On Saturday I ran the Mt. Tam Trail Run 30K, an Inside Trail event. I mostly signed up because a bunch of my friends were doing the race as well…only most of them were doing the 50K as training for the North Face Endurance 50 miler. I opted for the 30K so I’d have enough time to get ready for a wedding later in the day.
Waking up Saturday around 6, I was tempted to just go back to bed and skip the race altogether. I had a pretty rough night of sleep and wasn’t feeling very well (probably a combo of recovering from last weekend and feeling super sore and wiped out from all of my workouts this week).
Anyway, I ended up getting up and going despite my reluctance – partly because Casey had signed up for the half marathon – and I felt like I shouldn’t also bail on him.
Thankfully, by the time we got to the start line (at Stinson Beach) I was feeling a little better. After seeing several friendly faces, I even started to maybe think it was a good idea to be running and getting those miles in.
The start was a bit of a cluster. Lots of people, one narrow trail. We all walked through the start line and walked some more as we began our first steep ascent. After a little while, I was able to shake a few people and get a little space. I knew there was a ton of climbing on the course…ok, let’s put this in perspective first:
Anyway, now that you know what I was dealing with, I’ll continue. While I knew there was a ton of climbing on the course, I wasn’t quite as conservative as I usually am. I really wanted to create some space for myself. So I decided to play the numbers game with myself which has been working quite well – 350 running steps, 100 walking steps – and so on and so forth. Sometimes I’d even get to 350 and want to continue…500, 800, one time even 2,200. I felt pretty good getting out of the first climb. I had to take one annoying pause at the foot ladder because there was a build of people waiting to go up (understandably as it is a ladder and it was a little slick) but other than that, I managed to carve out some space to run. And I felt like I was moving pretty well and was in good company.
I had made a decision before starting that I wouldn’t check my watch until I made it to second yellow ribbons (basically the journey to the finish) and I didn’t. Usually its better for me to just judge based on how I feel and what the other runners around me are doing (some I even recognized). I wouldn’t realize what a mistake this was until I got to the last yellow though… we’ll get to that.
I lost Travis as soon as we hit the first downhill. It was like he was an expert skier on a double black diamond course and I was pizza pie-ing my way down the green. I used to think I was a pretty strong downhill runner until I met Travis. I watched him disappear in front of me and continue to plow down the stairs and switchbacks. I tried my best to mimic him and make up some time but no matter how fast I felt like I was going, I couldn’t keep up with him. I eventually lost him altogether. I tried to concentrate on my steps and my breathing as my legs were basically screaming at me.

Eventually, I approached an aid station (the one right before the 50K split from the 30K) and reconnected with Travis. We ran together for a split second and then he was off again on the 50K course, still looking super fast and strong. This next part of the course was nice and quiet. I was on a super narrow single track carved out of tall weeds on a slight descent. It was gorgeous, free of tourists and hikers and quiet. I really like this part of the course. It was the first time I was really just out there on my own and had a minute to think. I knew another climb was coming so I made a plan.
By the time I was back on it, my legs were feeling even tighter. I was tempted to check my watch but again, I didn’t. I know that for me, mentally, its better if I don’t know. I hit the next big climb and played the counting game again. Surprisingly, I was even able to make up a bit of time on this next climb…even passed a few runners. We kept going up, up, up and up on the switchbacks and somewhere in the distance, I started to see the road. I wanted to start walking up the rest of the hill at that point but seeing the road gave me the last little bit I needed to power up (still counting, of course). I had a feeling that the top and the road might mean I’d see my yellow ribbons again and the finish would be in front of me (well, down a steep hill and then in front of me). And I was right. I got to to the top and it was all yellow. I finally checked my watch. And my distance said .1 miles. WHAT?!?!? Apparently, I somehow started and paused it all at once at the start. So once again, I have no segment details, no pace information, nada to look at except for the official race results. Dammit. Such a FAIL!
Anyway, the next several miles were fun (and painful) – a steep descent back to Stinson Beach- slick stairs, steep sidewinding trails and then the short road through town where I kicked in gear just enough to pass some unsuspecting guy right before we crossed the finish line. Yup, I totally roll like that. I quickly found Casey who had finished the half a little before I came through (he started 30 minutes after me). We grabbed some snacks and hit the road…wedding time!
Official results: 3:30:31. 5th in my age group.
Boom.
Stay Sweaty friends,
XOXO,
Jamie
Holy elevation! I’ll have to try that counting trick next time. I’ve totally done the same with the watch before – so frustrating!!! But great race, regardless – CONGRATS!
Thanks Jenn! It was a tough course – so much climbing – but good challenge, nonetheless. 😉 Counting is crazy OCD but it helped me stay focused when I wanted to walk the whole hill 😉