Twin Peaks – February 2010

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Twin Peaks 50k was my first ultra in over two years, and I was ner-vous! Quick backstory: In November 2007 I fell during a race and slammed my knee against a rock. This seemingly small injury nagged me for the next few weeks, and after I stupidly ran a 50k in early December, my knee was officially A Problem. It took almost two years of resting, very short runs, and lots of hiking and strength training before I felt confident about running longer distances again. I gradually built up my runs until I was running significant mileage to prepare for Twin Peaks, but I still wasn’t sure how my knee would hold up or how I would feel.

IMG_0643

Loved this car—this is a good mantra for when the going gets tough!

IMG_0645

Cars at the start—soon we’ll be at the top of that mountain! Well, soon-ish.

The start time was 8 am, so I was up at 5 to eat and get dressed, out of the door by 6, and at the start by 7:20–the perfect amount of time for checking in, using the bathroom once or twice, and doing last-minute futzing that I always seem to have. The course ran through parts of Cleveland National Forest and up to Santiago Peak, a trail system familiar to anyone who’s run Saddleback, San Juan Trails, Old Goats, or many other races in Orange County.

The race began, and it was 6.5 miles to the first aid station, mostly a gradual uphill on wide dirt roads. I ran the first 10-15 minutes, then did a combination of power hiking and running the flatter sections. I wore a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, and although it was a little brisk in the beginning, I was never cold and it warmed up fairly quickly. After 5 or 6 miles we entered a shady area with some nice tree cover and leaves on the ground, and I gained some steam.

IMG_0647

View from mile 6.5. I guess it’s okay, if you like that sort of thing.

After the first aid station it was more uphill to mile 10, at which point it was a very steep downhill to the base of the canyon on some technical singletrack (Horsethief Trail). The trail descends over 1300 feet in one mile, and has lots of big rocks–exactly the kind of trail I suck at. I never get into a rhythm or feel comfortable. I got horrible side cramps (I think from bad posture and shallow breathing) and had to walk some sections, which is a terrible feeling on downhills! I got passed several times which is also discouraging.

IMG_0662

I think they call it Holy Jim so you can use it like a swear. “Holy Jim, is this trail tough!”

The aid station at 15 miles was near Holy Jim, and it was a big one with lots of food and bathrooms. I got some PB&J but made the mistake of not getting water–the next aid was only 4.5 miles away but I underestimated how warm it was and how long it would take me. We went up Holy Jim trail, which is nothing but endless switchbacks climbing out of the valley. It was hot and muggy and took ages! We also started seeing the 50 milers coming back past us, so there was a lot of jostling on the trail. I ran portions but contented myself with mostly hiking. Truly, all throughout this race I had a pretty peaceful feeling and didn’t stress about pushing myself. I felt good hiking, so I hiked. It was wonderful (and unusual) to be so serene!

IMG_0653

Sweet, sweet switchbacks.

IMG_0652

I FINALLY reached mile 19, where there was blissfully water! I sat for a bit and took off my (soaking) socks so I could remove the tape around my toes that had come loose from all the river crossings. I was afraid it would give me even more blisters. Moved on uphill to the next “aid” at “21,” which was neither aid nor (I suspect) 21 miles. It was a guy with a radio and a tent, and maybe a bottle of water at his feet! He mostly served to check our numbers and report us down to the ground crew. It was only “1 mile” to the top of Santiago peak, but it seemed like 10–I think that aid station’s distance was a bit misleading. SO MUCH CLIMBING. I didn’t even try to run most of this, just hiked. Near the top I started seeing snow on nearby hills, and then turned a corner and it was all over the ground! There was a big covering of snow for probably a quarter-mile, thick beneath my feet. It was a warm day so it was extra-cool to see all the snow.

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After what felt like a 30-minute hike for that final mile, I reached the top, then wound around all sorts of electrical towers to find the aid station hidden behind them! Had a PB&J and some chips, took some pics, then headed back down about 4 miles to the next aid. It was a pretty smooth run, some rocky singletrack but nothing too technical, and I was feeling good.

IMG_0654

View from Santiago Peak

At mile 26 was the last aid station, and I was feeling great. I had energy, my body felt good, I was tired but I knew I could run downhill to the finish, so I topped up my water and I went! This last 6.5 miles was the same route we took at the start of the race, so I knew it was mostly wide, smooth, easy dirt roads on a gradual downhill slope. I ran nonstop, and picked up a pretty good pace–doing sub-9 minute miles, some close to 8:30. it only got a little difficult at the end, when I was so anxious to be done, and kept thinking I was closer than I was. Once we were out of the hills I was sure I was almost finished, but there was still another 15 minutes to go! So mentally that was tough, but my body felt good, and I finished feeling really strong.

Finish 2
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The aftermath wasn’t quite so pretty. I was very, very sore afterward. Sunday was moderately bad, but Monday was horrible, and Tuesday was pretty bad too. My quads took it the hardest (all of that downhill at the end) and once they recovered, the back of my calves were screaming. But I started easy running again the Thursday after, and did lots of yoga, and by the next Tuesday I was doing 8 miles easy in the hills. All in all, a wonderful introduction back into ultras!

Final Stats:
Date:
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Distance: 32.5 miles
Elevation gain: 11,000 feet
Garmin time: 7 hrs 7 min
Official time: 7 hrs 29 min (19/61, 9th woman)

Here is the race video I made of the 2010 Twin Peaks 50k.

