Ohlone 50K race report

Rules for Ohlone 50K
1) Don't miss the bus.
2) Don't miss the cutoff.
3) Remember the race is "more ups than down". 

I got to the Lake Del Valle parking lot at 6:10 AM for the 6:30 AM bus to the start.  I even got there before the busses!  Should I have cut it closer?  That's why I missed the bus two years ago!  Kevin Luu (another Endurable) and I caught up on our racing plans on the bus ride to Fremont.

Start to Laurel Loop (mile 5.43)
Two years ago, I had been DFL on the climb up Mission Peak.  Now I improved upon my position.  I was SECOND from DFL.  I thought I was climbing at a brisk rate, but everyone quickly became colored specks on the grassy hillside.  There was one 50ish runner behind me, and we exchanged encouraging smiles.

Oops 1)  I accidentally stepped in a cow patty (does one deliberately step in a cow patty)? 
Oops 2) In a huge puddle I stepped wrong and sunk my foot up to my shin in cow water/mud/muck. 

It was a beautiful day for the views, and I was soon up to the top and cruising down.  I passed a woman who I remember passing two years ago in a similar spot.  But now I knew it was Carol LaPlant, who'd WON the race 25 years ago. 

Oops 3) My hydrapak was catching my neck wrong, and I tried to adjust it while running.  I stepped on a gopher hole and fell down hard on my left side.  Hard enough that my shorts scootched down and I got brambles on my hip.  Ow!

Sunol (mile 9.11)
The aid station had the first cutoff at 10:45.  I picked up my speed on the descent and passed about 5 runners, including George Hall.  George Hall had #1 bib! as he was #2 in the inaugural 1987 Ohlone.  So I'm definitely faster than two 60 year olds.  Way to go Speedie! 
I was using my iPhone as my music source, and my headphones kept ghost-pausing my music.  I'd noticed this the last time I'd gone on a 2+ hour run--moisture got inside the contact, causing the iPhone to pause or skip tracks.  I spent too much time fussing with my iPhone trying to get reliable tunes.  I made it into the aid station at ~10:20, with time to spare.

Backpack (mile 12.48).
Now the climb started.  I treated myself to an outhouse break, then doused my head with water from an unpotable water source.  The day was getting really warm, in the low 80s (hot for the Bay Area) and direct sun.  I kept passing people though, even at my moderate speed. 

Goat Rock (14.96)
These 2.5 miles seemed to take forever.  I ran out of water about 20 minutes away from the Aid station.  When I got to the aid station, they said they were running low on all fluids, and only gave me 20 ounces for my pack.  In the good news! Melissa & Todd were at the aid station, resting in the shade.  They'd taken the early start! Oh, maybe THAT'S why I was at the back starting--slower people had taken the 7 AM start and gotten an hour jump. 

to Maggies Half Acre (19.7)

Melissa and I hiked together for awhile on the climb to Rose Peak.  She was not doing great, and finally stopped to bring down her heart rate. 

I was really, really thirsty. It was ~5 miles and a stiff climb.  I was so happy to see the tent for Maggies Half Acre, with "UNLIMITED" water, as they had a faucet.  I drank until my belly was jiggly.  Then I let a guy sponge my head.  It all felt sooo good. 

to Stewarts Camp  (23.6) This section has more up than I remember.  The "aid" was a non-potable faucet. About four of us came in all at once.  I dunked my head under the faucet (again).  After watching me do it, a guy did it too, muttering "Thank God, Thank God".  Yep, it was that hot. 

To Schleiper Rock (25.65) I continued to pass people.  I didn't think I was climbing any faster than I had at the beginning of the day--everyone else was slowing down.  Once again I pondered why people go out so darn fast?  I kinda like starting in DFL--I know exactly where I am in the pack, and I can only improve! I bombed down the hill into aid station.

To Stromer Spring- An overgrown single track switchbacking down the canyon, choked with vegetation and poison oak.  A group of 5 in a pack came up on me.  I tried to stay ahead, but it was too stressful so I stepped off and let them pass.  Down to the creek, then back up.  Everyone was moving slowly up the hill, when I realized that I felt GREAT.  I marched past them!  "Good job, young lady" said a guy in a QuickSilver T-Shirt.  "Thanks for calling me young lady!" 

At the top of the hill on the ridge, I started running again. I wasn't hammering it, but I told myself anything faster than walking was good.  Last time I had wanted to run this section and now I was!

To the finish.  The last 2 miles are a near constant descent losing 1,600 feet in 2 miles.  Steep, and not what my quads wanted.  On Wednesday I'd done mile repeats with Lane & Charles in the Presidio.  At about a mile, I decided to do a mile repeat, and picture Lane & Charles waiting for me.  I cranked the music and cruised into a 8:44 finish, 11 minutes faster than two years ago.

Things I did well:
Left plenty of time to make the start
Carried a pack instead of a bottle to stay better hydrated
Ate pizza for breakfast so didn't bonk
Caught up with Melissa
S-Caps every 30 minutes so never cramped up
Said thank you to the volunteers
Wiped down with Technu at home

Things to improve on:
iPhone not good choice for long races, spent too much time fussing with it. 
Make sure pack is full! of fluid on hot days, don't rely on the next aid station being there.
Should have worn compression knee high socks to protect from poison oak and other plants brushing legs
Forgot clothes to change into, so had to drive back in sweat soggy shorts.

