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Point Mugu Trail Race Recap 2024

Jesse — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 03:44:59 +0000

This year’s Point Mugu Trail Race 10k was my first race of the year. I’ve been working hard this year, got sick some and was more than ready to get out there on the trails.

Unfortunately, my training wasn’t all that great leading up to the race. I’d mostly been doing political stuff phone banking nights and doing precinct walking on weekends. That didn’t leave a ton of time to do much training.

My plan going into the race, which I did last year as well, was to give it a push but not fret about being competitive.

Race Morning

I took my time getting to the race as I only live 30 minutes from the starting line. The drawback is that I had to park far away. When I checked into the race, I just folded the race shirt into my hydration pack. And my bib…wait, where is my bib? It turns out there was a mistake and someone else was given my bib. They made a few announcements over the loudspeaker but it wasn’t that loud and we figured that the person may have gone back to their car to drop off a race shirt.

After the longer race started, there was another announcement about the bib and finally someone went to the check in and she had the bib. I should have thought to check similar bib numbers to track them down, but it wasn’t that big a deal.

There were a lot of unfamiliar faces at the race, and it made me think that in 11 months since my last race I was out of the scene, but then I saw Jackie, Keith, Mike and others and also started to proactively meet and chat with other runners.

Race Start

It was finally race time and after speaking with a new to me runner, Frank, I made my way to the back of the start bunch. I saw the race start of the longer half marathon race and it quickly turned into a conga line at the start of the Ray Miller Trail. But when the race started, we didn’t end up getting too bunched up.

I ran some of the first climb and felt good. I think I passed a couple of people and settle behind a couple of women who were ahead of me. They appeared to be running together and had a pretty good pace. We ran past one runner who was probably 70 and were still going a moderate pace.

A couple of minutes later the 70-year-old passed me on a climb. Dammit. I was starting to feel a little worked, so I just eased up even more.

“You’re not competing today, Jesse. Remember.”

I was bummed that my heart rate was way low according to my watch. That was obviously an error. I’m thinking that the beer garden wrist band was interfering with the HR measurement. This is one of the main ways I double check to see if I’m pushing too hard.

The rest of the climb was a combination of little runs and mostly hiking. There were still a few folks behind me, but I was pretty close to the back of the pack. I think some of the other runners were also taking it a little easy today. I took several photos and enjoyed the morning air.

I finally made it to the end of the Ray Miller Trail and said Hi to the volunteers at the aid station there and kept going.

I didn’t mention it but the 10K race is a big out and back race which is kind of fun because you get to see where the runners ahead of you are.

Last year I ran down this next section, on the Overlook Trail, like a madman. People looked at me on the out and back part and I think smiled because I was obviously towards the back of the pack but was running like I was in first place.

I got to the turnaround just next to Fireline Trail and added a little water to each flask. I wanted to enough to keep me hydrated but not so much that it weighed me down too much. On the way up the trail, I tried to not think about the day I did this climb on the day of the inaugural SAMO race when it was in the 90’s and I was exhausted. I was only spectating that day but got gassed. To not relive that experience, I started filming a TikTok of my race in action. That worked and the next thing I knew I was at the top aid station again.

As I almost made it to the top of the little climb before the big descent, I was a runner and a sweeper on the trail and the runner was stopped taking photos. Yup, not everyone was in that big a hurry. If you’re not familiar with the role of a sweeper, they are supposed to go up the racecourse and make sure runners don’t get left behind and that they are safe. Sometimes that means they wait for a runner to recover a little or in this case to get in some good photos of Mugu Rock.

I finally got to the big downhill and got a good pace going. I’ve run down this mountain probably 80 times before and I can usually haul a55 here. I didn’t want to overdo it so I didn’t go crazy on the descent. However, I did see a few people down trail and passed the 70-year-old then saw another group that I might have been able to catch towards the end but ran out of real estate.

Before the race I did have a goal and that was to finish right side up and also to try and run it under 2 hours. After crossing the finish line, I had met both goals. There was no PR, and I was last in my age group of 5 runners but that was OK.

After the race I took some photos of the different podiums then went off to the race beer garden and had some tacos. I had a chance to meet some other runners and not only had most of them not done this race before, but it was their first trail race or race of any kind. I thought that was pretty cool. With a little encouragement they too could take on the trail running habit.

My official time was 1:52:04 and I was 85th out of 94.

I really enjoyed my first race back. The SoCalTrail bunch did a great job organizing the race, the volunteers were helpful, and I’ll be back. Also, thanks to the great photographers out on the course, @IGNACIOSALDANAJR, @ORLANDO_.B and @EVERETTJOHNSONPHOTO on Instagram.

My next races are the Ray Miller 30K but as of now I don’t feel as if I’ll be able to get that race done if I don’t buckle down and start getting into race form. I also signed up for the Boney Mountain race next year and am looking forward to some payback after the last time I DNF’d it big time.

Thanks for reading to the end of this novella and let me know what your next race will be. Are you moving up a distance, going for a PR, or are you building back up?

All photos taken on Chumash land.

#SoCalTrail #PointMubu #chumashland #trailrunning

Eating Veggie Challenge

Jesse — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 04:44:16 +0000

At the start of September of 2023, I started eating vegetarian for 2 of 3 daily meals. For the veggie meals, I chose to allow cheese and eggs. When I started that I wanted to see if I would notice any changes. I was curious to see what effects I would see on my blood glucose level, my blood pressure and on cholesterol levels. I also wanted to see how this might affect my running and fitness.

It was work but overall a lot easier than I thought.

During that time, my body was still recovering from months of weirdness like vertigo and from a series of falls while on the trail. I also DNF’d or DNS’d the heck out of the year in races with a spectacular fails from Leona Divide in April to the Ray Miller race all the way in December.

I had some good shorter races though so the who year wasn’t shot and things were getting better towards the year in terms of fitness, stability and, knock on wood, not having any big falls.

I also kept careful track of my blood glucose levels, checked my blood pressure after races and tougher long workouts. All of these vital measurements were good and mostly getting better throughout the entire process. I’m very grateful to have health insurance so I can get regular tests.

I don’t think I can overstate the fact that keeping these measurements in check is the most important reason why I do all of these challenges, why I run, and why I will keep doing them as long as I can.

At the end of November 2023, I decided to go veggie until the end of the year.

Because B has been going along with a good portion of these eating changes, going veggie has also been easier than I thought it could be.

I still don’t eat “clean” every meal but have been eating less and less junk food.

