Leona Divide 50 Mile Race Recap

We woke up to a clear windless morning in Palmdale. Temps were cool but not cold in the morning, possibly forecasting high temps by the afternoon?
We got checked in and started out at 0610, a little late but making that all important porta potty stop.

To describe the course in a few short words...miles of gradual uphill and miles of downhill. Not too technical and not too steep(except a few sections)There were 2 sections of out and backs meeting at the 28/42 mile aid station. So, up and down we hiked/ran. At the first aid station everything was well, we checked in and moved on quickly. Rick, as always, was strong and amazing. Encouraging and patient he helped me through sock changes(no blisters this time!) and refueling. He kept the pace easy but made sure we stayed on track. He knew what the cutoffs were and pushed it so we would make them. We joked and laughed and enjoyed the beautiful day. The 35 mile turnaround point had a cutoff time of 8 hours and we had to push the pace a bit to make it. We arrived with about 20 min to spare, and a reminder that we had to get to the 42 mile aid station-7 miles away in just over 2 hours otherwise risk getting cut. Rick was confident we would make the cutoff, it was mostly downhill and 2 hours was plenty of time...

but the push to make the 8 hour cutoff had taken it's toll on me. I was suddenly really tired. I'd been doing good, eating a drinking at the stops, but the 35 mile stop did nothing for me. I walked away from there bone weary. The temperature was probably in the 80's. The next aid station was 3 miles away...the luau group...some ice, and beer for Rick then onward. After a mile or so, Rick was getting concerned, I was really beginning to slow down. Even on the downhills, my pace dropped to 13 min/miles. We had to average 15 min miles to make the next cutoff. He fished around in my hydration pack and found some Hammergel. That helped alot. Being tired I'd forgotten to stayed properly fueled. 5 minutes later, gel working, we picked up some speed and finished with a strong downhill at the 42 mile aid station in 1.5 hours. SoCal Trailheadz were everywhere cheering on clubmates , taking photos and crewing. There was so much energy there, i felt refreshed and ready to finish. 8 miles left and 3 hours to complete them. It was the homestretch and we would make it. If we finished under 13 hours we would get our finishers medals. After that it would be an unoffical finish and no medal...well after all that, I wanted a medal!!! An endless hot uphill and then the final downhill we crossed the line at 12:34. Rick celebrated with a free beer, hot potato soup and a coke. And I took a nap in the back of his truck.
Thanks big guy, i wouldn't have finished without your neverending and unselfish support. Your smile and your calm voice kept me moving...and yes, I had a great time!

50 Miles of Training

Just a few days left before my first 50 mile race. Compared to the 50K, i've been sleeping remarkably well. Probably due to EXHAUSTION !!! 2 weeks ago I put in a 50 mile week, the miles spread over 5 days. The next week 51-ish, 17,16,12,6 with the majority of the miles in 3 days. Life took priority over the long runs, so longish runs spread over the week made up for it.
Rick and I finally got in a 20 mile run on Monday. It was a beautiful spring day. Temps in the low 70's and high whispy clouds. We started up the motorway off the Maple Springs trail, I wanted to do the hard part early, when it was cool, at 8. Fast paced hiking up, stopping to take a picture of a "bunny" on the trail, then a little bit of running to the "DeathStar". After a quick blister/sock check we continued on, pretty much down hill. Other than sore feet, I felt okay.
Part of my 50 miles last week included a 16 miler down by the beach. 8 miles of head wind on pavement without stopping. Then turn around and 8 miles back without stopping. It was a hard workout because of the continual running. No stopping at the top of a hill. No walking. Mentally and physically it was 16 miles of continuous "one foot in front of the other" and no real breaks. The next day, we met at El Moro to run 17 and I found out how hard the run the previous day had been when I could only get to 12 miles before quitting. I felt bad because I was denying Rick the miles he needed to get in, but I just could not go another 5. The remaining miles would wait until Sat.
So, the Leona Divide awaits us. As Rick wrote, it will be fun and we won't watch the clock. And he is absolutely right! From a TW to her TH, an adventure in the waiting...

Getting Ready to Meet Leona

I did my first training run Monday, getting ready for the Leona Divide. We ran 15+ miles in El Moro...groan....
Within the first 15 min of the run I slipped on a downhill, caught my foot in a rut and twisted my knee. After a few choice words and two or three tentative steps, we continued on. El Moro always does me in. All the hills, both up and down and the lack of shade. After over 4 hours on the trail we finally climbed out.
This was a test run for my new insoles and hydration pack. Insoles did their job, kept at least the balls of my feet from blistering. But the hydration pack is going to take a few more runs before I'm absolutely sure it's going with me to Leona Divide.
After the run I tried some Recoverite and today I feel really good!
I taped my knee with some Kinesio Tex Tape after it ballooned up at home and it's also much better. The tape is a miracle cure-all. On the SJT 50, it held the same knee together for 30 miles. Way better than a knee brace.
I'm also reading a great book on nutrition for runners, to help me fuel smarter for this long race. I stuck with Hammer products for the 50K and I think it worked for the most part, but for the longer races I have to figure out what's going to sit well in my stomach and keep me full without "problems". Still have a few weeks to investigate.

A Date with Leona

My "date" with Leona is April 18th, 2009.

check her out

www.leonadivide.com

SJT 50K Recap

We did it!! Woo Hoo!! My first 50K is a done deal! AND...not even DFL!
Rick, you did great, keeping me from running off and burning out, you knew that horsethief was there waiting...Your calm presence and strong even pace was so reassuring! This was a great gift. Thank you again.

