In the Footsteps of Legends: The Rucky Chucky 50k

“The Rucky Chucky 50k is a humbling introduction to the Western States 100 course” reads one of Scott Dunlap’s race reports. That assessment couldn’t be more fitting. Rucky Chucky runs between miles 62 and 78 of the Western States 100 course, which is like playing 3 holes at Augusta National except the eligibility requirements for getting on this course are pretty much the opposite. They go something like this: “You think you can run (any portion of) the course? Have at it!”

In a previous post, I described my pre-race excitement of running those hallowed trails, which had been mixed with a healthy dose of anxiety due to some foot issues. Most of that was forgotten on my 2+ hour drive up. Between sipping coffee and continuously switching radio stations, I was reminiscing about my first ultra, the Oak Mountain 50k, which I had run exactly one year earlier. (read Christian’s and David’s accounts of this year’s event here).

I was one of the first to arrive and had the unusual pleasure of parking 10 feet (literally) from the starting line. My race number turned out to be pleasant surprise as well, since its digits also match my birthday (110). The pre-race atmosphere was relaxed. It was easy to meet people and people either caught up with old friends or eagerly made new ones. I had the great pleasure of meeting Peter Lubbers in person. We have been blogging friends for a couple of years now, but never met in person. (As a side note, somebody needs to come up with an name for that. “Blogging friends” is kinda weird. As is “bliends”). Also, thanks to Peter and his buddy Troy, I've got lots of fun pictures in this report. Thank you!

Peter, who would finish 4th, and I before the race

Discussing the race profile at the start (looks staged, doesn't it?)

This was a small race and I love that. RD Robert Mathis gave us all the necessary instructions (“Follow the pink ribbons or Peter in the bright shirt. Turn around by the river and make sure you tell this guy [pointing] when you get back, since he keeps the time. It may rain depending on how long you’re out there. So, yeah,…3,2,1…go!” There are many reasons why I don’t miss big city races with 52,000 runners (new record!), $150 entry fees and Runner’s World coverage. All I need are some trails, a few runners and some dude who says “go”. Simple.

So, off we were and it didn’t take long before we hit the Western States Trail. Woah! Huge forest, magnificent views of the Sierra foothills and a few thousand feet below us the Ruck-a-Chuck River, our turn-around for the day.

Somewhere near the top

We would be going downhill for about 11 miles or so (save a couple teeny uphills) and the strangest thing was happening to me: I could not get my breathing under control. I was panting and losing my breath over gentle running. Maybe it was the little running over the previous two weeks (15 miles or so total). Maybe it was the altitude (we weren’t high though and altitude doesn’t bother me much). Who knows. That was the bad news. The good news was that my foot seemed to be doing fine (phew!). And once I passed the first aid (8.7) things started to improve with the breathing as well. The volunteers shouted “have fun on the next section," and I was wondering what could await me that I hadn’t seen yet.

Somewhere near the bottom

Flowers. Beautiful, magnificent flowers. Everywhere. Orange, purple, yellow, blue,… Have a favorite color? There was a flower for you. Mother Nature was out there putting on a show, and we were all invited. It was incredible!

An out-and-back course make it very easy, of course, to see how you’re doing half way through the race. To my surprise, I was running in 6^th when I hit the turn-around (2:13). That was good enough to get my competitive juices flowing. Number 7 was a minute or so behind me. It was time to push…just I had no juice left. My legs were trashed from the downhill (not good), but a good overall placement and a PR were still in the mix. After some more flower treatment on the river banks and saying my "hello"s and "good job"s to everyone, it was time to head back up. And, boy, was I hurting. I was struggling just to make it to the final aid station, which is no less than 8.7 miles of tough uphill from the finish line. I took my time here to refuel and regain strength. A mix of will-power, salty potatoes and BBQ chips (my favorite!!) was just what the doctor had ordered. I thought a lot about how so many runners have suffered here before. Not just the field, but big names like Trason, Twietmeyer and Jurek pushing for the win. And, truth be told, I was thinking most about Ansleigh. To run these trails unsupported and on a whim...mindblowing!

Shoulda smiled for this one

After some time, I passeed a sign that said “Foresthill 3.3 mi”, so I had about 3.5 miles to go (the finish line was at the other end of town). 48 minutes to break my PR and still in 6^th…I was in great shape. Not so fast was what trail quite literally seemed to say throwing the final, massive, steep, painful uphill in my way. I was reduced to walking a lot of it. In the end, I missed my PR by 4 minutes, but still stayed under 5 ½ hours (5:28) and successfully defended 6^th place overall. I was stoked! In terms of overall standing, this was my best finish ever, and it was about to rain cats and dogs. Sitting inside and eating cake sounded perfect right about now.

• In the end, I learned a few things:
• Despite doing a lot more uphill training, I still have a lot of work to do in this department
• I love this race and hope to return here next year
• The Western States course is no joke. Those trails are rocky and fairly technical
• Birthday cake is GREAT post-run food
• Driving two plus hours after a race stinks. But an In-N-Out chocolate shake can really improve the experience.