Some of go to foods have been Mexican food like chile relleno burritos or beans/rice/cheese and I started experimenting with other foods like making falafel salads. I had a falafel pita while at the Mammoth Trail Fest and it was delicious. I learned how to make something similar at home in only 15 minutes so that’s pretty cool. I also learned how to make 15-minute sushi which I love.

Now that 2024 has come I might start eating fish and meat again but haven’t done so yet.

In terms of other changes, I do feel more fit although I haven’t really lost much weight. Weight loss was not a primary goal or I would have made the diet much more restrictive and would have been counting calories, which I did not do.

Even though the Ray Miller race in December didn’t finish the way I wanted it to, I finished feeling strong and took that going into the Paramount 10 race.

I’m still working on my treadmill challenge although I had to take some rest days as I’ve been getting over this cold.

I didn’t give too many details on my health markers but trust me that they have been looking good and all in the normal ranges. I do take medications as well and test my blood glucose every day.

Do you have any questions about this vegetarian exploration?

Paramount Ranch 10K Race Report 2024

Jesse — Sun, 24 Dec 2023 03:41:44 +0000

I went into the Paramount Ranch 10K without a lot of expectations. I had been training with low volume and had recently started a treadmill challenge that focused on getting a healthy dose of daily vertical gain.

Race Day
I woke up before my alarm around 3am and was going to get a little more sleep but then at 3:15 I figured that my body was ready to wake up. I went through my morning routine of checking my blood levels, taking my meds and taking down my oatmeal and coffee. With almost 2 hours before I had to leave, I wasn’t too worried about rushing to clean out my system, but that event did not happen. Uh oh.

I got to Paramount Ranch 15 minutes after the site opened up and it was chilly but not as cold as it had in previous years. I had a buff over my head with a hat and wore a light pullover as I went to the check-in table. I wasn’t the only one having a tough time putting on my race bib as my fingers were like ice pops. Eventually I got the bib on and went back to the car to drop off the race shirt and to pick up my waist holster. For 10K I wouldn’t need more than one bottle of water with two GU’s in it, especially since it was cold.

I went back to the checking area and met up with some New Basin Blues friends for some selfie time then found Jesse Haynes who was setting up a big Altra feather banner. When he wasn’t completely occupied, I congratulated him on his awesome Moab 240 win and told him that I enjoyed the stories he told about it on a couple of podcasts that I had tuned into.

I did some warmup runs for about 15 minutes and hoped that if I had to make a pit stop at the bathroom that it would happen during this time, but it was no go. Luckily this would not end up being an issue this time during my race.

We lined up and Race Director Keira Henninger reminded us that the race course was cut in half from previous years because they were rebuilding the Western town that had burned down some years ago. That also led to a bit smaller a crowd this year and we were all going to start at the same time.

The race started and I immediately burst out into a … walk. With everyone starting at the same time, those of us in the back half of the pack were in a giant conga line and went at a very easy hike pace. It took about a quarter mile before you could start passing people. The first mile or so of the 5K course is a loop that takes you back past the starting line and onto a straightaway section. I was doing OK and was glad that I had warmed up some before the race.

After the straightaway section we got back on to trails for some easy rolling short hills. There isn’t more than like a 50-foot climb on any section of the course. I did power hike some sections, not wanting to burn out at the beginning but when it was a flat or downhill, I was definitely running. At this point I was already seeing the faster runners coming back from the turnaround a mile and a half up the trail. It was fun seeing everyone who was out there.

I finally made it to the turnaround and was glad that the course was a lot less complex than last year. A couple of years ago during a half marathon race I went off course and missed a segment. Keira was cool and just directed me to do the extra loop at the beginning and that ended up making up for the difference. This time it was a pretty straight shot except for the starting loop.

The other thing I liked about us all starting together and having a lot of difference race distances (including a 12-hour race) is that we all just out there pushing ourselves. We didn’t have to compare ourselves to anyone else. I could have been passed from someone in the 10K or it could have been a 50K runner. I could have passed another 10K runner or 12-hour runner.

The next few miles were full of high fives as I passed New Basin Blues friends back and forth and the next thing I knew I had just over 2 miles to go and was on the last hills section. After doing the turnaround for the second time I was just behind a few people who I had running around most of the race. I started to power hike up the last climb and noticed another runner there. I decided to try and catch them and run the climb, relying on my treadmill climbing practice and found that my legs still had something left in them.
Because it was a new course, I would have an instant PR, but I still had 2 other 10K times at this race that I could compare it to. However, I didn’t fuss too much about looking at time.

I came down off the last hill and onto the final straightaway back to the start finish line. I summoned what I had left and started booking it down the road. I passed the person who was just in front of me before, then another then another. Looking at my Strava activity, I was under a 9 minute per mile pace which is pretty good for me at the end of a 10K run, especially a flat segment. I ran into the finish line and felt like I was sprinting but from my NBB friend Caryn’s finish line Live video, I came in huffing and puffing like a suffocating rhinoceros.

Yes, 10K was plenty for me that day. After the DNF at Ray Miller (despite still finishing up 17+ miles) I needed a finish and got it.

Tale of the tape
UltraSignup, the site that does registration, predicted that I would finish the race in 1:43:19 and my official finish was in 1:37:06. It’s always great to beat the predicted time! The course was a tiny bit longer than the other 10Ks that I did at Paramount Ranch, and it was the slowest of the times but about a minute. All in all, I’m happy with my performance. I only had one hiccup and that was that my back started feeling sore and I remedied that by taking off my waist hydration belt and looping it around my neck and under one arm and that eased the stress on my back. It made it harder to get drinks of water, but I only had a couple of miles of race left.

Once again, Keira and her amazing volunteers did a great job from parking (I volunteered for parking last year before running) to check-in to helping us stay on course. I’m looking forward to going back next year and hope that the Western town is back up and running. It was a pleasure to be back out on Chumash land, experiencing the sun and trails.

As of now, my next race will be the Boney Mountain 7K race in February of 2024. That race starts off in Newbury Park at the Satwiwa loop. I’m focusing on the shorter races to avoid some of the physical complications that have arisen on the longer distances. Plus, I’ve always done better, proportionately in short races. I’m also working on building my uphill running.

What’s your next race? Where you out at Paramount Ranch this year or in previous years?

Big thanks to @Paksitphotos for the great race photos!

Not Another DNF Story

Jesse — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 05:49:05 +0000

Ok, it is another DNF story. I ran the Ray Miller 30K this past weekend out at La Jolla Canyon. I went into the race coming off a hip flare up, similar to one that hit me earlier this year. When it gets bad it feels like someone is sticking an ice pick in my groin..

