk Meadow Day Use Area.  We found our first trail, Davison, easily and were very pleasantly surprised at what we found.  This was the one trail I hadn’t really seen any pictures of or read anything about, so I didn’t have very high expectations.  It turned out to be incredibly beautiful, very runnable, and at this moment I just knew it was going to be a good day.

Just over 5 miles later, we made our way into Prairie Creek Campground.  We did get turned around a little bit here trying to find the next trailhead (thanks to wrong directions from a camper), but we figured it out quickly without adding too much mileage.

We found the trailhead for Prairie Creek Trail and again were all in awe of what surrounded us.  The trees were so tall and wide, and the trails were impeccable.  It was simply trail running heaven.

We wound our way through the redwoods, taking in all the scenery and just enjoying the sounds and our own conversations.  We didn’t see anyone for miles. Just before mile 11 we made a left turn onto Zig Zag #2 Trail for our first climb of the day.  We took it easy and hiked a lot of this portion, continuing to gawk at all the huge redwoods around us. This trail dropped us onto West Ridge Trail which we followed along for another few miles.  The redwoods were endless and the miles were flying by.

We eventually ran into Coastal Trail, which we turned left on. Despite the name, we were still in the middle of endless redwoods for a mile or two. Then suddenly it opened up and we had huge redwoods on our left and grassy fields on our right, with the ocean right on the other side of the grass. We found a waterfall, ran through a lot of really tall grass and admired all the wildflowers growing.

We took this trail all the way to the entrance of Fern Canyon. We stopped and had “lunch” here, checked the map and regrouped before starting the second half of our adventure.

Fern Canyon was incredible – a canyon with walls of ferns and water running through the middle of it. The girls took their time hopping on logs trying to keep their feet dry, while I just ran through the middle of it all. I love getting my feet wet! There were some downed trees to climb over and we were just having fun playing like kids in this canyon.

We made the climb out of the canyon onto James Irvine Trail which we would follow for another few miles. We followed the trails for more endless redwoods and continued to be engulfed in trail running heaven. We split up a little bit over this section, all taking the trails at our own pace and regrouping every couple miles. It was a lot warmer than I had expected, so we were all drinking a lot of water and on top of our fueling and electrolytes.

We then hit Miner’s Ridge Trail, which we turned right on, that would take us back to the coast.  We all stuck together over the next few miles and this is where the stories started getting really good.  Long runs and trail running really have a way of letting your guard down and it’s just so easy to start spilling your soul.  All those stories will definitely be remaining on the trails and not be published on the blog.

We finally made our way to the end of the trail, desperately looking for water.  Lauren and I both were out and Cristen and Caron were pretty close.  Luckily there was a campground right there with cold, amazing drinking water.  We took a break, ate some more snacks and refilled our packs before heading out on a couple miles on the dirt road before hitting the sandy beach.

In this section, we passed 26.2 miles on my Garmin and I made sure to announce to everything – it was now their longest run ever! I was so excited to get to share this moment with them.

Around mile 28 we made our way onto the sandy beach of Gold Bluffs Beach. I knew this was going to be a little risky this late in the day – sand is not the easiest thing to maneuver with tired legs. The beach made up for it though. We made our way along this mile section of vast beach without anyone in sight.

We realized that finding our next trail head from the beach might be easier said than done, but Cristen thankfully Cristen spotted the sign and we didn’t miss it. We stopped to get the sand out of our shoes, take some photos and began the climb up and over on Coastal Skunk Cabbage Trail – which would be our last trail of the day.

We weren’t exactly sure how many miles we had left, but we knew it would be somewhere between 32 and 34. We found a sign along the way that confirmed it would be 33 miles. The thing about runs like this, is you have to be very adaptable. You can’t be stuck on a specific distance or time, because so much can happen to change that along the way. The girls had the best attitudes about this, and actually were really excited when I told them it would be 33 miles.

We continued to run through the incredibly lush trail, all knowing the “finish line” was near, and soon enough, I could see the signs for the trailhead ahead. We were back to where we had started, 33.1 miles later.

We had cold drinks and snacks waiting in the car as we sat there recapping the day for a few minutes. Sitting there at the car, I couldn’t believe how fast the day went by and how seamlessly everything went.

Once we got back to the house we celebrated with margaritas, Mexican food, another beautiful sunset, and an early bed time – we were all pretty wiped.  It was an incredible day on the most amazing trails with friends who I now feel bonded to more than ever.  I am so happy I was able to share this experience with these women and that I have the opportunity to drive a few hours and experience such amazing scenery.  Like I said at the beginning, I didn’t know it was possible, but I have fallen even harder for this amazing state I am so lucky to call home.