Ohlone 50K Race Report 2010

drove to the start of the race, and parked my car while I hung out a little before the start. The race director announced “runners, line up!” All I need to do is put on my shoes from the car. I can’t find the car though! I look and I look, and I hear the race starting without me. It’s okay, I’ll start a few minues late, all I need to do is find the car...but there’s a buzzing by my ear, louder and louder, distracting me from looking. Just got to turn off my alarm and go back to sleep so I can find my shoes. Uh-oh. Time to wake up. The missing shoes were a dream, and I need to drive to the start of the Ohlone 50K.

My friend Coach Ken had run Ohlone 50K last year, and he gave me two bits of advice from his own experience: 1) Be on time to the finish to catch the 6:45 AM bus to the start (he missed it) and 2) Pay attention to the cutoffs. At 5:30 AM I’m not the sharpest, and I leave my breakfast at home accidentally. I stop at Starbucks to pick up breakfast, and also have a trying to be quick gas stop. As I pull into Del Valle at 6:46, I see the buses heading out. UH-OH. As I pay, the park ranger asks me how many buses I saw go by “Four”. “That’s all there was”, he says. UH-OH. I am spared a meltdown by a kindly volunteer, Paul, who sees me parking and offers to drive me to the start in Fremont. Paul is the nicest possible guy, and saves the day from my own irresponsibility. I have a bunch of excuses as to why I missed the bus, but everyone else could have had the same excuses, and they were on the bus and I wasn’t. Lesson learned: Bus leaves exactly at 6:45 (if not a minute earlier). And Paul is a super nice guy! THANKS!

After some nervous standing around at the start with fellow Endurables Jen, Todd and Jorge, we started along a fireroad, then UP a big hill. Gillian Robinson chatted briefly with me (she’s running Western States & Badwater), then walked quicker up the hill. Actually, everyone seemed a little quicker than me up this hill. My plan was to take the first hill conservatively. However, I came to the sudden realization that I was absolutely DFL on the hike up Mission Peak. I looked behind me again. I was it! The advantage of being last is that everyone has trampled down all the grass, and I never wonder about where to go.

At the top of Mission Peak after a 2,000 foot climb, and I wished I had more time to enjoy the views. Down on a lovely shaded fire road, as I slowly started moving up the pack, running gently and calmly. I left the Sunol Aid Station at 10:25, with 20 minutes to spare. I started the climb up to Backpack feeling confident. I looked at my watch, and it was 11:20. Where had the time gone? I hustled into Backpack and left at 11:25, only 5 minutes ahead of the cutoff.

Then came the endless climb up to Rose Peak, all 3,500+ feet of it. I had ample time to reflex on why I thought this race was a good idea. I’d chosen this race to get out of my “comfort-zone” of mainly doing Pacific Coast Trail runs where I knew the trails so well. The course didn’t disappoint —views, views, views. Though I’d feared that I would get burned by being out in the sun, there was a surprisingly nice amount of shade. I just wished I had more time to sit and enjoy the views, instead of continued walking, walking, walking. I pondered that noone in the race had an Ohlone 50K shirt—many Skyline to the Seas and Way Too Cools, but noone in Ohlone 50Ks. Did people not COME BACK? Was I going to keep walking up the same hill for the next 2+ hours? (answer to second question is yes).

Finally, long after I had resigned myself to never getting to loll in the sun among the California Poppies like I wanted, I was finally at the lollipop course up to the top of Rose Peak. There was a guy at the top to give a bracelet proving you’d been to the top, then a short run down to the Maggie’s Half Acre Aid Station. Every aid station just had fantastic, fabulous volunteers. Coach Ken had given me advice to be more assertive with the aid stations—instead of stumbling around looking for what I wanted, to start calling out as I was coming in. Maybe the volunteers were more prepared (I’d heard that many were doing their service requirements for 100 mile races), or maybe it was me asking for what I wanted, but this went very well. As I came in I’d unscrew my bottles and say “Gatorade, Gatorade”, and a volunteer would grab it from me and fill it, and put the lid back. All the volunteers were cheery and looked super peppy in their tie dyed volunteer shorts.

I had all this energy for the last ten miles, but my pinky toes were hurting like crazy. I scampered past Chuck Wilson on an uphill, as all the caffeine from my PowerGels all seemed to hit at once. I’d tried two new things for this 50K—my new Sugui Verve shorts to stow all my snacks in, and my La Sportiva Fireblades. I’d run all my prior races in my trusty Nike Air Pegasus, but I had been trying out La Sportiva Fireblades for more traction. My little toes were squeezed. When I bent down to try to adjust the laces, I surprised myself by throwing up on my shoes (almost all Gu2). This was not so fun. And adjusting the shoes didn’t help, my toes still hurt on every down step. Chuck Wilson passed me back on the switchback single track like he was gliding on vegetation.

I was disappointed—I wanted to kick it in the last five miles and finish strong, and instead I was hobbling trying to avoid toe contact. I ran up the last little up hill, and finished just at 8:55. I’d met my pessimistic goal of 9 hours, but was far from my optimistic goal of 8 hours. I still had so much energy! Today, the day after the race, I walked the mile to Tartine Bakery to cheer myself up with a Sopressta sandwich.

Lessons learned

1. Sportiva FireBlades aren’t good for downhills (though who knows, maybe I would have had shoe issues with my trusty Pegasus—the downhills were so steep.
2. New Sugoi Verve shorts are great! http://www.rei.com/product/800181 They held 5 ounces of PowerGels in each back pocket, leaving me well fueled for a long race.
3. Ask the volunteers for what I want.
4. Leave more time for the bus—just because the Skyline to the Sea bus left 10 minutes late, don’t assume other buses will.
5. I can get by on one water bottle even on a hot day if I drink up at aid stations.
6. Volunteers have the most fun!