Yeah, fun.

Similar to the villager who was supposedly turned into a newt by a witch in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, I got better.

After a couple of days of zero running – breaking my daily consecutive 5K streak that was at 30 days – I started walking more and was able to start walking without any major pain.

The only double I had about running Ray Miller was that I found out that I might have to work in Riverside that day. I was able to be excused so then it was game on.

I had a little different strategy this year from last year. First, I decided to drop down to the 30K race from the 50k. Second, I was going to take a good break at the second Hell Hill aid station. I feel like the times I crapped out on Hell Hill two previous times that I was more worked than I thought and should have done a reset. The third thing I was going to do is that when I got to the Hell Hill climb and I calculated that I was going to time out, that I would just take a steady approach and get to the top not feeling miserable then continue regardless of whether or not I had been officially cut off.

I would not die on Hell Hill again.

Race Day

I’ve run the Ray Miller Trail at La Jolla Canyon about 80 times and today was one of most beautiful days ever. Sunrise was epic and the views throughout the day were breathtaking.

I got to checkin just before the 50K folks took off. I got a video of the start and saw a bunch of friends.

Then it was thirty minutes to the 30K and I had time to go back to my car on PCH and drop off my new race shirt. I had to go back again because I forgot my sunglasses, a vital piece of race equipment for me.

After meeting Tynisha from New Basin Blues for the first time and greeting other friends, it was race time.

I brought my trekking poles but didn’t use them until most of the runners around me had cleared away. I didn’t want to block them from passing me because of the flurry of the poles.

I went out very conservatively and didn’t run any of the uphill portion which is 90% of the Ray Miller Trail. I was running near Luisa, her friend, and Tam and felt very comfortable there. We ran within a quarter mile of each other for 7 miles then Luisa and her friend pulled away.

At the race start, race director Keira Henninger had surprised us by announcing that there was a course change on the La Jolla Canyon loop portion, we would do a re-routed version of the loop to avoid an overgrown section of the trail. I’ve never been affected but I think there is section on that part that we avoided that has poison ivy although I ran by there a few weeks ago and it wasn’t super overgrown.

At mile 8 I started the climb up towards Mugu Peak and I started to slow down. It’s not super steep but my climbing spoke was rapidly declining. At last year’s race, at mile 8 I started getting dizzy and was reduced to a hike for a lot of the remaining race. I didn’t feel dizzy this time and felt that I should have taken a break to re-group and get in some more calories. I had packed away two PB&J’s and had already eaten one of them. I was also getting hot wearing a light tech hoodie and another shirt over it but thought I could wait.

There was another hiker out there on the trail and he passed me up doing a normal hike. That let me know that I was really slowing down. I got to downhill portion and started running but took it easy. My hip issue is aggravated by aggressive downhill running and I figured I still had two more big downhills to run so I didn’t want to blow things at this point. I passed the hiker going downhill.

I finally made it to the bottom of Mugu Peak trail and crossed paths with a group of merry makers who had cowbells and cheered me on. I got to the empty water tank at the bottom then saw the re-routed part of the trail and as soon as I took a couple of steps up the little embankment to the re-routed trail I let out a large grunt/sigh. It was weird. It was like a bunch of stoke left me at once.

I trudged on and felt hotter and more tired. I had just seen Tam who was closest to me in front dart over a little hill. Knowing Tam, she was turning on her after burners as she gets stronger as the race progresses.

I got to the gradual climb and stopped to take off the hoodie and dig out the PB&J. Nothing hurt so this had to be a temperature and nutrition issue. The hiker passed me up then another group of hikers passed. I ate half the PB&J and was still going slow even on a slight descent. Then two more hikers passed me and it turns out they must have been 30K runners as well but I could tell they were planning on hiking this the whole way. I knew there was probably one person still behind me at this point but had no idea there were these two other fellows back there.

The PB&J still hadn’t kicked in and now the two hiking racers were pulling away from me. I didn’t have any run left in my legs. Despite that, I was moving forward, and still wasn’t “hurting” so I just kept hiking. The view of Boney Mountain and the rest of La Jolla Valley was still amazing and I was glad to be out there.

I finally made it to the Hell Hill 2 aid station and checked my watch and I got there at 11am. Last year I got there at 11am and wasn’t able to make the upcoming Guadalasca (some trail signs have it as Guadalasco) loop in 2 hours to make the cutoff. Last year was different though because I was dealing with that dizziness which kept me from doing a lot of downhill running for fear of stumbling off a cliff.

I double checked the cutoff with one of the volunteers as he filled up my hydration pack. He wasn’t sure and asked another volunteer about the cutoff.

Meanwhile, I found an empty chair and leaned it up next to a ranger’s truck which provided shade then plopped down. A couple of volunteers conferred and they were trying to figure out if I still had time to do the loop. I told them that regardless, I was going to take a break to cool down and get a little nutrition. After Leona Divide this year I realized that getting some shade and cooling down is super important for me.

At that points, my friend Chris popped up from Hell Hill. I was glad to see him and he was in good shape and took a short breather. He was doing the 50K race. I told him that I was chilling for a bit and was trying to decide if I should start the loop which ends with a hellacious climb up Hell Hill.

He replied, “Well, don’t ask me. If you ask me I’m going to tell you to run as fast as you can to make the cutoff.”

This made me laugh and helped convince me to at least start the loop. One of the volunteers there, Amy, had been there the previous two times that I flamed out on Hell Hill so she let me know that time was short and that things weren’t looking good to complete the loop. I appreciate race volunteers and have also volunteered for dozens of races in the past.

I decided to do part of the Guadalasca climb and then turn back. Amy didn’t understand what I wanted to do and was concerned that she would have to send a truck to get me later on. I told her that if I was able to climb well and thought I could do the loop in time that I would keep going.

I started the climb and felt pretty good. It’s not a super steep climb and there are a couple of flattish parts and I almost was going to run some of the uphill but just fast hiked it. I climbed up for a mile then tried to do trail math and it didn’t work. I’d have to run 12 minute miles to make it to Hell Hill then do the .7 mile 800 foot climb in 30 minutes? Whether my math was right or not, it sounded very unlikely so I turned around.

Shortly after that I saw the other person who I thought was behind me in the race. I told him I was turning back and wished him luck. When I got back to the aid station, Amy had a curious look and asked how far I went. I told her that I had gone up a mile and felt pretty good but that I didn’t think I’d make the loop in time.

I already knew what I would do next, keep going back to the finish. I got a couple of little pretzels and a couple of cups of electrolytes and headed off for the final 5 miles.

