Looks like I am hooking up my training bra (oh its my camelback!) getting ready to go up browns bar...
Saturday was the annual John Nichols Birthday Run..It always has the option of running a total of 40miles or something less. Some years it has been really cold..LIKE 18degrees at the start (yes it was that cold one year....Yesterday was mid forties at 7am with fog..seems we can't get above the cloud bank right now...Anyway we had the largest turnout ever with about 30 runners pulling in to Placer High School to run the WS course.
Fast and long group consisted of Nichols, Victor Ballestoros, Erik Skaden, Mark Lantz and Rob Evens...Others going the full distance included Charlie Jones, Grant and Leslie Carboni...I was in the short group it was on my schedule to run 22 and this resulted in lots of discussion and some teasing on not running longer...All part of the plan it will get tougher as we progress...
Yesterdays run on the WS Trail had us start near the track and head out on the WS course in the opposite direction then heading back..So with 30 runners off we went into the fog on our way to Robie Point..By the time we got to Robie I was overheated and pulled off the gloves and vest, Heading down the black hole was slick with mud and tough moving through at any real speed..No time to improve downhill technical running form on this section...We had a large train of folks with Chuck and Trish Godfredson, Rena Schumann, Kate Evens and others lite and chatty till we got to no hands bridge....From No hands and the start of the climb I wanted to just keep it steady and slow and not bust my lungs running the whole section to Cool since its early in the run...So I jumped in with Leslie, Trish, Chuck, and Derek Schemanski and ran and power walked to the top..Derek and I talked about not blowing out the heart rate so early in the year and running smart on these training runs. I have in the past run with Rena, Mark and others and kept up well early in the multi hour runs only to lose it later on the return....Today was not about how fast I went but how smart I ran on this training run.
We got to Cool and more cool and fog...At HWY 49 was the nichols aid station a cooler filled to the gills with food and drink...way cool. We headed off down Quarry trail and found some serious blowdowns that stop you in your tracks...We also saw Tim Twietmeyer running up qt with some folks..they looked fresh and running easy..oh to be such a good runner!
Life got easy once we hit Quarry Road and a easy run on the way to Browns which was about 9.5miles with the climb to the top that would be 10. Once there a few turned back to finish with 20 and I continued on for add on mile to get 11 and my return being 22...From here I ran alone the rest of the way...I was taking observations on how I felt compared to last years run (like I did on New Years Day) fitness is far ahead at this time as compared to last year and I ran well to HWY 49 a litle tired climbing quarry trail and a steady controled downhill from 49 to NoHands..keep the quads alive!
Running from Nohands to Placer High always seems long on the stretch climbing up the black hole..just a mentally tough section with gentle uphill grade and tired legs make it a long time..Victor Ballasteros blew by me (he turned at ALT and ran 30) he was running easy..I was tired but that was fine.
A good day and time on feet for the 22miles..with the new year mileage total is 67miles...it will increase with each week and get a bit faster. Next week I have some planning to do and see my friend in Socal can get together at her new place and get in a long run somewhere on the trails down there that will be nice...Looking forward to seeing her and some sunshine (I hope!). Oh these little complications may seem stressful but they sure are fun...
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