 |
| Miguel Herras winning TNFEC. |
So this was to be the last biggest and baddest race of the year, nothing like going out with a big bang !!
This was the toughest and gnarliest race yet, 50 miles in the Marin Headlands with over 10,000 vertical feet of climbing over steep and rolling single track, starting at 5 am in the dark with headlamps donned.
I had trained hard up to this point and with still the buzz from having an amazing day at The Dick Collins Firetrail 50 in my memory, I was ready to up the anti and take on a harder race.
So it was not with any surprise that I was a little anxious about TNFEC.
I had been for the most part healthy up till December, but as "Sod's Law" dictates I just started to get sniffles and signs of sickness right around a week before the race.
I started to get so worked up about this and worried that I may have to cancel if things got worse that I think actually made myself worse thinking about it or self diagnosed "Psychosomatic".
So the Friday before the race rolled around and I was not feeling 100% but new I would show up anyway and have fun. Unfortunately I had to work on Friday night so I did not finish till 9pm and had to rise at 2 am to get breakfast, "kitted up' and to the San Francisco Marina school by 3:30 to catch the shuttle over to Ft. Barry (Marin Headlands) in time to make the start at 5 am sharp !! I probably managed to get 4 hours or less sleep, after countless turning tossing and anxiously checking alarm clock and mentally calculating how much sleep I would get if I went immediately to sleep.
So I made my way to the start in the dark, took once last opportunity to take care of any bodily needs before embarking on this epic adventure for the day, not quite knowing what to expect.
I hung around the middle of the pack behind a lot of really fast, skinny looking Elite runners, donned my headlamp (only ran once or twice before in dark) and with heart rate racing waited for the 5 am start.
 |
| Jeff Roes, winner of "Western States in" 2010 |
At the start of the race I tried to adjust to the terrain in the dark, pay attention to my pace and check that all my gear was both comfortable and adjusted correctly. I have found that any niggling button, zip or strap over 10 hours of running can cause Major irritation and possibly chaffing. As an Ultra runner one does ones utmost to avoid the chaffing of any sensitive body parts, namely your Junk, pits, nostrils, and all undercarriage areas.
After an hour or so of running in the dark, up hill I was thinking to myself this is pretty cool, and looked back at all the snaking headlamps stretching way back in the distance. I focused on hydrating,and my electrolytes.
Maintaining this balance is key in successfully finishing a race of this distance as you get too dehydrated or overly hydrated Hyponatremia it can end your race as fast as you can say:
"If you start to feel good during an ultra, don't worry, you will get over it."
- Gene Thibeault
It was just starting to get light as I ran down and in to the Tennesee Valley Aid Station and one last quick pit stop to take care of my bodily functions, this is part of the problem of "Carbing" up before a big race is that with all that jarring up and down it often stimulates certain undesirable bodily functions.
I was feeling pretty good all around as I started the steep ascent up Coastal Trail. The view from this steep, winding path way, snaking up around the coastline is just spectacular and well worth the price of admission alone.
The trail then meanders up and out of Pirates Cove, a very cool section of trail, by this time the Elite pack of runners were well out of sight and the field was well stretched out by then, onwards and forwards, running the downhills trying not to trash the quads and power walking the steeps.
After running through the Muir beach community for about ¼ mile we hit the Redwood Creek trail briefly before starting the long (1500 ft) climb to Pan Toll via the Heather Cutoff and the Coastal trail.
I focused on trying to keep hydrated, with my Carbo Pro laced Gatorade and Electrolyte tablets.
Next after climbing out of Stinson Beach Aid Station where I grabbed plenty of salt dipped cooked potatoes, trying not to be too rude to the Volunteers (Aid Station Volunteers are awesome sorry for my rudeness)
The Steep Ravine trail is an awesome single track descent through old-growth forest and along a creek, with lots of stairs, roots, rocks and even a ladder to go up. This is one of the most beautiful sections and where they filmed sections of "The Empire Strikes Back" where Yoda is teaching Luke Sky-walker about the power
“[Luke:] I can’t believe it. [Yoda:] That is why you fail.” I could have done with some of that Yoda magic as I was starting to feel the toll of all those steep climbs and splattering of light showers, just to test the spirits.
This next section, the Bootleg trail, drops about 1200 feet of great technical single track, with lots of stairs, through old growth forest and along a creek. A trail runner’s dream, I grabbed an Ensure at this aid station, ran with a few runners and got dropped by quite a few..
On the out and back section to the top of the Lost trail by the Panoramic Hwy it started to rain again and running along a thin muddy single track, dodging the Elite runners coming the opposite way was tough but fun to see how to really run this course.
When we looped back to the Bootleg Trail I caught up with a sprite group of 5 runners maybe in their late 20's who were full of energy. Turns out two of them running together had picked up 2 pacers. I fed off their energy and kept up with them for the most part. Over the next few hours we played cat and mouse, me passing them and then them catching me up again and passing me. There is no doubt that having their companionship and pace kept me going especially when my own strength was leaving me.
I rolled in to Muir Beach Aid station having felt that it had already been a long enough day. I passed one poor runner who was barely limping along after taking a spill down from Muir Beach. He picked up his pacer and continued to strongly power march up past me..
We climbed up and over to Tennesse Valley Aid station again and I had no doubts that I would finish, but man did I have to dig deep. Even the breath taking views at times were not enough to take away my attention from the pain and suffering of having run more than 10 hours at this point.
The next 6 miles to the finish seemed like an eternity. I tried to trick my mind in to believing that it was just like running a 6 mile recovery run in San Francisco, an almost warm up run. Near one of the last hills, disoriented, calorie deprived I took a wrong turn following a 50 K runner down a hill. As luck would have it he took a note of my bib realized I had taken a wrong turn and pointed me back up the hill before I had run too many bonus miles. Whoever you are I owe you a "big fat cold one".
Some how I managed to muster a sprint (maybe a 8 minute mile) for the last 2 miles to the finish believing that the finish line was only quarter of a mile to go. Much to my chagrin I found that my sprint was premature and that I had two miles of paved road to run before hitting the finish line.
I finally crossed at 11 hrs 20 mins. trashed quads, sore all over from the inside out, but I came and finished, one of the longest but fulfilling days that I can remember.
Arguably one of the most competitive field of "elite" runners in North America in 2010. One by a Spanish plumber aged 35 Migueal Heras, who obviously manages his time well enough to beat some of the best north American trail runners, in 6 hours an dchange, wow... beyond my comprehension...
Full article North Face Endurance
http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=21427
"Heras pulled even with Roes roughly four miles from the finish. No surge was needed by the Spaniard to dispatch America’s best, just a simple steady move granted Heras a convincing four-minute win. Heras, the brother of former Lance Armstrong teammate Roberto Heras, pumped his arms in celebration. His win wasn’t without struggle, though. Through a translator, Heras recalled the intense groin pain that he felt throughout the race; he visibly grimaced in memory of the pain. So great was the discomfort that he confessed to having thoughts of dropping out, “many, many times.” Thoughts of the long distance he’d traveled to compete propelled him forward. After a post-race hot shower, Heras’ scruffy cheeks beamed with a smile when asked about the $10,000 prize, the biggest payday of his career."
No comments:
Post a Comment