Miwok 100 Race Report

Yay! My first goal of the year is complete - I finished the Miwok 100K trail race on Saturday in 15:28 and some change. I did not quite make the weight goal of 195, but was close. I weighed in at 197 the day before the race.

Going in, I was not real confident, as I hadn't gotten in as many miles as I would have liked. The Lake Sonoma 50 miler, which I had scheduled, was flooded out and cancelled. I was planning on that being my big prep race. I substituted a trail marathon, but since I hadn't run more than 31 miles since last September, I wasn't sure how I'd do with the extra distance.

To add to my issues, I came down with some kind of cold/allergies/sinus problems the Saturday before the race while I was out volunteering at the Quicksilver 50, and I was sneezing and blowing my nose the whole week. To try and combat this, I made sure I got extra sleep the whole week leading in to the race and took extra Vitamin C. I was still congested race morning, but I think the rest paid off. I made it through the race without any major problems of note (except a couple of minor blisters).

Gear

Here's what I used/wore during the race:

• Patagonia 9 Trails shorts (3-4 year old version)
• Skyline 50K t-shirt
• Headband (unknown brand, stolen from wife, used around wrist as sweat/snot band)
• Brooks hat (3-4 years old, salt encrusted)
• Dry Max trail socks
• La Sportiva Wildcat shoes
• Petzl headlamp
• Unknown brand flashlight (battery was too weak, so I didn't use it much)
• Patagonia packable jacket (used for first 10 miles or so)
• REI gloves
• Nike running jacket (used for last 10 miles or so)
• Tifosi sunglasses
• Timex Ironman watch

Race Day

I packed my drop bags (one for Pan Toll, one for the finish line) and laid out my clothes and gear the night before, but I found that I still needed to wake up at 1:15am to get ready and be there on time. The race starts at 5:40am, with check-in required by 5:25am. The race is about an hour and 10 minutes away from my house, so I left at around 3:30.

Start to Rodeo Lagoon (0 to 7.1 miles)

The race starts on Rodeo Beach right at sunrise. I tell you, there's nothing that helps blisters more than getting some sand in your shoes right as you start a 62 mile run! We made our way over to the start line (about a 5 minute walk from the registration area), and we were off. There is always a bottle neck at the end of the beach waiting to get up the trail, so I wasn't in any hurry. We headed up the Lagoon Trail and then out onto Conzelman Road, which overlooks the bay, ocean, and Golden Gate bridge. There were some awesome views from this section (though quite steep), and this was an enjoyable part of the run. You head back onto the trails after a few miles, and before I knew it we were back near the registration area at Rodeo Lagoon, the first aid station. I felt fine at this point, but of course we were just getting started.

Rodeo Lagoon to Tennessee Valley (7.1 miles to 11.1 miles)

I was wearing my hydration pack, so I didn't stop at Rodeo Lagoon. Heading out from the aid station, you head up the hill onto the Miwok Trail (among others), and run along some of the old military/missile apparatus and silos (not sure of the terminology). I always like running this section of the Marin Headlands, and there are some awesome views. I made it into the aid station without issue, and refilled my backpack with water, tossed some trash, and was on my way. Still feeling fine.

Tennessee Valley to Pan Toll (11.1 miles to 20 miles)

This is the longest stretch without aid (8.9 miles), but it is so early in the race it's not really an issue. This is a great section of the race, you head up toward the top of Mt. Tam on a fire road that weaves in and out with the famous Dipsea Trail. Unknowingly, I started to slow down a bit too much here. I linked up with Steve Holman, a local ultrarunner. It turns out that in addition to running, we have some work stuff in common so we shot the breeze for a few miles heading in to the aid station. Neither one of us were in a hurry, but when we got to the aid station, the volunteers started scolding us for being too slow. Apparently, we were lagging behind the cutoff times, and would need to pick up some speed to make the first cutoff at Randall (33.9 miles). I checked my pace chart, and indeed I was moving to slow. So, I went to my drop bag, grabbed my pre-pack gels/chews, reloaded water, and took off pretty quickly with the intention of picking up the pace. I also took some Tylenol here as a general bit of pain relief (though nothing was hurting too bad at this point).

Pan Toll to Bolinas Ridge (20 miles to 26.7 miles)

This section of the race may be the most scenic; you spend much of it on ribbon-wide singletrack that weaves along the side of the mountain, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It was a beautiful day and the views were great. My gripe with this section of the course is that it is a little too dicey to handle out and back traffic. The leaders started passing me on their return here (embarrassing), and the trail is too narrow to safely pass, so you have to constantly jump a bit off trail. This just seems a bit dangerous to me, as the sidehill is quite steep. At any rate, I made it into Bolinas Ridge having made up some time so I was pretty pleased. I filled up water and headed out.

Bolinas Ridge to Randall Trail Turnaround (26.7 miles to 33.9 miles)

This was my fastest section of the course by quite a good margin. There are a lot of downhills, but I was also consciously running harder to make sure I made the cutoff. You see a lot of runners on their return, and there are lots of well wishes, so that always helps. This isn't a particularly scenic or enjoyable section, as you're basically running 7.2 miles out on a dirt road that you're going to return on. I made it to the turnaround (always a good mental win, as you've now finished more than half the race) with about 25 minutes to spare before the cutoff.