Several other 30K runners passed by me including Tynisha who was causing along. She had already done the full Guadalasca loop and Hell Hill climb. I told her that I dropped out but was going to hike it in.

I could tell other runners who caught up were a little confused because they had not seen me ahead of them in the race. I saw Rafael and he asked what was up and I told him that I had dropped. He was still doing well and was looking forward to the final downhill portion of the course.

I had been hiking well and when I got to downhills, I was running. Yeah, even though I had that massive low earlier I was still chugging along. When I got to the Ray Miller downhill I ran 80% of it at an easy jog, using my poles to help steady me and to not put as much pressure on my hip.

I got to the final turn before the finish line and tried to figure out how to get to the race end without crossing the finish line. I told a volunteer that I had dropped and he said to continue down the final turn. When I got to the finish line I sidestepped it and let Keira know what had happened. The person handing out finishers medals had offered me a medal but I declined and just said, “I didn’t get the finish.”

I am happy that I was able to bounce back and get to the finish line even though I didn’t complete the entire course. I did 17.4 miles which is 3 miles short of the 21 miles race distance. I still felt pretty good and didn’t even hunt for a chair at the end.

I grabbed a veggie sandwich and got to see a few more friends finish then headed home.

Race stats

17.46 miles, 6 hours 4 minutes, 2,812 feet of elevation gain.

Big shout out to Keira for another great race and to all the volunteers who helped me along the way and to all who volunteered throughout the course like my New Basin Blues friends at the checkin and far off aid stations helping out 50k and 50 mile runners.

I don’t have any more races scheduled yet. What races are on your calendar?

Mammoth Trail Fest Weekend and Dragon’s Back Ascent 2023 Race Report

Jesse — Mon, 02 Oct 2023 02:36:27 +0000

After having an amazing time at last year’s inaugural Mammoth Trail Fest, I knew I had to come back – and hopefully bring friends.

Besides the great races, chill atmosphere and friend building of last year, this year the Golden Trail World series added the 26K race to its schedule. I had to go. The Golden Trail World Series includes the best sub-ultra trail runners in the world, and I’ve been following this circuit for the past several years. They’re a fast and exciting bunch!

B and I drove up on a Thursday and scoped out the scene. This time we stayed right there at the village only feet from the starting line for the 26K and the 50K races.

I picked up my bibs then went to see the Ballet Folklorico performance. Sofia Flores’ group was great, and I later got to speak with her. She was doing the triple!

Last year I spent most of the fest parked out near the stage, listening to speaker panels, watching films and meeting new folks. This year was different because a group of my New Basin Blues running group came up as well.

To say I came into the 26K race undertrained would be an understatement. After getting off to a great start by finishing running every street in my town of Santa Paula, even in rainy March, I ran into adversity. I got sick so didn’t run then when I was ready to get back out there, I had a weird hip flexor issue and was sidelined from running for another two weeks. Then, every time I hit the trails; I ended up taking a tumble. The last time I fell I smashed my right leg, so I only walked for a couple of weeks after that.

So, I pulled the plug on the 26K. I had given myself a 20% chance of even making it to the Summit at mile 7 in time for the cutoff. Last year I was in a similar predicament, and I just ran out to the first aid station and back for a DNF.

This year I didn’t toe the line and instead was off to support Caryn and Tim from NBB for their 26K race.

By focusing on helping and cheering on my friends and other runners, this really added a new level of fun to the Mammoth Trail Fest experience. I do a lot of volunteering in SoCal races so service is not new, but it was super cool to do this at the Trail Fest.

Tim and Caryn were up first, doing the 26K race that I skipped then the next day Daisy did the 50K race. Each day, the rest of our NBB crew followed them at the summit and other aid stations. They all rocked their races!

I was up now. The next day I got an early start to tackle the Dragon’s Back Ascent. I was super early and the first on site, so I did some walking and short runs to warm up the legs.

Eventually all the runners showed up and the group was 3 times the size as last year’s. Tim and Caryn showed up to send me off and then we were off.

My goal was to make the cutoff time of 2 and a half hours. My only strategy was to go at a brisk but managed level. With the strangeness of the vertigo that started last winter I have been extra careful not to pass the line of no return. When that happens the world spins and I get nauseous. Not a good thing to happen.

I felt strong the whole way and jogged a few of the flatter sections. I got caught by another runner who was going based on heart rate so every now and then he would stop and chat with a search and rescue person or volunteer until his heart rate settled down. I would get a little closer to him, but I wasn’t racing.

Last year I kept checking my heart rate and the distance but this year I had a buff right around my watch wrist so I could just peek through to see where I was. I did notice that the time between mile 2.0 and 2.25 seemed to take an eternity.

Getting to the finish line before the 2-hour mark started to slip away. I still had strength but was cautious of the line. As long as I made the cutoff, I would be fine. I also got passed by a dad carrying his daughter which is unique, but I kept my ego in check and didn’t try to over push things.

I finally got to the false summit and took off running. As soon as the trail climbed a little bit, I went back to power hiking then back to running on the dip before the little climb. When I got to the final few turns, I put the trekking poles in one hand and sprinted up the hill. There were a bunch of spectators including Billy Yang and they were losing their minds cheering. I got a big hug from race director Tim Tollefson as I crossed the line. Shortly after that I went to go cheer in the last couple of runners then got a ride back to the village from Evelyn and Bill who were up there to cheer.

My official finish time was 2:13:54 which is slower than last years’ time, but I realized that last year the course was shorter. Last year the race was over at the false summit.

I had a blast this year racing, spending time with B and the NBB group and meeting new folks and saying hi to people I met at last year’s fest.

Race Director Tim Tollefson did a great job on this year’s Fest and his team of volunteers were amazing!

My next race is the NoName 25K in a couple of weeks. What is your next race?

Tough Mugu 5 Miler Race Report 2023

Jesse — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 05:22:37 +0000

I barely made it to the starting line of this year’s Tough Mugu race. Quick life update – the last few weeks I was on a stressful jury duty panel, caught a week-long summer cold then strained a hip flexor at the end of that.

After several weeks of zero running I was able to get the OK from my physical therapist to test out my running to see if it would be OK to race.

Yeah, not the ideal lead in for a race.

I had already DNS’d the Tough Topanga race which happened a couple of days after the initial injury so I didn’t want to miss another race.

Besides, there was another reason to make the race. By looking at the entrants list I could tell that there were only 2 men in the 50-60 age group. Unless several other of us oldies showed up, a finish meant an age group podium. The SocalTrail races are some of the few races that actually have age group awards.