As we made the drive home on Sunday, we continued to laugh, talk and story tell, but my favorite part were all the references to “next time.”  I had warned them when we started the drive on Friday that these adventure runs were addictive, and I am glad to see they didn’t prove me wrong – not that I ever had any doubt in my mind. 

One adventure just sets fire to the need for another… now to figure out what is next.

This year I set out with a simple goal of being more adventurous in my running.  While I have had a few races and goals along the way, going new places, running new trails and being fully engulfed in the adventure of each day is what has driven my winter and spring.

Not quite two years ago, I was very lucky in joining Clif Bar – a company that inspires and encourages the need for adventure.  Just walking around the office, looking at the walls and listening to people talk, creates this desire to get outside and go explore.  It’s very much contagious around here.

Not long after I started, I found myself settling into a weekly running routine with a group of women.  Every Tuesday, rain or shine, we meet and head out for a run.  I still remember one particularly stormy morning not long after I started, when we braved the pouring rain and howling wind for our weekly run.  Everyone was there, no one backed out and we all went running and laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation while doing it.  At that moment, I knew I liked these women.  We all are in somewhat different departments and all at somewhat different stages of life, but the roads and trails bring us together weekly.  It’s a safe place where we can vent when need be, laugh more often than not, and generally just find a comfort in knowing that every Tuesday, we have a friend to run with.

In January of this year, I sent an email out to the group about the San Francisco Marathon, which quickly switched topics to going on an adventure inspired by some co-workers adventures last year.  The discussions started, then the more serious brainstorming began and before I knew it, our adventure run was happening.

We set some parameters and figured out a location and route that would benefit everyone.  Dates were finalized, training plans were penciled into the calendar, fueling was practiced, hydration packs were purchased, a house was rented, and many, many miles were ran.  We started meeting 30 minutes earlier than normal to squeeze in a few extra miles on our weekly runs, and time ticked on by.  Due to injury and other commitments, our group sadly shrunk by a couple runners, but four of us – Cristen, Lauren, Caron and I – are ready to go.  Suddenly here we are, a few days out from the big adventure run we have been talking about for months.

Not only am I excited to get out and explore a part of California I haven’t been to, but I am so excited to share this experience with this group of women.  My favorite runs this year haven’t been the ones that were focused on mileage or time, they have been the ones that I am sharing an experience with great friends in beautiful places, and I just happen to be running at the same time.  I always say that the best way to get to know someone is to go on a long run with them and this will be no different.  Although I do feel like I know these women pretty well from our Tuesday runs, I am excited to take that to a different level and create some lifelong memories along the way – because over the course of 30+ miles on unfamiliar trails, there are bound to be at least a few stories and memories.

As we head into this journey, I was struck by a quote last week from Clif Bar’s founder Gary Erickson that I want to make sure we keep with us along the way:

“Be patient. Embrace the unknown.”

Happy adventuring everyone!

I have no idea what month it was, but somehow Jojo committed to being the 4:15 pacer for the marathon, which I then got talked into.  I had always wanted to pace a marathon and figured this was a great way and with the perfect person.  We then tag teamed Jessica and convinced her to pace the half as her last long run before Boston.  Pretty soon, a road trip to my parent’s house was happening!

We made the 4 hour drive down from the Bay Area early Saturday morning with Kylie and Emma in tow.  We dropped them off at my parents, hooked up with my other friend Jess, then drove back up to SLO to get a short run in in Poly Canyon before hitting up the expo. 

Wildflowers in Poly Canyon

At the expo, we had a pacer meeting where we met the other pacers, picked up our shirts and signs, and went over logistics of the next morning.  I was happy to have Jojo as my fellow pacer, because I have to admit, I was a little nervous about this one!  I hadn’t run a road marathon in over a year, and just was nervous about it all.  I had faith though that my legs would carry me through. 

We headed back south to Santa Maria, ate some amazing flatbread pizza for dinner, and set our alarms for a very early morning.  The race started at 6am, so when you add to that a 30 minute drive and a 4:45am bus ride, it makes for a very early day.

We made it to the buses very smoothly and made our way over to San Luis Obispo High School for the start.  There was a lot of energy for so early in the morning and we found our way around easily.  Before we knew it, it was time to head to the start corrals. 

I had looked up how long Garmins typically clocked the full marathon and taken that into account when we were figuring our average goal pace.  I also printed off a 4:15 pace band so we could check our total time against the mile markers as we went.  Since the course ran around 26.4 on most Garmins, we went with that distance which was a 9:39 average.

As we lined up getting ready to go, I got really excited.  Excited for all the first time marathoners out there, excited for what the day might bring and excited to be part of a race in this new way.  The national anthem was sung and we were off!