We arrived at Blue Jay campground at 0630. It was still dark and we used flashlights and headlamps to get around. After checking in, it was time to start sorting through all the stuff we brought and make our final decisions on what to wear and carry along for 30 miles. Baz delayed the race for a few minutes, a handful of runners hadn't arrived, so he was giving them a chance to make the start. The turnoff to the campground in the dark is hard to see.

The first 10 miles to the Candystore felt good, we followed the "plan" right from the start...walk the uphills and run the downhills. It was hard for me to slow it down so early on. It was Rick's reminders that saving our energy will pay off in the end...and that we still had 25 miles left...tempered my desire to run up ANY hill!
At the first aid station(we arrived in a little under 2 hrs) we saw Steve and Annie Harvey. Annie was keeping the food table stocked and organized and Steve was giving the runners sage advice. His advice for me was to drink the water, not just carry it around!

Refreshed, we all headed back to Blue Jay to make the 5 hr cutoff at the 19 mile aid station.
We slowly made our way up the trail to the campground. Alot of loose rock and boulders to climb over. Our arrival to the campground at 4:07, was still well above the cutoff so we took a side trip to the van and restocked our supplies. I had developed a large blister on the ball of my left foot, and a slightly smaller one on my right. I put on blister bandages, clean dry socks and a completely different pair of shoes in hopes that it would help. We spent 12 minutes at the van.
On to the main divide road. We power walked the long uphill to the Trabuco trailhead. At the water station there, we were reminded that we needed to be back and check in before the 8 hr cutoff. We would have to run down Trabuco, up West Horsethief and back to the main divide in 3 hrs..with blisters...
Rick flew down Trabuco. I tried to keep up, my best was just keeping him in sight. We passed 3 runners. At the bottom of horsethief we came upon a familar face...Doug Malewicki! A brief chat and a picture and we started our long climb up. I've been told it's only 1.5 miles. I repeated that over and over to help get me to the top. At the top of Horsethief was another water station, a quick stop and back on the main divide. A combination of running and power walking got us back to the Trabuco/main divide aid station in 2 hours. 7 hours total of trail time at this point.
2.5 miles back to the campgound and the finish. We ran as much as my feet could handle. The downhills were murder on the blisters. A bit of a walk, then we crossed the finish line together running.
Physically, I was very tired and sore. My blisters were burning and my left knee was starting to stiffen. Emotionally, I wanted to cry...happy tears for the accomplishment, and tears of mental exhaustion, of having to keep it all under control for 7 1/2 hours.
Rick and I took a brief rest, I brought ice(the best thing i ever did!)and put a bag of it under my blisters. We cheered every runner that finished after us and when the last one crossed the line we took off down Ortega hwy to home.
See ya next year Baz!

3 days and Counting...

This great picture is Rick the "trail stud". He kicks my butt up every hill and has me begging for mercy after our long training runs ;- )
The picture was taken on our LSD run to old camp Monday. It was overcast, threatening to rain but perfect for running 17+ miles. I'd never run on the Santiago Truck trail before, but I'd like to do it again. The long rolling hills were easy on the legs and the great views made for a very memorable morning.
So, am I ready for Saturday and the SJT 50K? I'm not having the nightmares that used to wake me up 2 weeks ago. Maybe that means that mentally I'm ready for it to be done. Physically? Now, i don't have many options, either run it or not. And I don't like to quit, that means I will go for it, and do the best I can. There is a cut off time of 5 hours at 19.1 miles and total cut off time of 9 hours to finish, so i will keep one eye on my watch and the other on Ricks backside (just because he is always in front of me...) as we run along the Santa Ana mountains.

WTRS 21K

Good turn out at Baz's place for the last of the WTRS race. 21K with the highlight section being up West Horsethief. At least for me, that was the section of the race that had me waking up in the middle of the night wondering if I could finish in under 4 hours! I'd run up Holy Jim-main divide-down West Horsethief-parking lot, about 14 miles and it took 4 hours. This training run, about 3 months ago included alot of breaks but i remembered feeling wiped out. And I remembered going down West Horsethief and being grateful I wasn't going up this steep trail.

The run started with a gentle uphill out of the campground. Rick, who passed me within the 1st mile of the run became a blur as we made our way up the ridge to the first aid station manned by

the so cal Trailheadz. After leaving the aid station, there as a downhill that lead into West Horsethief. I walked it up horsethief. Almost everyone in my pod of runners hiked it at a brisk pace, a few runners came up from behind, but most of them soon stopped running and hiked it also. So for about 40-45 min. we trudged up the trail getting the know the person in front and in back. At the top there was another aid station, again manned by the Trailheadz.

Up and down rolling hills on the main divide road then down Trabuco trail. I tried to make up time on my down hills. At one point I checked my Garmin and I was running under 7 min miles.
I think I passed 4 or 5 people during this stretch and if I didn't hit too many more uphills I could finish with a decent time.
As I entered the campground there was one really small incline before the finish, maybe 300 yards long...my legs just put on the brakes! I could see the finish line but I had to stop for a few seconds catch my breath and will my self to shuffle over and finish the race.
Final time was 2:29 and I was grateful for that.
Rick had my camera and took some amazing photos, check out Baz's website to see them.