After going on a 2-mile test run on the race course the day before, I felt ready to give it a go.

I got to the race nice and early and got a great parking spot since most folks came in from LA County and parked on the other side of PCH. I picked up my bib and went back to the car to pin the bib, leave my race shirt and hide from the mosquitoes for a while.

When I went back, I saw Christophe, Nicole, Mike and Ricardo checking in. It was great seeing them out there. Of the group, only Mike and I were doing the 5-miler.

I got some video of the 25k race start (video below) then got into race mode for our start 30 minutes later.

This was going to be a low ego race. I wasn’t going to push on the uphill even if I still had a little energy to spare. After the race start, I found myself towards the back of the Ray Miller Trail climb but there were still about 6 people behind me. I ran some and hiked some and after half a mile a couple of women passed me. One woman was behind me for a bit then I told her to go ahead and she did and said, “I’m going slow so…” I wanted to say “well, you’re going faster than I am”, but didn’t say anything.

The Ray Miller climb has two scenic view areas overlooking the ocean, one is at mile 1 and the other is at mile 2. By the time I got to mile 2, a group of 3 women had caught up and passed me. From that point there is a final climb up to the top on the mountain just off of the Ray Miller Trail. As I started that final climb, Mike ran down past me and said that there was a tough climb coming up. I’m very familiar with the climb and it’s a minor soul suck but I just put my head down and kept plugging away. I caught up to the 3 women who had passed me then made my way down the other side towards the Ray Miller Trail where I would turn around to start the way back.

Last year I had just gotten to that part of the trail when the lead 25k racers zoomed by with videographer Victor (@behindtherun) right before them. This time the lead guy, Chris Myers, was already blazing by, once again followed by Victor. In @behindtherun’s video you can see me dropping down the mountain. Nope, I wasn’t able to catch them.

I hiked a little bit at the start of the trail then took a deep breath and took off for the big 2+ mile descent. I ran some then slowed down a bit then sped up some and started to catch people. I passed the two women who had passed me at the beginning then caught a couple of guys and probably a few more people.

When I got to longer straightaways I put on the gas and my legs were able to respond. I never got to the highest gear but was doing a 9 minute per mile pace by the end of the race. I started searching for the little turn off towards the finish line and thought it was earlier than it was and finally found it to do the last turns to the finish line.

I felt good after the race and surprisingly beat my time from last year by a few seconds.

As I was heading up the mountain, I was trying to keep an eye on other 50-something looking guys to see how my bid for the podium was looking. Last year I thought I had a chance at the age group podium but was off by two. This time I checked the race results screen and saw a “3” next to my name. Yes!

When my name was called for the age group award (a nice SocalTrail glass) even the race director Daniel was a little surprised.

This third place finish when there were only three runners in the age group might elicit an eye roll but I’ve been running for over 10 years and have never won an age group prize. Plus, the whole purpose of age group awards is to have different competitions out there and one of them is just to make it to the starting line and finish. We had one runner who was 9 years old and another who was 86.

It was another great race experience and the coffee, beer and tacos were great. The volunteers were all awesome and it was overall a fun event on a beautifully cool weather day.

My next scheduled race is the Mammoth Trail Fest races but I want to have a race simulation run before then. I don’t have much time to ramp up for those races so it’s time to get a running.

Thanks for following along and let me know what’s next on your race or adventure calendar.

Leona Divide 30K Race Report – Crash, no Burn

Jesse — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 01:06:36 +0000

It’s the day after the Leona Divide trail races, 2023 edition. I got up and went through my morning routine then headed out to the gym, something I hadn’t done in a while. Did some elliptical, then some barbells and finished up with some bench presses on the machine. I went to Kimball Park and did a mile and a half loop. The legs were a little heavy, so I ran in spurts. It felt good to break a light sweat and to start processing my race.

Cut to a couple of hours later and I was watching the last half hour of Rocky. Rocky is in the ring and he’s hanging tough with the world champion who has never gone the distance. When Rocky’s eye is swollen shut he tells Mick to do the only thing that can help him get out of the round – “Cut me, Mick!” He goes on to [spoiler alert] go the full 15 rounds and he hit his goal. Ultrarunner and badass David Goggins loves this scene and uses it for inspiration to keep going when things get rough. I’ll get back to this scene.

At mile 12 of the Leona Divide 30k, I had just left the San Francisquito aid station and had started up the big steep climb. My body felt heavy. The extra water bottle that I was carrying was filled to the brim and it felt like an extra 20 pounds. As I climbed, I started looking for dead branches that I could use as a walking stick. I broke a dead branch and climbed with it for a few steps but it was mostly hollow and broke apart like a large churro.

Other runners were going in the same direction and were pushing much faster. A runner I had passed on the way down caught up to me and was going at a quick pace. I was hiking at a 30-minute pace and was slowing down. I started looking for shade so I could take small rest stops when other runners zoomed up past me.

The wheels were falling off.

Now, one of the best mantras I’ve heard for getting through tough spots is to repeat “It doesn’t always get worse.” And sometimes, that does happen. If you can push through, you can get a second wind.

But my brain told me that another metaphor was more apt. When you are eating and eat too much you pretty much know when you’re about to hit your max and after that point only bad things will happen. When I did the 3-Hour race at Veteran’s Park, that was a similar situation. I knew that if I climbed the final 300 feet that I was going to get dizzy and probably barf my guts out and it would be hard to recover way up on that mountain, let alone get help. That day I did get dizzy and am glad Christina was around to drive us back home but that dizziness happened just after I got down from the mountain.

At Leona, I had been tracking elevation gain all morning and I knew that I still had a 1,000 feet of climb left. Even though I only had a total of 7 miles to cover to finish the race and that 2.5 miles of that were all downhill, I didn’t think I could make it up the big climb and not end up compromised. I was already stumbling and off balance. At the Leona Divide 2018 30K, I was in a similar position and did what I had to and eventually got it done. In that instant, I didn’t think I could do that again and would have to be rescued from the top of the mountain which is all single track at that point.

I turned back and everyone who was still going up looked great and confident except for one 50K runner who looked rough. When I got to the aid station I surrendered my bib and looked for a bench. There was another runner there who had dropped, and I told her that we should move the bench over to the shade so we wouldn’t melt as we waited for Mario (volunteers were dressed as Mario Brothers characters) to get us a ride back to the Start/Finish line. A little while after that, the runner who looked rough came back to the aid station with the intent of dropping as well. For whatever reason, the volunteers told him that he was going to head back up again after a short rest. I told him to join us in our shade spot and a volunteered yelled that he was not one of us (a dropper) so to not get too comfortable. He eventually did go back up and I hope he was able to get it done.