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Twin Peaks – February 2010

IMG_0644

Twin Peaks 50k was my first ultra in over two years, and I was ner-vous! Quick backstory: In November 2007 I fell during a race and slammed my knee against a rock. This seemingly small injury nagged me for the next few weeks, and after I stupidly ran a 50k in early December, my knee was officially A Problem. It took almost two years of resting, very short runs, and lots of hiking and strength training before I felt confident about running longer distances again. I gradually built up my runs until I was running significant mileage to prepare for Twin Peaks, but I still wasn’t sure how my knee would hold up or how I would feel.

IMG_0643

Loved this car—this is a good mantra for when the going gets tough!

IMG_0645

Cars at the start—soon we’ll be at the top of that mountain! Well, soon-ish.

The start time was 8 am, so I was up at 5 to eat and get dressed, out of the door by 6, and at the start by 7:20–the perfect amount of time for checking in, using the bathroom once or twice, and doing last-minute futzing that I always seem to have. The course ran through parts of Cleveland National Forest and up to Santiago Peak, a trail system familiar to anyone who’s run Saddleback, San Juan Trails, Old Goats, or many other races in Orange County.

The race began, and it was 6.5 miles to the first aid station, mostly a gradual uphill on wide dirt roads. I ran the first 10-15 minutes, then did a combination of power hiking and running the flatter sections. I wore a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, and although it was a little brisk in the beginning, I was never cold and it warmed up fairly quickly. After 5 or 6 miles we entered a shady area with some nice tree cover and leaves on the ground, and I gained some steam.

IMG_0647

View from mile 6.5. I guess it’s okay, if you like that sort of thing.

After the first aid station it was more uphill to mile 10, at which point it was a very steep downhill to the base of the canyon on some technical singletrack (Horsethief Trail). The trail descends over 1300 feet in one mile, and has lots of big rocks–exactly the kind of trail I suck at. I never get into a rhythm or feel comfortable. I got horrible side cramps (I think from bad posture and shallow breathing) and had to walk some sections, which is a terrible feeling on downhills! I got passed several times which is also discouraging.

IMG_0662

I think they call it Holy Jim so you can use it like a swear. “Holy Jim, is this trail tough!”

The aid station at 15 miles was near Holy Jim, and it was a big one with lots of food and bathrooms. I got some PB&J but made the mistake of not getting water–the next aid was only 4.5 miles away but I underestimated how warm it was and how long it would take me. We went up Holy Jim trail, which is nothing but endless switchbacks climbing out of the valley. It was hot and muggy and took ages! We also started seeing the 50 milers coming back past us, so there was a lot of jostling on the trail. I ran portions but contented myself with mostly hiking. Truly, all throughout this race I had a pretty peaceful feeling and didn’t stress about pushing myself. I felt good hiking, so I hiked. It was wonderful (and unusual) to be so serene!

IMG_0653

Sweet, sweet switchbacks.

IMG_0652

I FINALLY reached mile 19, where there was blissfully water! I sat for a bit and took off my (soaking) socks so I could remove the tape around my toes that had come loose from all the river crossings. I was afraid it would give me even more blisters. Moved on uphill to the next “aid” at “21,” which was neither aid nor (I suspect) 21 miles. It was a guy with a radio and a tent, and maybe a bottle of water at his feet! He mostly served to check our numbers and report us down to the ground crew. It was only “1 mile” to the top of Santiago peak, but it seemed like 10–I think that aid station’s distance was a bit misleading. SO MUCH CLIMBING. I didn’t even try to run most of this, just hiked. Near the top I started seeing snow on nearby hills, and then turned a corner and it was all over the ground! There was a big covering of snow for probably a quarter-mile, thick beneath my feet. It was a warm day so it was extra-cool to see all the snow.

IMG_0672
IMG_0676
IMG_0680

After what felt like a 30-minute hike for that final mile, I reached the top, then wound around all sorts of electrical towers to find the aid station hidden behind them! Had a PB&J and some chips, took some pics, then headed back down about 4 miles to the next aid. It was a pretty smooth run, some rocky singletrack but nothing too technical, and I was feeling good.

IMG_0654

View from Santiago Peak

At mile 26 was the last aid station, and I was feeling great. I had energy, my body felt good, I was tired but I knew I could run downhill to the finish, so I topped up my water and I went! This last 6.5 miles was the same route we took at the start of the race, so I knew it was mostly wide, smooth, easy dirt roads on a gradual downhill slope. I ran nonstop, and picked up a pretty good pace–doing sub-9 minute miles, some close to 8:30. it only got a little difficult at the end, when I was so anxious to be done, and kept thinking I was closer than I was. Once we were out of the hills I was sure I was almost finished, but there was still another 15 minutes to go! So mentally that was tough, but my body felt good, and I finished feeling really strong.

Finish 2
IMG_0690
IMG_0691

The aftermath wasn’t quite so pretty. I was very, very sore afterward. Sunday was moderately bad, but Monday was horrible, and Tuesday was pretty bad too. My quads took it the hardest (all of that downhill at the end) and once they recovered, the back of my calves were screaming. But I started easy running again the Thursday after, and did lots of yoga, and by the next Tuesday I was doing 8 miles easy in the hills. All in all, a wonderful introduction back into ultras!

Final Stats:
Date:
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Distance: 32.5 miles
Elevation gain: 11,000 feet
Garmin time: 7 hrs 7 min
Official time: 7 hrs 29 min (19/61, 9th woman)

Here is the race video I made of the 2010 Twin Peaks 50k.

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