It was still dark when the race started so it was hard to see our Garmins.  We were checking in with them constantly these first couple miles to make sure we were on pace.  It was hard to find what this pace felt like at first.  I knew this course was full of rolling hills, but we planned to just keep it pretty steady most of the way.

We eventually found our rhythm as the sun was coming up.  We had a good group of people around us and I talked to a couple here and there.  A lot of the group would speed up on the downhills, and we would catch some on the uphills, but we stuck to our pace pretty well.

Once we left downtown, we headed out to the beautiful wine country.  It was such a perfect day, sunny but not too hot and just a little wind.  I was having so much fun running with Jojo.  I was telling her stories about the places we passed (my cat Bailey is named after Baileyana winery, and Chris and my first apartment!), and we were having fun chatting with some runners around us.  A lot of our group ended up going ahead of us and we were alone for a quite a while, but still had a couple runners we would connect with here and there. 

In the middle miles, we made a friend named Pat, who is a 60 year old man and he was running his 3rd marathon!  We loved getting to know him and hear his story.  He ran with us for a number of miles, and carried our pacer sign for a few miles too.

We continued to check in with our pace band every mile and we were always just about a minute or less ahead.  We kept ticking off the miles and our average hovered right around 9:39 where we wanted to be. 

A highlight for me was my mom was out on the course around mile 22.  She had been to pretty much all my marathons when I was trying to BQ and always saw me either in a lot of pain, very disappointed, or both.  I was excited for her to see a different Aron running, the much happier, joyful runner I feel like I am today.  Sure enough, she saw me and we waved and yelled hi and she couldn’t believe the difference from the last time she saw me at mile 22 of a marathon.

The last few miles were my favorite.  I have been in so many races where even though my A goal was gone, I would set a new goal over those last few miles because a pacer ran by me.  This happened a couple times in this race for us.  We picked up a couple guys in these last miles who were hurting, but they hung on right next to us for the last couple, really fought for it, and ended up finishing ahead of us.  

We weren’t sure what the clock time was going to be, but as we made the long final descent into the finish line, we knew our chip time would be close.  As we crossed the finish line I looked over to see 4:14:58 on the clock which made us so happy.

Chip time: 4:14:43

Definitely a rolling course!

We were greeted by one of the guys that we ran with the last couple miles who thanked us for pushing him those last miles, which made the day even better.  It was such an amazing day and I had so much fun being out there, running with Jojo and running as a pacer.  I would definitely do it again in a heartbeat.

I loved this race.  I loved the rolling hills, the beautiful course, the organization, the support and the small town vibe.  I will definitely be back.

I used this race as an excuse for a mini vacation to visit family, hang out with Jen, run in Forest Park and take in Portland since I hadn’t spent much time there previously.  I flew in early Thursday morning, spent the day with family a couple hours outside of Portland, then spent the rest of the weekend with the amazing hostess Jen.  We ran Wildwood Friday, ate delicious food, explored her neighborhood on walks and took in Portland’s first sunny weekend of the season.  It was simply a great, great weekend.

Saturday morning I woke up early and was dropped off at the start by Zach (Jen’s husband) and Justin (Alisa’s husband) who were both volunteering at an aid station.  It was so fun to be in a different state but actually know people volunteering!  Jojo and I found each other easily at the start and we huddled together in the cold, windy morning.  We also ran into Andee (my second time this month!) and chatted with her for a bit.  Everything was very easy logistically and timing just fell right into place very stress free.

Then it was time to run!  The course is an out and back due to some trail damage last year, with the first big climb right at the start.  We didn’t have plans to run really hard or fast (for us) this race, it was more about taking in the scenery and enjoying running on new trails.  

We started seeing the waterfalls right from the start and wow they were incredible.  My legs were working hard on this first long climb, but we just settled into a pace right in the middle of the pack of people we were with.  Going down the other side of this big climb was pretty tough.  Technical downhills are not my strong suit and it was tested a lot here.  I wasn’t able to look around much since I was focusing on my footing and all the slippery rocks.  Eventually we made it down and were in the more “flat” section.

The first aid station was where Zach and Justin were, so it was fun to see them and chat for a few minutes about what we were experiencing out there.  Zach ran the race last year, so was able to give us some tips on what was coming up.  It was also fun to know we would see them on the way back a couple hours later.

We made sure to stop and take in each waterfall and everything around us.  This course was a lot more technical and rocky than I had anticipated, so it did make it hard at some points to not be constantly staring at the ground in front of me.  My feet were slipping a lot on the moss covered rocks, my ankles were tired, and it was just a little tougher than usual mentally for me. 