Our ride back showed up and I got dropped off at my car which was a half mile up the road. I thought of zooming straight home with my tail between my legs but then I owned my decision on that mountain and no longer felt bad about my decision.

I drove over to the Bouquet aid station where our New Basin Blues crew was volunteering. Bouquet is the final turnaround for the 50 mile and 100k runners. I jumped in and started tracking runners who were coming in and leaving then saw a runner who had been sitting nearby. It turns out that her legs were shot and had dropped. I asked her if she was being picked up and she said that she couldn’t even get cell service there but that the ham radio volunteer was working on it. I offered her a ride back and she took me up on the offer. Everyone said that they knew me so not to worry. I dropped her off and she was able to connect with someone who was going to pick her up from the Start/Finish line. They had expected her to finish much later.

Turning to “service mode” helped me feel better about my DNF but then this morning I started to Monday morning quarterback and say “Well, if I had taken more time at the San Fran aid station maybe I could have rebounded.”

Then I started second guessing my decision and wished that I had a tougher mindset like Rocky who was determined to make it to the end of the fight at all costs. I knew that I did not have the adequate number of weekly miles under my belt to have a great race but I thought I could muscle through it. I tried to focus my mind on going node to node, aid station to aid station, and just working my way through. That’s how I was able to run all the streets of my town of Santa Paula. That mindset pretty much worked the whole way and I knew that the big climb was going to be an issue so I kept checking elevation gain on my watch and actually enjoyed the first 2,000 feet of elevation. “Yes!” I thought when I hit 2,000, “I only have 1,200 more feet of climbing.” Little did I know that the extra elevation gain would be my final barrier.

So, I’m back to the drawing board and will start a new training block and do what I know needs to be done – increase my weekly mileage. My big race this year is the Mammoth Trail Fest Vertical K in September. I have 5 months to build a strong base and get my climbing muscles and mindset into shape.

The volunteers were great at the Leona Divide race and I’m glad I was able to help out a tiny bit. This is my first time doing this old course and I got 8.8 new trail miles under my belt so that was super cool. Some of my friends also had battle out there, dropped down a distance and others were able to get it done on a tough day.

I’ll keep doing challenges to keep me motivated and I think I have my next one. That one is trail based.

What’s your next race? Did you run at Leona as well? How did it go?

The Leona Divide race is run on Tataviam land.

Point Mugu Trail Run 10K Race Report 2023

Jesse — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 05:45:21 +0000

I only had two more races scheduled for 2023 after the Sean O’Brien race but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to jump into the Point Mugu Trail Run which would be on local trails.

I had an unorthodox training buildup as I was running every street in Santa Paula and was mostly running 2 or 3 miles a day and up to 6 miles on weekends. Vert was minimal and now I entered myself in a race that starts with a 1,000 foot climb.

My last race had actually been the Anytime Runners 3-Hour Time Trial at Veterans Park. This fatass run has you run up a ridiculously steep mountain with 2,000 feet of elevation gain then you’re supposed to run up and down the mountain as many times as possible. I wasn’t able to make it up the entire hill once. My body gave me signs that it was going to go into a dizzy spell so I turned back not too far from the top but far enough that I didn’t want to chance it. When I got to the bottom of the mountain my head started spinning bad. I took a motion sickness pill and was glad that cousin Christina had driven that morning. By the way, if you’re not familiar with the term “fatass race” it is a race that doesn’t have entry fees and doesn’t usually have aid stations.

I think running the streets of Santa Paula gave me the confidence to not be discouraged by that vertigo incident and eventually I really forgot about it. I was running every day, even in the rain, and I was determined to get the job done. The day before the Point Mugu race, I had finished all the streets in my town.

Leading up to the race, I was curious as to whether we were going to get good weather or if it was going to be a rainy slog. Speaking of rainy slog, I volunteered at the Griffith Trail race a couple of weeks before and it was more of a mud run for participants – but fun.

Race Day

The day arrived and it wasn’t rainy. Yay! I got to the race pretty early to get a good parking spot and check-in hadn’t even started yet. I waited around a bit, said hi to friends who were volunteering then walked back and forth between the check-in table and the finish line area where DJ Keith was just getting setup. It seemed like an eternal wait.

I did something that I rarely do and that was to actually run a bit to get warmed up. I noticed that in my Santa Paula street running, I would start and stop a lot to check my app to see which stretch of road I would go down and it would really wind me up because I was running fast between stops. Then, if I ran 3 miles that day, I would finished still revved up. I figured there was something into all the warm ups that much faster runners do before races. Before I thought that warming up would be a waste of energy.

I didn’t overthink things but I did have race goals. It was probably a bad idea but I had it in my head that I wanted to be in the top three of my age group. I had studied the start list via Ultrasignup and there was really no way that I would podium. But I thought it would be something that would push me. The main goal was to run within myself and not blow up.

Finally, we were told that the start line was back near the check-in area so I headed down and waited for the 17K race to start. They were off and I recorded everyone heading off then step by step made my way over to the starting area. After chatting with new friend Mike for a bit, I went towards the back of the start line so I wound’t clog up the single track for the faster folks.

Mile 1

I placed myself in a pretty good spot. No one was hot on my heels and I didn’t need to pass anyone for most of the first mile. Even though I had warmed up, my body’s engine wasn’t revving high yet. I power hiked, ran then power hiked to the first vista point the overlooks the ocean right around mile 1. A couple of people had passed me but I didn’t overdo it to try and pass them back.

Mile 1 to 3.5

I was pretty much running with another fellow for most of the climb. We’d speed up and slow down at the same spots and I didn’t feel the need to pass him because we would probably just end up leap frogging which is a waste of energy. But eventually we topped out around mile 2.5 where the trail curves toward the final climb and the trail is wide there so I cranked it up and passed him. My calves had been feeling the 1,000 foot climb so I didn’t have much but I was able to gap him. I crested the Ray Miller Trail and had already been seeing 10k runners come back the trail. I didn’t slow down too much on the descent and when a woman in front of me slowed to let some runners pass, I passed her up as well.

From Ray Miller, we turned onto Overlook trail and it was a muddy mess. I ran down the middle of the mud and splattered around a bit and turned up the speed. I had totally over dressed for the day and it was warming up just a bit and I had to take off my jacket and wrap it around my body. I hauled down to Fireline and could see a lot of the 10K runners who were only a couple of minutes ahead of me come back my way. They smiled as they saw me haul ass.

