Miwok 100K wasn't on my list of races to run. Last year I ran North Face 50 Miler in December, and it demolished me. It was cold, wet, and not my day. I barely finished the race in 12 hours and 20 some odd minutes (do we really need to remember the details of this time?) after rolling my ankle 5 to 6 times, being frozen under 4 layers of clothing, crying, whining, and finding out halfway through that I was selected in the lottery for Western States 100. Why is this relevant? Miwok is run on almost all of the same trails as North Face was. And I had NO desire to step foot on those trails again.
My friend and training partner Kevin (who was also selected for Western States) and I decided to "put-in" for Miwok as a duo. This meant we would only be running if both our names were selected in the random drawing. Naturally, as my luck had it for 2011 races, we were selected!
I changed my attitude quickly and got really excited for Miwok. It would come at a good time in my training schedule a few weeks after the Boston Marathon, and over a month and a half before Western States. And, I could find some redemption on the trails! I kicked up my training for the month of January and February drastically, and started to feel stronger than ever...when LIFE happened. To name a few - I'd just started a class (working on pre-requisite courses for physical therapy) when I was forced to face some finance issues that had accumulated from my career transition early last year, and in the middle of it all, my uncle passed away from liver cancer he'd had beat for years. Things in my life got crazy...and it was something I couldn't run from.
So Miwok. I never reserved my room or made any plans for the race, because I knew I couldn't responsibly afford to go. When my coach, Jimmy Dean Freeman, finally forced me out of hiding, I was able to make plans with Kevin who let me crash with him, and Katie & Dom to split a car ride up to Marin.
Normally I would say that running 62.1 miles is the toughest thing about running a 62.1 mile race, but I have to say that getting to the race start was the toughest part about my race. When I was finally there in Marin, at the start, dancing for warm-up with a bunch of Coyotes at 5 in the morning, I was stress-free and completely happy. The race, although rigorous and challenging with it's 10,000+ feet of ascent/descent (my quads are still screaming), a long and lonely section from miles 26.7 to 41.1 on a fireroad (Bolinas to Randall and back to Bolinas), and some major feet/ankle pain from past injuries - the race was something my heart needed just to remind myself that life is just a ride. That I am alive, happy, have amazing friends and family who support the heck out of me, and damn, I can RUN 62.1 miles. You can't do anything but appreciate that when you are running to views of the Golden Gate Bridge and trekking across a single track Coastal Trail with a beautiful hawk flying 5 feet above your head. You also can't do anything but appreciate what you have when your feet are killing you, your quads & knees are yelling for you to stop moving, and it appears you can finish the race in sub-14 hours if you just go a little faster. Did I make it to Miwok? Yes. Did I make it to the finish line? Yes. Did I finish in under 14 hours? Yes. (13:35) Could I have done all this alone? Nope. All I ever needed was a little help from my friends during a time in my life when things got a little crazy. Now when I think about Miwok 100K, I not only think of the struggles and happy times on the trails, but I also think about the struggles and happy times in my life and how lucky I am to be surrounded by the best people in the world.
Miwok, I love you.
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| Me, Chris, and Kevin before the start! |
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| Start Line |
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| Mile 12ish |
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| Mile 26.7 with some hot coyote mamas! (Katie & Kate) |
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| Finish Line. GLORIOUS! 13hrs and 35min, with help from Kate during the last 2.5 miles of the race. There is nothing better than seeing your friend coming running towards you when you're thisclose to finishing a 100K race. Then getting out of breath because we're chatting away and moving forward together - this is what makes a finish so much sweeter than it ever could be. |
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