Since it was an out and back we saw the leaders coming through which was really fun.  I was fascinated by how fast they were able to run through these technical parts – their feet must not touch the ground!

We hit the road section, which is about 1-2 miles and were able to cruise along here.  There is a last trail section at the end of the road that you have to climb up, then go down and are rewarded with the biggest, most amazing waterfall.  The runners had you pick up a poker chip to return at the aid station as proof that you went all the way down. 

After a fuel and bathroom stop, we headed back and continued running where we could, hiking where we couldn’t, but we were definitely moving faster on the way back.  Everything looked a whole lot differently this time, both from the angle the sun was out now, and also because I missed a lot the first time.  Where the technical descents were before, we were climbing and I was able to take in my surroundings a bit more.  The crowd of runners was also very spaced out at this point, so I felt less claustrophobic in my running on these trails.

We saw Zach and Justin once again at the last aid station and stopped to take in some fuel.  We were the only two this time, where the first time it was packed with runners. 

We only had a few more miles to go, but that included the biggest climb and descent and some tough rocky sections.  We kept going strong and Jojo was pulling me along when I was cranky.  There were a lot of tourists out at this point too, so we had to do a lot of weaving around people, dogs and strollers to get where we were going.  We were rewarded with some great views of the river from up high and continued to be mesmerized by all the waterfalls, but pushed it to get to the finish line. 

Eventually we were almost back to where we started and turned the corner to the finish line.  We saw Jen and Penny cheering us on, and Jojo and I crossed the finish line to another adventure together.

6:03:39/5,900’ gain       

The course was really beautiful and I would definitely recommend it to people wanting to get out and explore the waterfalls – it was such a great way to see it all.  It was much more technically difficult than I anticipated though, so make sure to have your mental game on for that. 

It was such a great weekend in Portland that I am so glad I was able to experience.  I left feeling so happy and grateful for such great friends – both in Jen taking me in all weekend and really having the chance to connect on a personal level that you don’t get over email and texts, and Jojo always being up for an adventure and being the best running friend a girl could ask for, and not just while running.

At the top of our ever expanding Bay Area trail bucket list were the trails out at Point Reyes, which is on the coast about 40 miles north of San Francisco.  I was very excited when she picked this spot, and Jess and I immediately started doing our research of which trails we needed to run on.  We stumbled on Leor’s Pantilat’s blog which had a ton of resourceful posts on running Point Reyes.  We loved one route in particular, so we printed off some maps and made our way north, with Charlotte joining us too!    

It was a pretty chilly morning, but we knew the sun would come out and warm us up.  We started with layers which would eventually be shed, and had our packs full of water and fuel.  We also decided to add some fun to our outfits and make our own “color run” by wearing as many colors as possible.  Typical girlie birthday party right? 

We started climbing pretty quick into the redwood forest.  The first 2 miles are straight up, gaining almost 1200 feet, which is also the highest point of the run.  The ground was soft and it was incredibly beautiful with the sunshine peeking through the trees.

We came to our first intersection and turned onto a new trail.  All the trails were really well marked, so we had {almost} no problems getting lost. 

We made another turn and eventually got our first views of the ocean.

We left the trees behind for single track with endless views of the ocean… 

…and our first incredible views of our beloved California coastline. 

We turned onto the Coast trail, which was a very runnable single track, that, as expected, ran right along the coast.

We made a couple of small detour trips along the way, the first one being going down to Kelham Beach.  It was a short trip down (and back up) a bunch of stairs but it was well worth it.

We found waterfalls…

…and an empty private beach.

Me, Jojo and Jess

After playing around on the beach, we made our way back up onto Coast trail where we did some good running until our next detour.  At some point we came along the intersection to Arch Rock, which we definitely wanted to stop and see.

Unfortunately, the tide was up, so we didn’t go all the way down onto the beach.  Jojo and I did climb down for a closer view of the arch while Charlotte and Jess watched us from above.

Arch Rock and a peek at the ocean

We made sure to check out the views from on top of Arch Rock as well.  There were more incredible coastal views that took our breath away.

It was getting warmer at this point and we still had quite a bit of ground to cover, so we continued on our way.  We made the decent down to Wildcat Camp and started running into a lot of hikers.  We missed a turn in here somewhere and went a little too far before we realized that we needed to turn around.  Always plan for extra miles!  We also decided not to head down to Alamere Falls since the trail is known for dense poison oak, and this is where a majority of people seemed to be headed.   

We made the exposed climb back up into the redwoods where we were greeted with some very welcomed shady single track.  

We finished running on the gentle Bear Valley Trail which brought us back to where we started, 24+ miles later. 