Mile 3.5 to the finish

When I made it to Fireline I said Hi to Chris, tied my shoe then. turned around for what would be a little bit of a slog back up the hill. It wasn’t that bad and I managed not to fall on the mud on the way back.

I was back on Ray Miller and made my way up the small climb. I wasn’t pushing too hard as I was saving it up for the big downhill portion. When I started the descent I let loose and started flying down the mountain. There were a lot of people coming up the trail. This might have been the most hikers I’ve every seen on Ray Miller at one time. On training runs I’m super courteous and I will slow to a walk when I see a group coming up but I was in race mode and I was zooming. I accidentally bumped two people on the way down and have never done that before. Sorry!

I was able to catch a few runners on the downhill and that was pretty cool. I think one or two 17K runners zoomed by me but that was pretty much it.

On the final stretch of the trail before the final turn I was just about running at top speed and was no longer checking my heart rate to see if I was running too hot. I could hear footsteps behind me and tried not to block the trail but also wasn’t about to turnaround and slow down to let them pass. At this point they were going to have to make a move around me. The footsteps got closer as we made the final turn down the trail towards the little creek and I could see another runner ahead and he was limping his way down. I kept charging and at the turn just before the end of trail I stomped on the board that was there on the water crossing just a second after he did then went into sprint mode towards the finish line some 20 yards away.

I wanted to give it 100% to the finish line as I knew the person behind me was probably a lot faster since he had run 7k more than me in just 15 more minutes of time. He passed me a couple of feet from the finish line. Even though he passed me and wasn’t in the same race sine he was 17K and I was in the 10K, it felt great to be racing hard at the very end. The guy who had passed me had a big shocked smile and gave me a fistbump after we crossed the line. It was a blast.

After all that adventure, I had to go look at the race results screen and saw that I was last in my age group. I instantly felt dejected. I wasn’t DFL (Dead F’ing Last) or even last male but I still felt sad. I wish I could have savored the race more but that took a lot of wind out of my sails.

I tried to explain to my wife that I think all runners feel some of that even if they win. You could have always done a little better. Even if you win and set a course record, you could have shaved just a bit more off the time and you’ll do better next time. But, I feel much better about the race a week after it and haven’t been thinking about the age group placing at all.

Tale of the Tape

My official race time was 1:37:17 for a distance of 6.8 miles.

I came in 70th place out of 81.

This was my first time running the course and this distance so it was a PR!

This was my 2nd fastest time on the Ray Miller Descent. The only time I ran faster was 2 years ago when I did a memorial run for my doggies. I’ve run on this trail over 70 times.

Final Thoughts

I think I ran about as best as I could have. I didn’t push too hard on the climb and had tons of energy on the descents. I have to work on not bumming myself out with the race results. I had a great time and the volunteers were all great. My next race is the Leona Divide 30K and that will be exciting as it will be on all new to me trails. What’s next on your race calendar? What keep you lacing up these days? Hey, I’m 55 and grinding every day. If I can do it, so can you!

Sean O’Brien 30K 2023 Race Report

Jesse — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 03:44:17 +0000

This had been a new training block for me where I’ve been super dialed in on my nutrition, getting more sleep, and hitting the gym to do cardio and strength work on a consistent basis. Running, not so much.

I’ve still been dealing with vertigo symptoms but I think I figured out when it happens now. Basically, it is like an accelerated bonk. When I don’t eat right during and after working out, then it can hit me.

So that was my race plan – keep moving and eating as long as I felt good.

I also came up with a nutrition plan where I would try to eat food that doesn’t do weird stuff like possibly spike my sugar or makes me not want to eat. I’ve been eating whole grain bread sandwiches with Nuttso nut butter spread and a banana. Belén gave me a baby food stacker and I used it to put segments of a sandwich in each container. I ate what I took and was able to re-load at the Corral Canyon aid station that had PB & J’s.

The night before the race I was worried that I would blow up again like I did at Ray Miller. Ok, so I have been running but do a daily mile run/walk and short incline runs at the gym. Was I really ready to do 18 miles at one go? I crapped out at mile 16 at Ray Miller.

Similar to Ray Miller, I said that I would take it one aid station at a time.

Race Day

I acknowledge that the race was at Malibu Creek State Park, traditional Chumash lands.

It was freezing in the morning and I had on a lot of layers as I picked up my bib and headed back to the car where I sat for a while with the heater on. I finally took off my thick Ginger Runner GR Crew beanie and put a buff over my head before putting on my bucket hat. I learned that trick from a friend, Annette. If it gets warm then I just wrap the buff around my wrist and my head will cool down.

I jumped in a few selfies with friends at the start line and I was off. The 30k race started along with the 50k and marathon racers. The 50 milers and 100k racers had left earlier in the freezing dark.

I took it super easy. I looked back when I got to the Angry Chihuahua and there were a few people behind me and a male racer even farther back. “Hey, maybe I won’t be DFL, today” I thought. Then a few minutes later I saw it was Gus who must have gotten a late start. A few hundred feet later he had passed me as he’s a fast runner.

By the time I got to the creek crossing there was a big line and people were going across rather slowly as the creek was raging after the previous rains. My friend Luisa was just in front of me and I was going to take a photo of her crossing but I needed to focus on my crossing as well.

The crossing was without incident, for me, and I kept chugging along. My plan was to take it easy all the way to Corral Canyon (mile 7ish). I ran with Luisa for a lot of the race. She got to Corral Canyon a bit before I did and I was through the aid station quickly and left with her. The miles went by pretty fast as we were chatting and the next thing I was back at Corral Canyon after doing the 10k out and back section.

Just before arriving at Corral, my friend Saeed was heading to Corral as well, taking a break from volunteering. He said that we were the last 30k runners but I remembered there was one more runner. “And there’s another guy who is just ahead of you,” he told me.

Hmm, could I catch that fellow? It didn’t matter too much, but it did give me a reason to push the last miles to see if I could catch him.

At mile 12 I was starting to fade a bit. Luisa pulled ahead and I could see her way up ahead on a big climb. Just behind her was the other 30k male racer. I kept running the downhills and power hiking the climbs until we got to what I call the “thank tank”, which is the water tank just before the start of the big downhill section. I turned up the pace on my downhill running – my quads still had pep left in them.

Half a mile later I caught the male runner and kept zooming down the mountain. Now I was trying to see if I could catch Luisa on the downhills. I pushed and actually still had enough to run but I couldn’t catch her or even see her. I kept pushing and finally ran into her and another female 30k runner at the creek crossing.

