I got an email and found out about the Xterra Trail Run series. There is a SoCal version and a NorCal version. I saw that the Marin Headlands 21K was scheduled for the same day as my sister's wedding. Since I had to miss our Ironteam Orange County to San Diego Ride, I figure I needed to do my own Xtreme Workout. I got my sister's approval to run this half marathon. I don't think either of us realized how Xtreme this Trail Run is. I figure a nice little run, enjoy the beautiful scenery, get back to SF for a nice shower and brunch, and then prep for the wedding. Well this is what happened...
I got up by 5am and headed out of the hotel by 6am... The temp 75 degrees in SF! I was warm in my bike jersey top and shorts. A beautiful morning for strolling or lounging around in a coffeeshop. I drove over the Golden Gate and got lost because I missed the turnoff. Eventually I stopped at a coffee shop in Sausalito and got my coffee and directions to the Marin Headlands. I got to the park by 7am and after registering waited for the 8am start.
Very warm and comfortable as I sat in my car with the doors open...
Race starts and its uphill and more uphill... The first 2 to 3 miles is basically uphill. I tried to run, but there were some stairs where it was difficult to pass anyone. So I took my time. Many sections of the trail were rocky and unstable. OK when going uphill, but we had to run back down this path on the return section. More on this later...
It was getting really warm now, perhaps 80 degrees and it's not even 9am. What saved me was a nice cool breeze. We had to carry our own water since the aid stations were at mile 5 and mile 10.5
There was a nice downhill stretch around mile 3 to 5, and I ran a 7 min-mile downhill. I didn't even think about my reconstructed ACL. Everything felt really stable. Props to my excellent Ortho surgeon. After downing some Gatorade and refilling my bottle it was more uphill climbing. By this time I could only walk the uphill sections and then jog-run the downhills. Some of the uphill inclines were so steep, up to 17 degrees. See chart above. Many parts of the trail were single track and winding along the cliff edge. Yes Pacific Ocean below! Watch out. Other parts of the trail were completely overgrown with vegetation / prickly weeds!!! My exposed skin was getting scratched. Fortunately I wear knee high compression socks, and I also had a brace on my R knee, so only my L knee was getting scratched. Well by mile 8 to 9, I was almost out of water, and after mile 9 I had to gut it out until the next water station at mile 10. This section also corresponded with the steepest climb of the entire run. Painful... Miserable...I couldn't believe I paid money for this abuse. But the beautiful scenery of the Pacific and San Francisco skyline with the Golden Gate Bridge made all of it worthwhile. Plus suffering makes the end result more satisfying.
I finally made it to the water station and drank about 2 cups of Gatorade, dumped a couple cups of water over my head and refilled my water bottle. By this time I was a little confused and not thinking as clearly, perhaps from dehydration or hyponatremia. I continued on the main trail as I left the water station...I didn't realize that I was suppose to turn right at the water station and go between some bushes along a single track trail. It took me about half a mile before I concluded that I must be on the wrong trail and I had to backtrack to the water station. So a net 1 mile detour added to the 13.1 mile run. Great. I took this as another challenge that I had to overcome and didn't let it bother me too much.
Next was another tough climb and then finally the downhill run. As I mentioned before this part of the trail was the same section that we initially climbed at the beginning of the run. Rocky, slippery, and steep. It was a tough balancing act: controlled fast running without falling. Not easy. My ASICS trail shoes came through and I survived. It was a great sense of accomplishment and relief when I finally crossed the finishline in 3 hours. This was by far the toughest half marathon I've ever run. I can't wait to do it again!!!
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