If it’s not evident from all the pictures I took, this run definitely ranks very highly on my list of favorite routes, and I would highly recommend visiting these trails if you get a chance.  It was incredibly beautiful, with constantly changing terrain and views, some challenging hills, but mostly fun, runnable trails.  I felt really secluded and didn’t see many people until later in the run, which really enhanced the zen vibe you get being in a place like this.  I can’t wait to get out there again very soon.

Route (~22-24 miles):
Start at Bear Valley Visitor Center
Head south, turn left on Mt Wittenberg Trail
Left on Sky
Right on Woodward Valley
Left on Coast Trail all the way down to Wildcat Camp
*side trips off Coast Trail: Kelham Beach and Arch Rock
Continue on Ocean Lake Loop
Left Coast and follow back up where you have been until you hit Glen
Follow Glen (kind of a zig zag) to Bear Valley which takes you back to the parking lot

And I mean, it’s Boston and it’s running, it just feels so personal.  This blog was consumed by Boston Marathon talk for years on end, and to watch something so special and sacred to so many people close to me get tarnished this way, I just can’t make any sense of it and can’t stop thinking about it.

I have always been excited for Marathon Monday, but this year I was excited on a different level.  Three of the women I have spent the most miles with this spring were all toeing the line of their first Boston Marathon.  It brought back so many memories and I was just so genuinely excited for them.

I got to work at the same time they would start running, because I just really wanted to be there virtually cheering them on for every step of their race.  I hit refresh more times than I care to admit and followed them as they made their journeys to Boylston.  I imagined what they were feeling as their 40k split would come up and remembered those precious moments of the last mile.  Those absolute bittersweet moments, where you just want to finish running but you also never want that scream deafening, goose-bump covered moment to end.  Turning left onto Boylston is a moment that will forever be part of me as a runner and I was imagining them getting to experience that emotion.  I waited for each one to finish, I texted them all congratulations and felt myself beaming with pride for each one of my amazing, dedicated running partners.

I left my desk, walked to yoga and carried my phone with me for the first time ever because I was texting back and forth with Jess about her race.  At the end of yoga class, a short hour later, I came back to the locker room to find my phone erupted in texts from people in all facets of my life.  My heart was racing as I tried to figure out what had happened, all I knew was it was something bad.  Luckily, I heard back from my friends almost immediately (and all were safe), but I quickly made my way back to my desk where I would be consumed by Boston news all afternoon and pretty much ever since then.  It was so insane to me how quickly things had changed from happy and congratulatory to tragic and scary.

As everyone else is, I am confused, angry, sickened, heartbroken and just simply sad.

Of course my heart is broken for all the runners – for those whose amazing accomplishments are now overshadowed by a dark cloud, for those who were not able to cross the finish line, for those who were stopped so close and may never get to experience turning left on Boylston for themselves, and for those who did not get to have the true celebration that any marathon deserves.

But really it aches for those whose family and friends were victims on the sidelines.  We all know how much spectators make up our sport, how much more these days mean to us simply because of who was there for us and who supported us along the journey to the start line.  There is a lot that has been faded into my memory when it comes to all the race I have done, but one thing I will never forget is who was there each day.  I know exactly who has been at each race, I remember the moments of seeing them during the race and I know how much it means as a runner to get that 2 second glimpse of the people you love while pushing yourself.  I also know what it’s like to be on the other side, to spend all day waiting for your runner to go by for a split second and getting to see that brightness in their eye.  My heart breaks even more when I hear friends who have had their kids tell them to please not run a marathon because of this tragedy because they are afraid of what my happen to their mom or dad or them while watching.

To have that moment, that bonding, that support, that positive inspiration and example, have fear placed into it, is really the part that gets me.

If there is anything positive that has come out of this awful event, it is that I am once again reminded how lucky I am to be a part of such an amazing community – in the runners themselves, the people that they surround themselves with and the people who step up to volunteer and make these events as great as they are.  The help, generosity, selflessness and heroism that was shown on April 15th and after, is just a testament that good really does exist in such dark moments.

The running community is a resilient bunch of people.  They know how to fight when things get tough and they know how to persevere when so much is standing against them.  They are generous and helpful and gracious.  They also have generous and helpful and gracious people who support them every day.

Thank you to all the supporters, who day in and day out keep us runners going without even knowing it.  Thank you to the runners for continuing to create a community so many of us are so proud to be a part of.

Congratulations to all the runners out there on Monday.

Keep running everyone.

I plan to get individual posts out for most of the following, but just wanted to include an update on what the rest of March and early April looked like.

The post WTC madness started off with the Inside Trail 30k in Rodeo Beach on a beautiful day with Jojo and Charlotte.

The next day I headed to the Peninsula with Jessica and Jojo for a run through the redwoods on St. Patrick’s Day in search of clovers.