The water seemed to be raging even more and on my first step I almost fell into the drink. The same thing happened to the woman just in front of me. I was able to cross OK then started heading back to the Angry Chihuahua. Luisa and the other runner started cranking and they dropped me. I had something left in the tank and apparently they had a bit more in their tanks.

I kept pushing and made decent time on the final climb and took off downhill. I couldn’t see Luisa anymore but I still had the other runner a few hundred feet in front of me. I found another gear and starting catching up to the runner and might have been able to catch her but that would have been in the final chute and didn’t want to be that guy. BTW, if it was a guy in my 30k race I would have raced it to the end.

Considering my super conservative approach, my time wasn’t that bad, compared to other 30k times. At 6 hours 24 minutes, this was my second fastest SOB 30k with the others at 6:29 and my overall 30k PR of 4:38.

It was awesome running with Luisa for so many miles and seeing so many friends out there. I’m glad I didn’t blow up out there and I am getting a better handle at dealing with this vertigo stuff. The volunteers and race director Keira Henninger were great and appreciate the featured race image above, taken by Braden Bell . I love these SOB races. I think I’ve only missed one or two SOBs since 2015, either racing or volunteering.

My next race on the books is the Leona Divide 30k in April. What’s on your race calendar?

Ray Miller and Paramount Ranch Race Reports 2022

Jesse — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 04:28:58 +0000

Leading up to the Ray Miller 50k, I woke up one early morning and the room was spinning. Hours later the house was still a washing machine and I was doing what I could not to upchuck. Days later things got better and little by little I started to walk around the neighborhood to test out my balance. Fast forward to a few days before the race and I went on a 3-mile trial walk then a 5-mile hike and run.

I’ve made it almost a decade with almost no run injuries because I’m a cautious fellow, but this time I decided that I would do the 50k race and just take things one aid station by aid station. If I had to stop at some point then I wouldn’t beat myself up about it.

After starting the Ray Miller race and getting to mile 8 I started to have minor balance issues. I was using my poles so that helped some. Unfortunately, the balance issues meant that my strategy of hiking the climbs and running flats and downhills would shift. I couldn’t run as strong as I wanted on the downhills and that kept chipping away at my time.

By the time I made it back to the Hell Hill aid station for a second time, I had two hours to do the Guadalasca loop. I took some small potatoes with me for the climb and a short while later a 30K runner passed me with a faster hike. I wanted to stay somewhat near her, so I pushed my pace a little more. I was still a little lightheaded/unbalanced but it wasn’t bad. I stayed a few hundred feet behind her and was chugging along.

When the downhill portion started I knew that the cutoff time was getting closer so I started running. There were a few sections where I stumbled from lack of balance so I had to slow down. More time lost. But even alternating between walking and running downhill, some runners who had passed me 2 miles back were coming back to me. As I got to the bottom I heard a pack of 30k runners behind me for a while then realized that my friend Luisa was one of them. We all realized that the cutoff was a concern and I hung with them then started running the flats, leading up to the Hell Hill climb. At the base of the Hill, we had 40 minutes to make the climb which is .7 miles, steep and gnarly.

I had come this far, and I didn’t want to quit. I put my head down and kept chugging away, pressing as much as I could. About halfway up the hill, Jesse Haynes passed by in a truck, partially seeing if he could pick up anyone but also heading to the aid station at the top of the hill to pack it up. I gave a short wave to say “I’m still going.”

We were still climbing then it all started. My world started to turn from side to side. Each step was an unsteady movement and the only thing holding me up were my poles. Step after step were uneasy. I had to sit and see if I could ride this out and to not hurt myself. The spinning continued and then the nausea followed.

Unfortunately, this was not the first time I’ve bonked on Hell Hill. The movie Wayne’s World has a part where Wayne mentions a band called “The Shitty Beatles” then follows up with, “and that wasn’t just a clever name, they really sucked.” Well, Hell Hill isn’t just a clever name, and it kicked my butt again.

The last runner in our little bunch had passed by me as I was still struggling to walk but when I laid back on the trail, I yelled at him to please call the truck to get me. Several sweepers caught up to me when I was sitting and they saw me heaving. I told them that I had asked for help and they continued on and said they’d make sure someone came down.

The majority of the spinning had stopped and it had been a few minutes and still no truck. I managed to get up, like a knocked down boxer getting up off the canvas at the 7 count, and wanted to see if I could keep going. I took a few steps and got 10 feet, still stumbling and then looked for the next shade spot and sat down again. I was done. Luckily, I didn’t fall down while in this bad state. That could have been bad.

I eventually got a ride back down the hill with Jesse Haynes and the aid station crew then made it back to the starting line.

The day after the race I already felt physically recovered. Since that time, I went back to work after having been on a week’s vacation, went to a lot of doctor visits and got tests done to see what’s going on.

Every day was a test to see if I would have balance issues, and to see if I could get my body back into working order. I joined a gym and kept following up with my doctors.

“With all that is going on, can I keep doing exercise?” I asked my doctor.

“Exercise is the best thing you can do at this point,” he replied.

Yes!

Paramount Ranch

When I saw Race Director Keira’s post in her volunteer Facebook group, I immediately said I would volunteer at the Paramount Ranch race. I would volunteer then she offered a race bib after my parking duties.

I was the first to show up at the Ranch and had fun doing parking. Jesse Haynes was also on parking and with the other volunteers we expertly packed in all the runners and volunteers. My friend Liz was also there and that was awesome.

After my duties were up, I waited for the race to start, then picked up a bib at the start line. I met Yen who was also a volunteer and we both got ready then raced at the same time. She was worried that she may get lost so we started at the same time. She was still getting her gear in check as we started so things were a bit slow in the beginning but after a while we were both running the same pace without really running together. This continued for the entire 10k loop and it was fun. I was running free and we were catching up to a lot of runners. Once again, I had no idea how I would do with all the previous balance issues but I was feeling great. My last mile was the fastest of the bunch.

After my race I hung out with Liz at the starting line then headed over to the first aid station where the New Basin Blues crew was posted and did some more volunteering and cheering there. Yen was doing the 50k, so she was still going.

I’m glad I got back on the horse at the Paramount Ranch and decided to run. Every day is a gift and when I have a chance, I’d rather be out running with friends instead of worrying about health issues.

Shoutout to all the volunteers at both races and to RD Keira Henninger for putting on fun and challenging races. Thanks to Jesse Haynes for pulling me off the hill and to Amanda Pennington who actually yanked me off the ground at Hell Hill.

My next race is scheduled to be the Sean O’Brien 30k.

Location: Chumash Land

Photo credit: @Paksitphotos