Fun Exploits and Adventures

When I read the description of this all trail marathon, I wanted to do it, even though running is hard. On a run with my friend Stacey, I mentioned the event and she talked me into signing up. The fact of its taking place on my birthday weekend was even more of an inspiration, and two more joined us.

This is our story

Ok, so like, who wouldn’t want to run 26 miles in the woods? Lassen National Forest is an awesome place to be. It’s a 6 hour drive for us, so we got there a day early and scoped out the trailhead. It cracked me up to see that the starting line was basically a little sign on the trail that said “Start”. What, no balloon arch?

For the start of the race, there are charter buses from the train depot in Beautiful Historic Susanville that take you off to the trailhead. Our awesome hotel was 35 miles away from the depot, and actually closer to the trailhead, but we opted to get bussed in and have our vehicles waiting for us at the finish. The air outside that morning was, oh, 28 degrees? 30 degrees? so all the racers crammed into the depot to wait for the busses.

When they arrived, we pushed our way outside to get front seats. Spirits were high, and we were all excited. I just couldn’t wait to see what the trail would be like. I heart scenery. At one point the bus slowed down to let some ranchers herd their cattle across the road. Some people in the back of the bus came forward to take pictures. “City slickers” I said to myself, even though I am essentially one too. we sang along to the classic rock and 80′s hits and made friends.

At the trailhead, pre race rituals ensued. We waited until the last moment to take off our sweats (cold!) and went to the start. After the group very softly sang the national anthem, somebody said “ok go” and there we went! As soon as I started running, my nose went numb and i couldn’t feel my upper lip. The fasties separated from the “normal” people (ok, me and Stacey). After a few minutes we saw some runners coming back towards us. Did they forget something, or does the trail loop around? After a few leaders the rest of the herd thundered past giving us the oppotunity to high five Jane as she ran by. It was a loop.

Miles 1-4

Stacey and I traded reports on numb extremities (my fingers, her toes). The scenery was Ponderosa pine forest and you could see the train tracks parallel to our trail. Here is something awesome about this event: there are water stops every two miles, and each mile is marked with a sign, so you always know where you are, and that fuel is up ahead. I discover pretzels. They are wonderful. I decide this will be my fuel of choice from the aid stations. By mile 4 my body had basically thawed out and my stride lengthened out a bit. Fun.

Miles 4-13

Ok, I love the pine forest, but actually there are no open views for many miles, just the tree corridor. Well, for a monotonous view, I am fine with trees, but we did start to wait expectantly for the next kind of scenery. Stacey and I paced together quite well, leap-frogging with a man and a woman who was wearing a garbage bag. They were doing run-walk pacing so we would pull ahead and fall back accordingly. We went across our first wooden bridge of the day, which squeaked with our feet (insert photo). Here’s a pretty view each way with the creek! By the halfway point, it seemed the mile signs were coming along much quicker. Hooray! We go a whole mile talking about how great we are for overcoming our various obstacles. “thus ends the motivational speaking part of the marathon” I say.

Miles 13-20

We noticed a man on a mountain bike ahead suddenly pulled to the side of the road. Then he crouched in the bushes and pointed a camera at us. Oh! Paparazzo! He was wearing park ranger regalia and shot pictures like we were famous and then rode along with us, telling us about the history of that part of the trail. (this is where they used to pump spring water, it was the best water in all of California, and it took so long to pump that the guys in the caboose would go down to the creek and fish and by the time the water was ready they had their meal!)

Then we blinked and we were at mile 14. Yip yip! (insert photos) The boy scout volunteers rounded up a perfect banana for me (boy am I picky) and we stretched and did silly walks before starting our running pace again. I thought the banana would digest easy but I developed a stomach ache, which was to last me into the evening. Oh well! I noted that for 14 and now 15 miles, I actually feel pretty good. We’re chatting this whole time and making friends on the trail. We saw the most incredibly cute squirrel ever, but that was about it for animal life. I stop to get a rock out of my shoe (mile 17) and do not notice one of my fuel belt bottles falls out and my jelly beans fall out and my salt tablets and advils fall out too. I did notice my feet feel pretty good even though I am now past the point I’ve trained for. My left leg is whining but I concentrate on form and push my shoulders back. What do you know, it’s easier to breathe this way? Also at mile 17 it is finally warm enough to take off my gloves.

Mile 18 and 19 are out in the open more, with meadows that seem like they should have bears in them. Then we go around a corner and see a huge old train trestle that leads to the highway. It feels like we have come from another planet, we have been in the forest so long! Now we have some hills too, short and sort of steep. I am not complaining, it was nice to do something a little different. I have realized at this point that I am not going to PR in this race, and I announce that I am fine with that. Maybe if I say it out loud…

Mile 20- finish

Mile 20 is like in the Twelve days of Christmas song when you sing “FIVE GO-OLD RINGS”. I beeline to my special needs bag and take out that magic elixir named Coca-cola. Feeling a little jerky at this point. The other runners look on with jealous eyes as I pour the soda into my remaining empty fuel belt bottles. Their puppy-dog act does not faze me, I am only sharing with Stacey, who is putting on a shirt that someone left in the bushes. Stacey, at this point informs me that her asthma is acting up and waves me on ahead. I check my watch and see it’s been about 4and a half hours since the start. In order to make my unreasonable time goal I’d have to runa 10K in 30 minutes. This is just not going to happen, but I know from experience that I can pull out a decent 10K pace from nowhere, so I set the dial in my head and lurch into my pre-programmed “10K pace”.

The last 6 miles are more and more beautiful. Here’s where all the other wooden bridges are, and we go through two dark, dank train tunnels, lit only by the reflective stripes on the woman ahead of me. I start to see people I haven’t seen since the start of the race- they are walking and I pass them. I am tired but feel solid, not unlike a train, actually. Every mile I check in to see if i can go faster. Maybe? No? But I can run straighter, put shoulders back. Mile 25 it’s time to lay it all down, but i am feeling decidedly crappy. Oh right, I’ve been sick all week! I run past the sign that says ONE MILE TO GO. We are still in the woods and it’s pretty quiet around except for my footfalls and breathing. Where is the finish? I see a man running toward me with a camera, who informs me it’s jsut around the corner. “Almost there”! Around the corner there are two women in spandex outfits but no finish line yet. “it hurts, doesn’t it?” one says to me. “Yes.” i say without slowing down. “Yes it does.”

Now here is the real path into the campground which is the finish line. I see Nancy and Jane, and I HEAR them hooting and playing a train whistle. I see my time, 5:36. Is it even near my goal? No. Did I beat my time from last year? No. Do I feel as though I won the race? yes, actually! That was so much fun!

I sit down and eat all the vanilla creme cookies and wait for Stacey by the campfire. She came in walking, but smiling. She had found the guy whose shirt she was wearing, and dragged him to the finish. Jane beat me by a whole hour and was extatic to have finished her first marathon! Nancy had run the half and was wearing real clothes already. She got to run through the train tunnels twice.

Then we went to dinner and found the restaurant was out of half their menu. Then we ate leftover birthday cake out of a bucket in the parking lot. Then we drove home.

What a fun adventure.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 at 4:47 pm and is filed under Marathon. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.