The following Friday, a long talked about idea finally came true with a 22+ mile run commute to work.  A co-worker and I had been talking about how to make this happen for about a year and we finally did it!  It takes a lot of logistical planning, but we thought of every detail beforehand and the run went seamlessly.  The first 17 miles were all on trails through the hills, which dropped us down into Berkeley, where we hit the roads for the last 5+ miles to the office.  I have always loved point to point runs and this was so fun to connect all the dots to get to the office.  When we finally arrived (yes a little late), we were greeted with delicious foods and a streamer finish line.

The next day we celebrated Jojo’s birthday with a run in Pt. Reyes.  This will most definitely be it’s own blog post sometime very soon because this run is ranked in the top ones of my life so far, and I just have to show you why.

The last weekend in March I headed north to Portland with Jojo for a long weekend where I stayed with a long time blog friend Jen!  I signed up for the Gorge Waterfall 50k with Jojo earlier this year and was so excited to use it as an excuse to hang out with Jen too.  It was an incredibly beautiful weekend in Portland and we took full advantage of it.  We ran in Wildwood, walked around the waterfront, ate delicious food, talked for hours and I got to meet Jen’s perfect daughter Penny.  Oh and on top of all of that, also run a 50k through the waterfalls. 

Last weekend I made the trip down to San Luis Obispo with Jess and Jojo to be pacers for the marathon!  Any trip to SLO always doubles as a trip to see my family, so our 2 days down there were filled with activities, but were so fun.  We explored Poly Canyon for a short shake out run the day before, and then had more fun than anticipated pacing the marathon.  Jess paced the 1:45 half, Jojo and I paced the 4:15 full, and my other friend Jessica paced the 4:30 full.  We were also able to celebrate my mom’s birthday with her with delicious post-race brunch.

And that was the last 4 weeks.  Incredible running in the most amazing places with the best friends.  I could not imagine a more fulfilling 4 weeks of running than that. 

Race reports and running routes to come soon!  

2013 so far has been about running races just because I want to, not because it fits into a bigger training plan or for any other reason than I simply want to be there running.  This race definitely fell into that.  I was so excited to go to Cool and be a part of this big race with so many friends.   

My “training” has been different in that I don’t really have an end goal in mind, and I don’t have a specific training plan laid out for anything.  I definitely have been doing a lot of running, but it’s very different from what I am used to.  It’s very organic and very based on circumstances and situations (as in what my friends are running that day).  I was slightly nervous going into this race because my longest run since Fort Ord 50k at the beginning of February was 21 miles, but on the other hand I have been doing a lot of decent back to back (19/15, 21/15, 18/17) long runs and have kept my mileage in the low 70s most weeks.  I was curious to see how the back to backs vs. longer runs would play out on this race.  I took my mileage down about 15% the week before, but didn’t taper much at all during the week leading up to the race, besides only doing a short run the day before.

Since I had run this race previously, and it was my first ultra, I decided I definitely wanted to set a goal to beat that initial time of 5:50:52.  My 50k PR (5:36:45) was from October, on a flatter course, when I was in peak 50 mile training.  I thought I might be able to come close to a PR, but I wasn’t overly concerned.  Jessica and I planned to run together, both knowing we wanted to come in sub 5:50 for sure, but maybe faster on a good day.

Alyssa, Jessica and I made the 2 hour drive from my house early Saturday morning.  We made great time, got a decent parking spot, and were able to relax a little bit waiting for the race to start.  I ran into a few friends (including finally meeting Andee) while walking around and was definitely pumped for the day ahead.  I wasn’t really nervous at all, just excited. 

This is a pretty big 50k with 1000 people on the entrants list.  This year the race start was staggered between 2 waves which I was really happy about.  I remembered all the single track getting pretty crowded last year, so I was hoping the wave start would help ease some of that congestion.  Jess and I were in wave 1, so as it got close to start time, we went and lined up together.  We found a friend and were chatting about other upcoming races, then pretty soon we were running!

The first mile+ is on the road leading to the single track dirt trails.  I knew we were running kind of fast, but so was everyone else.  It’s a race to get to the trails!  Our first mile clocked in around 8:30 which made me laugh.  Mile 1 of a 50k was the fastest I had run in a very long time – this was either going to end up really good or really bad.  

(Strava screenshot)

The first 8 miles are a loop around back to the start.  After the road section it gets on single track trails and can get pretty congested.  Once you get put into a spot in line, you pretty much are stuck there unless you maneuver your way out.  Jess was up a couple people ahead of me, so I just tried to find my own rhythm and was remembering what it was like being out there last year at the start of my first ultra. 

