Redwood 50k with Coastal

Had a really fun time on Saturday at Redwood 50k in Oakland, with Coastal Trail Runs.

After SOB last month, I took some time to reflect on what I was doing and what I wanted to get out of running. Specifically, the next 8-9 months of training are going to be very demanding, and if everything was going to be as terrible as SOB, I didn’t really want to commit to that. Being angry for 10-12 hours during a race, when the race is only 17 hours, sucks.

What helped me get out of my mental funk over the last month:

• I took a couple of weeks to just do whatever I wanted in terms of sports. Ran leisurely with friends, biked a bit, took days off, etc. Zero pressure.
• Talked to some friends about it. Just talking about the frustration was super helpful.
• I met a longer distance runner at track – she’s done 200-250 mile races – and she was just so happy and positive. She also framed her long race as fun, relaxing, and overall a good time. That was a super helpful reframe for me and I’ve been thinking about her approach a lot!

For this race, my goals were to:

1. have a good time (per above)
2. treat it as a training run (e.g., not a race for time)
3. test out the big new running pack I have.

Re: (3), Cocodona 250, which I am running next year, requires that runners carry 4 liters (8.8 pounds) of water out of one of the aid stations, plus required gear. This is likely 10-12 lbs in a pack. The last couple of weekends, I’ve been doing longer runs (28-29 miles) with a somehwat full pack (2-3 liters of water) to see what it felt like. For this race, I wanted to see if I could do all 50k with just what I could carry in the pack: 3.1 L of hydration, and nutrition (PB&J sandwiches and Clif bars).

The course is two half-marathon loops plus a 5-mile loop at the end. About 4,400 feet of climbing, so not too bad – about 141 feet/mile. Cocodona is 150 feet/mile, so this was comparable.

Race

I ran into a friend, Mandy, at the start. I have run a few races with her over the years and we are always within 5% of each others finish time. On the first loop, she and I did some miles together and caught up – really fun to see her after so long. It turns out she had been deployed with the military to the Middle East for the last 9 months, which is why I hadn’t seen her around!

On the second loop, I mostly ran by myself. I felt pretty good most of the way. I was drinking a ton of water and running most of the hills, except for a few that were very steep. There were a few times where I caught myself getting grumpy about things and life in general, but redirected my thoughts and drank some water, and it passed.

Heading into the last mile of the second loop, I ran with a guy who was finishing the marathon – he and I ran the last mile together, which was pretty much all uphill. He was struggling a bit, so I told him that we would do it together. I think we both appreciated the push.

I picked up a wristband at the marathon checkpoint (which was also the start-finish) before heading back out on the last little loop. I also grabbed a slice of watermelon just because it was there and it looked good – the only time I stopped at an aid station during the race! The pack was working really well. And, by this time, it was a lot lighter, given I had been drinking water from it.

The last five miles were also pretty fun. I ran almost all of it – including the last mile, which was the same as the last mile of the second loop that I had run with that guy an hour prior. So I knew I could run that whole mile, because I had just done it. I was imagining my one-hour-ago self as the time trial ghost from Mario Kart 64, or TT from Diddy Kong Racing. Both of these Nintendo 64 racing games have mechanics where you can race your prior best times, so I imagined my one-hour-ago self as running next to my current self and encouraging me to run up the hill faster.

I finished just over 6:30, which is pretty good, esp for a race at the end of three consecutive weeks of 80-90 miles and 10+ feet of vert each.

Reflections

Goals recap:

1. have a good time (per above) ✅ Had a good time! It was fun to see friends, run on a beautiful course, and not push too much. Physically, I felt really good – not tired or worn out – so that was great as well.
2. treat it as a training run (e.g., not a race for time) ✅ Did this! There were a few times when I wanted to run a bit faster – e.g. to keep up with Mandy for socialization reasons – but didn’t want to overdo it.
3. test out the big new running pack I have. ✅ This worked super well! Was very pleased with the pack. I was a bit slower on the uphills than I would have liked due to the extra weight (or maybe just sucking at uphills – could be either), but I stopped at no aid stations, and the food + hydration I had was enough to get me through the whole race. I finished the last of my 3.1L just before crossing the finish line, so that was very convenient.

Overall: a drama-free race on a beautiful course, with surprise friends to hang out with along the way!