Randall Trail Turnaround to Bolinas Ridge (33.9 miles to 41.1 miles)

This is the same section in reverse. I think my effort caught up to me (plus, there is a 1.7 mile climb coming right out of the turnaround, and this was probably my physical/mental low point of the race. I didn't feel terrible, but I was definitely a little off. So, I took it slow, ate a little bit more, and trudged on. I started walking a bit more on this section, but tried to run when I could to make sure I wouldn't have any problems with cutoffs. I passed by a woman on this section who was in some pain and tears, walking with an improvised cane/stick. She had hurt her knee, so I offered her my extra Tylenol. She took it and hopefully it helped. I'm not sure if she finished, but I think she gave it a shot. When I got in to Bolinas Ridge aid station, I took advantage of my Good Samaritan status and took the last three Twix bars. I was quite hungry at this point and for some reason they looked awesome. I grabbed a few pretzels too, filled up with water and took off.

Bolinas Ridge to Pan Toll (41.1 miles to 47.8 miles)

This is another retrace section. Still very pretty, but I was definitely slowing down at this point. I wasn't really worried about the cutoffs anymore, since I had plenty of buffer. I still tried to run when I could but my pace was getting slower. I traded position with a few different folks from time to time. I could tell that runners that had picked up pacers at Bolinas Ridge were definitely moving faster than us solo folk. When I got into Pan Toll, I grabbed my lights and jacket out of my bag and moved on.

Pan Toll to Muir Beach (47.8 miles to 53.5 miles)

This section was a nice little reprieve. The trails were familiar to me from previous running, and there seemed to be lots of runnable areas. At this point, there was no danger of missing cutoffs, so I settled into a nice comfort zone. I was feeling OK, though I could tell I'd have blisters on each of my heels. I also started to notice something with one of my left toes, I thought perhaps I'd need a toenail removed when I took my shoe off, but it turned out to not be a problem. I came into the Muir Beach aid station - less than 10 miles to go. The sun was getting lower in the sky, and the wind was picking up, so I put on my jacket. I also had a piece of pizza - I had heard of pizza at aid stations before but never had actually seen any. Delicious!

Muir Beach to Tennessee Valley (53.5 miles to 57.6 miles)

This section was only 4.1 miles, but was ridiculous from an altitude perspective. You start right up a nice hill that takes a bit to climb. You are then rewarded with a jaw dropping view of Pirates Cove (was worth the climb). A bit more downhill sauntering, and you get sent back up some nasty steps and a pretty rugged climb up to another summit. I was gassed at the top! But, you get some more awesome views of Tennessee Valley and the beach, maybe the best view (in my opinion) in the headlands. I hooked up with some other runners and made the final few steps into Tennessee Valley - last aid station!

Tennessee Valley to Pt. Bonita YMCA Finish Line (57.6 miles to 62.6 miles)

There is a nice long downhill on this stretch. My running muscles were still working, so I ran as much as I could. I finally needed to turn on my headlamp for the last 2-3 miles. There was some navigating to be done to stay on course, but it was marked with glowsticks so it wasn't too much trouble. There were also volunteers getting us through a couple of hairy sections. I met up with a pacer from Dallas whose runner had gone ahead and we chatted for the last mile or two into the finish. I came into the YMCA to the sound of cowbells, crossed the finish line, and got my medal from Tia Boddington, the race director. I was done - woohoo!

Timing

Here's a look at my times for the various aid stations.

Not too bad - I slowed at the finish of course, but made some good time in the middle of the race. I finished a little over an hour ahead of the cutoff.

Food and Drink

Here's what I ate and drank (roughly) during the race:

• Clif Gels - 5-6
• Gu Chomps - 3-4 packs
• Stinger Chews - 3-4 packs
• Pretzels - 5-6 handfuls
• Oreos - 3
• PBJ sandwiches - about 1.5 full sandwiches
• Pizza - 1 slice (cheese)
• Tomato Soup - small cup
• Cheetos - 1 handful
• Banana - 1 small slice
• Twix bars - 3 (snack size)
• Coke - 5-6 small cups
• Water - lots

Lessons Learned

• I think the rest helped a lot. I will keep this in mind when I attempt the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 mile race in July. Lots of sleep the week of, and make sure to taper.
• My drop bag and aid station strategy was good. I put the gels/supplies I'd need in bigger ziploc bags so I could locate them quickly and get in and out. I knew where everything was located. I did not lounge at aid stations, and was moving through pretty quickly.
• I was surprised at how much running I was able to do. I thought much of the last 20 miles would be walking, but I did a lot of (slow) running. That's a good thing.
• Fix my heels. I got blisters where I always do. I need to take care of my heels to make sure I don't have calluses, which exacerbate the problem. The pain from the blisters can slow me down quite a lot, especially on downhills when they become more painful and noticeable.
• I need to get more mileage in before Tahoe. Including the Miwok, I'm only averaging about 25 miles a week this year. That's nowhere close to enough for a 100 miler. I plan on getting up to about 45 miles a week over the next 6-7 weeks (9 weeks til Tahoe), leaving the last couple of weeks to taper.
• Lose more weight. I can feel it when I'm running with a few extra pounds. I didn't have any this time, but I still need to lose more to be better prepared for Tahoe. I am shooting to be at 185 by July 16th. I think that's doable by keeping my diet good and upping the miles.
• More core exercises. I've started a little routine these last couple of weeks and need to stay at it. Your body takes a beating over this kind of distance and having a stronger core definitely helps.
• Train for race conditions. Meaning, if the race will be hot - train in heat. If hilly and rugged, run that kind of terrain. I will be doing more hills and heat in the next 6 weeks to ready for Tahoe.
• Have fun! This is the most important - I take a lot of enjoyment in the preparation for these events but I don't take it or myself too seriously. I am not competing and want to take time to enjoy the terrain, sights, and surroundings, and being out seeing things and covering distances most folks won't get the chance to.