A few miles in we were able to find our way back to each other, but I didn’t have much to say.  We were running a little harder than usual for me and I just was staying in my zone following her.  I also knew these first 8 miles would be more crowded, so I just stayed calm at my place in the pack and continued to run strong.  I wasn’t looking at my Garmin at all – I had a feeling seeing my average pace might get in my head, so I just continued to follow Jess as best I could.  

(Photo by Inside Trail)

The first 8 miles flew by and before I knew it, we were back at the start.  This time we had a bunch of friends cheering us on!  It was so fun to run into this aid station and have so many familiar faces.

(Photo by Cate)

I passed my gloves to Cate’s husband and went to grab some food.  The weather was perfect out and my gloves were all I needed to stay warm the first couple miles.  I was completely content in a tank and shorts after that.  I grabbed a couple potatoes, said hi to Jana and laughed while her camera was clicking away with my mouth full of food, yet again.

(Photo by Jana)

We wasted no time and were off again to complete the big 22+ mile loop that would bring us back here to the finish.  At this point I looked at my Garmin and our average pace was in the 9:40s.  I thought about mentioning slowing down, but I also knew that the bigger hills were coming and we could recover on them.   

(Photo by Cate)  

We continued to run really strong all the way through mile 15.  The big hills hadn’t started yet and I knew we were running a really great pace.  I started dreaming of a big PR, but didn’t really want to vocalize or jinx anything yet.  We were only half way through with the harder part of the race left, and a lot could happen.  I was really enjoying running harder than usual, and kept reminding myself that I had nothing to lose.  I have never really bonked hard in a trail race, so if that was the worst that could happen, bring it on.

As we ran along the course, memories from last year kept coming back.  Most everything looked familiar to me, but I wasn’t sure which order things would come in until they happened.  There is so much great, runnable single track on this course and I was just so happy to be running out there that day.  The trails were in excellent condition and the weather was perfect. 

Every time we came to an aid station, I would grab a potato or two, a cup of coke and we were off.  There was no lollygagging this race.  I took a salt cap every 8 or so miles, and was drinking water from my pack.  I would eat Shot Bloks every couple miles and just made sure to keep feeding myself, I didn’t want any energy problems due to bad fueling.

We had a couple times that we got stuck behind runners, but mostly the course was much more open than I remember last year.  I am not sure if it was the two wave start, that we were running faster, or a combination of the two, but it was really nice to be able to set our own pace. 

Mostly though, this race was me chasing Jess for 31 miles.  We have spent so many miles together over the last 8+ months and I could tell she was having a really strong day.  I didn’t want to do anything to ruin that for her, I just wanted to keep up as best I could.

The miles were flying by and soon enough we were at the infamous Goat Hill which is just before mile 26.  The hill gains 500 feet in about a half mile, so its a good hike.  We had been running pretty hard for 4 or so miles, so my legs actually appreciated the break to slow down and hike.  We made it to the top unscathed and knew we were close.  I couldn’t remember what these last few miles were like, but there were definitely more hills than I remembered.  We had been checking in with our overall time and knew we had a big PR pending any catastrophes, so we just kept on running as hard as we could.

We went through the last aid station quickly with 1.4 miles to go and I remembered the hill getting back up to the finish line from last year.  I was definitely not as strong as I hoped, but Jess kept pushing me along.  With less than a half mile to go I waved her to go ahead.  She completely ignored me and told me we had two minutes to go and we were going to be sub 5:20 very matter of factly.  I don’t think I fully believed her but I ran as hard as I could with her.  We rounded the corner, saw the finish line and made our way across it. 

The clock said 5:20:XX, so I thought we missed it forgetting this was chip timed, but I looked at my Garmin to see 5:19:58.  I couldn’t believe it!  Over a 15 minute PR and sub 5:20.

Cate and Jana were right there screaming and yelling, and Jess and I were just smiling non-stop.  We were so, so happy. 

We took some pictures, got some warm clothes and food and saw our friends cross the finish line.  It was so fun to see so many friends cross their first ultra-marathon finish line.  It simply was such a great day.

Jess, me and Alyssa 

(Photo by Cate)

Alyysa, Jess, me, Kristen, Layla 

(Photo by Jana)

I still can’t stop smiling from this race and am so glad it all came together.  After finishing off 2012 with some disappointment on the race front, it was so nice to unexpectedly come out and crush a goal like this.  I am so thankful Jess was there to push me and to remind me how great it feels to push my limits, to go out of my comfort zone, and to surpass my expectations.  This race has also peaked my curiosity into challenging this time, what a little bit of taper might do and what other PRs I might have in me.  That’s all for another day though.

