Twin Peaks Report

twin peaks reportThe course for the 50k is basically up for the first half (with a quick
out-and-back sidetrip to summit Modjeska Peak) and down for the second half,
returning the same way. None of it is especially steep, but the hills are
definitely omnipresent. The listed cumulative elevation gain is 6000′ for
the 50k and 11,000′ for the 50m. The views (local mountains, inland Orange
County, and to the shore) are quite nice.

The weather was unseasonably warm. I know we won’t get any sympathy from
those of you suffering in sub-zero temps, but someone on the course told me
the predicted high was 82, and it certainly felt like at least 80 to me once
we were in the sun (though I don’t have the actual data). Otherwise a
beautiful day, slightly breezy.

There were three aid stops on the 50k course (I think five for the 50m), so
it was definitely necessary to have plenty of water in between, but they
were well-stocked with food, beverages, and volunteers. The route was easy
to follow (almost all fire road) with few turns. I heard rumors that some
folks missed the single-track turnoff for Medjeska, but it seemed okay to
me. I think there may also have been some confusion where the two courses
split apart.

As for my own run, I didn’t feel adequately trained for the distance, so I
absolutely forced myself to walk essentially all the hills, which meant 95%
of the first third of the course. Very difficult not to let the adrenaline
push me faster, but I made sure to go at a decent clip and save my energy.
My goal time was 6 hours, but this was pretty speculative.

A few of us started a minute or two late (due to a slight mix-up with the
last shuttle bus from the parking area) so I passed a bunch of folks early
on. And hey, what’s a minute or two for 50k, right? After that I slowly
reeled in a few more, still by power-walking (unless it was flat or
downhill). It’s really worth it (at least it was for me) to keep the
respiration and heartrate nice and easy. Just a [long, uphill] walk in the
park…

I drank only water during the run, eating some of the usual at aid stations
(pretzels, pb&j, banana) but not much. I also consumed a packet of shot
bloks that I had with me, and some chocolate-covered espresso beans toward
the end (see below). I had an S-cap every hour, which was probably not quite
enough given the heat. My stomach was fine throughout, better than my trail
marathon last october.

I had been counting runners as we approached the turnaround (Santiago, I
think), since the 50-milers split off there and we didn’t see them again. It
looked like I was in 14th place (out of about 60 starters), and nobody had
passed me yet. Elapsed time was 4:02, but this was more than halfway (partly
because of the Modjeska sidetrip, mostly because it was all uphill to get
here). Michelle Barton was in front throughout and absolutely cruising.

At this point everybody had spread out more, but I tried to keep up a good
pace even on the few technical parts of the trail. Things were starting to
hurt but that’s what you expect. Every time I’ve gone further than a
half-marathon I’ve slowed down noticeably in the second half, which I was
doing everything I could to avoid in this case. I was very pleased to be
feeling roughly okay and told myself to just keep it up. A couple of other
folks slowed down, and with a few miles to go I thought I was in 10th place,
which was amazing!

Unfortunately at this point I did bonk slightly, and two of the people I’d
passed started to catch up again. Oh no! I didn’t care that much about my
spot (since it was already clearly better than I had hoped), but of course
you can’t help noticing. And it sounded nice to be able to say I hadn’t been
passed at all. There was one short uphill near the trailhead, which I was
desperately looking for, both because it would be an excuse to walk and
because I felt like that might be my comparative advantage at this point.

We got to it, I walked, I ate my espresso beans and had some water, and we
topped out. Too fast. I made myself start running again. A couple folks had
walked in from the end to cheer us, which was much appreciated even if I was
too tired to respond appropriately. Someone with a radio was marking down
numbers and told me I was in 8th (at least I thought that’s what he was
saying; it turned out this was correct — not sure what happened to the
other two…). The woman just behind me was still getting closer. My calves
started to cramp, on the very brink of a charley horse, and I willed them to
relax and cooperate for two more minutes. Finally the welcoming finish line
was in sight.

I crossed and slumped to the ground, officially with a time of 5:27:00 and 8
seconds ahead of 9th place! It seems that a minute or two *can* make a
difference in a 50k

Although I was quite happy with my unexpected time, it was really the pacing
that I was most pleased with, since that’s what was under my control and
where I’d had problems in the past. And especially since I hadn’t gone this
distance before. So I say walk more!

Thanks for reading (if you got this far), and happy running to everyone.
cheers,
julian

julison@gmail.com