For a second year in a row, Pia, Greg and I hit the trails around Cool, CA for their annual "Way too Cool 50K" ultra trail marathon. Once again, this race didn't disappoint. The day started with perfect race conditions; temps in the 50's with a slight breeze. The trails were in decent condition, with only a few of the creeks overflowing. Even after months of training on Mt. Tam, this course was still much more technical than I was used to.
Pia and I at Mile 7This year, I consider the race to have been a great "adventure." I felt great the entire day, executed my hydration and nutrition plan perfectly and enjoyed every moment of the day. Making it even better, I was able to run the first 15 miles with Pia. But, the day was not without its difficulties. To start, I took a hard fall around mile 8 while trying to take a technical downhill section a little too fast. I tripped, rolled and did some damage to my knee, hip and elbow. I laughed it off, kept going and was able to get back into the groove without any problems. Then, at mile 24, I took a wrong turn at a section that was poorly marked.
It didn't take me long to realize that I had taken a wrong turn. Knowing my finishing time was no longer relevant, I kept my pace and just enjoyed the trails I was running on. No stress, no pressure. After running by myself for about an hour, (I was on a lower trail that paralleled the course), I was able to find other runners and re-join the race at mile 28. In the end, I finished in 5:01:xx, with a total distance of around 32-33 miles (my Garmin said 32.8). I was bummed to have gone off-course, but knew that the extra mile or so would help me in my 50 mile trail run in Lake Tahoe this July.
I'll be back for more next year.
Happy to be finished.
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