Stats:

(Strava screenshot – 4276’ gain)

Official results:
5:19:54
51st female
19/116 AG
234/852

Once again NorCal Ultras put on such a great race.  It was incredibly well organized, with great support, great food, great swag and anything else you could possibly want in a race.  The volunteers and aid stations were simply amazing, and I can’t recommend this race or thank them enough.

This race, yet again, holds a special place in my little runner heart.  It’s been an amazing first year in the ultra world and this was the perfect celebration of every bit of pure joy and giddiness I have found out on the trails.

Chris and I made the easy drive over to Lake Chabot and met up with a bunch of friends before the race.  As always, getting our bibs was simple and we had plenty of time to relax before the race and catch up with friends.  Chris was also running the 30k as his longest trail run (and possibly any run) ever, so I was really excited for him to be there.  Eventually we all lined up, Tim announced the race instructions, and we were off!

I usually don’t have many time goals associated with trail races, but this one I did.  Since I ran it last year and feel like I am a much better trail runner now, I simply wanted to beat last year’s time of 3:07:55.  Jessica and I planned to run together and she was fully aware of this goal also.

The first mile or two are on the paved path that runs along the lake, then finally somewhere in mile 2 you get on dirt.  The first couple miles are flat, which is reflected in our splits, then the first hill of the race shows up.  I have run this hill a number of times and we made it to the top without much fuss.  The next mile or two are my favorite, winding on shaded single track. 

Just after mile 5 we came to the first aid station at the top of a hill, and I apparently made some typical Aron expressions.

(Pic by Inside Trail)

We quickly grabbed some fuel and were off again.  My friend Cristen had been running with us since a mile or two in and it was fun to have the extra company.  Our paces matched up well and we were enjoying yet another beautiful Bay Area day. 

Around mile 8 the 30k split off from the half marathon course and headed out to Anthony Chabot Regional Park.  I love this part of the course, so was excited to be on it again.  The next aid station was in here somewhere which I grabbed some boiled potatoes and coke at.

 
(Pic by Inside Trail)

(Pic by Inside Trail) 

The next few miles had some good climbs in them and we cruised along talking the whole way.  We hit the last aid station pretty quickly, where I grabbed some more potatoes and coke, and then took off, knowing that we were going to be close to our time goal. 

 
(Pic by Inside Trail)

We pushed the pace a bit the last couple miles, and definitely once we hit the last 1-2 miles on pavement.  I was tired, but felt strong.  We finally came around the corner and could see the finish line ahead.  Cate was there cheering after her half, along with Chris (who finished 20 minutes ahead of us) and a few other friends.  We all crossed the finish line together, and with a 4+ minute PR for me!

 
(From Inside Trails site)

Official Results:
3:03:02
Overall: 26/86
AG: 4/20

We hung out for a little while after and cheered on some friends while enjoying the post race food and sunshine.  I had a great time out there and love getting to be a little part of the Inside Trail Racing community.  I can’t wait for the next one!

This “winter” (if it can even be called that) has been incredible.  Although we really, really need the rain (we have had the driest couple months in a long time after the craziness that was December 1st), it’s been so nice to run around on dry trails through the green hills in shorts and tank tops. 

You will find absolutely no complaining here.

I have sat down a number of times to blog, but didn’t have the patience to actually put a post together to publish.  I don’t feel the urging need for this outlet like I used to.  If I went almost a month without blogging a year or two ago, I would have felt like my brain was going to explode.  But that’s just not the case anymore.  Just like everything in life goes through phases, I figure this is another phase that I am just going to go with. 

February is actually a pretty big month on this little blog, and a couple big dates that I typically would acknowledge, passed by without much fanfare. 

February 9th marked my 5th year of running.  5 years since the day I ran my first mile of marathon training.  5 years since I committed to a training plan and a race.  5 years since I had no clue what a big shift my life was going to take simply by adding running into it.

I also met this girl 5 years ago on that day!
  

February 14th marked 5 years since I started this blog.  Just goes to show you how important Valentines Day is around our house.  I still love thinking back to the beginning, and realizing how far my running has come in those 5 years, but also how much it has changed.

So February was a big month for the blog without much blogging.  But I was running!  Minus a couple sick days, I had a pretty great month. 

267.8 miles with 29,845’ gain on a lot of trails with a lot of friends.

I explored so many beautiful places around the place I am lucky enough to call home. 

I ran so many fun new routes I want to tell you all about. 

I even set a PR in a trail race last weekend. 

All those posts will happen as soon as I can peel myself away from memorizing maps, route planning, daydreaming of, and playing in the hills. 

March is going to be an incredible month of races, exploring new places and enjoying my old favorites.  Hopefully my blog posts will be able to keep up with my running.