My thanks to the RD Robert and all the volunteers, some of whom braved some serious weather and temperature swings, especially the guys manning Cal2.

Those Mythical West Coast Races

I'm giddy. Really, really giddy. Tomorrow I'll be tackling the Rucky Chucky Roundabout 50k, which means I get to run on the Western States Trail!! It's hard to put into words what that means to me. Ever since I first started discovered trail running a few years back, I have heard about Western States and other famous races out West. Michigan Bluff, No Hands Bridge, Foresthill, Last Chance, Rucky Chucky River Crossing...all those meant something to me long before I ran my first trail ultra.

Me a few years ago

Reading about races like Western States, Miwok, Hardrock and many others captured my imagination. The blood, sweat and tears that go into training and completing these runs were awe inspiring and motivated me to run more and more (challenging) trails and eventually step up to the ultra challenge.

And here I am running on the Western States Trail tomorrow....I AM THRILLED. In anticipation of this race, I have been thinking a lot about what races were really inspiring to me as a novice. Here they are:

Western States 100: The Rose Bowl of ultra-races (i.e. "The Granddaddy of Them All"). It all started here. I don't think I need to say much more than that.

Hopefully my Western States bid won't be as unsuccessful as Cal's Rose Bowl bids...

Miwok 100k: The images and race reports you see and read from this one are without exception epic. I have been fortunate to run in the area a few times now, including Stinson Beach and Muir Beach races. The scenery of the Marin Headlands is hard to beat.

Hardrock 100: I love alpine vistas as evidenced by some of my travels last summer, so I always loved reading the race reports for this one. HOW these people complete that course....well, I really don't know. I still cannot fathom that race.

Angeles Crest 100: The lady is from L.A., so I read these reports anticipating that this may one day be my first 100. We'll see.

The Dipsea Races: Tradition, tradition, tradition (and steps, steps, steps). Another must, especially the Quad.

There are more, but these were the first that came to mind. I feel so incredibly fortunate that fate steared me out here. So, so lucky!

Btw, I am not trying to slight the East Coast races. This post is more about what initially captured my imagination and got me started in this sport. Today, there are quite a few East Coast races that I still want to tackle (I'm looking at you Mt. Mitchell Challenge, Cheaha, Mist, Vermont.....)

Big Smiles

with each step as I managed to run 3 pain free miles today.

I was almost as happy as I was after reaching the summit of Mt. Elbert.

The (Forced) Extreme Taper

As I am typing this, the lady is out for a 12 miler getting ready for her upcoming half-marathon. What am I doing sitting on my couch typing away a week before Rucky Chucky? Tapering, well, actually I'm resting.

Early in the week, I started experiencing dorsal foot pain. It cut a 10 miler on Tuesday short. Rested Wednesday. Worries of an over-use injury like a stress fracture wouldn't subside. Ran an easy 2 on Thursday...only for my foot to feel sore again. Rest Friday. Rest today (Saturday). Rest tomorrow (Sunday).

It sucks and I'm celebrating a pity party (and doing countless sit-ups to strengthen my core).

Not running makes me feel sluggish and tired. Bleh!

The Scenic Sequoia 50k

"I'm really nervous about this one"
They say the most important sleep you get is two nights before a race. Liars! I was already tossing and turning nervously on Thursday night in anticipation of my return to the 50k ranks. It had been 10 months since SweetH20 and with its 5k+ elevation change Sequoia would present a considerably more challenging course than either of my previous 50ks. In total, I was anxious to get to the starting line for about five days.

"Peet's?" - "Sure"
Per our (now usual) tradition, Will and I stopped at Peet's to take in calories in various forms. We were discussing our respective race strategies, and I was wondering whether Will would be able to set a course record for the 30k distance just like he had done at Woodside a few weeks ago. We were also surprised at how nippy it was outside, mainly because of some surprisingly strong winds. What to wear, what to wear? Always a hard decision going into a race. You'd think that after almost 30 years on Earth, we'd having this dressing ourselves thing down.

Mud, Mud, Mud
So, it was a little muddy out there, but nothing too, too bad. I was surprised at the number of people I overheard being annoyed at the mud (which wasn't bad at all compared some other places in the area like Tilden). Really? This is a trail run...in Northern California...in the winter. You can expect to get dirty. And besides, what is better than caked dirt on your calves? (ok, a pint of Ben & Jerry's). They're like battle wounds...except they wash off right away.

The First 15k
The scenery was absolutely gorgeous. Tall Redwood and Sequoia trees everywhere; little creeks created by recent rainfall were dancing down hills. But while the trails were stunning, my legs were heavy. Ooops! What to do? Spend lots of time at aid station #2. And so I did.

The Second 15k
Three minutes at Aid #2 did wonders for me. I found my stride and started passing lots of 50k and 30k runners. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be passed myself the whole rest of the day. Nice! The surprising thing is that the majority of my rejuvenation occurred on the biggest climb of the day (I'm more of a downhill runner).

The Final 20k
At 30k, we passed by the finish line. I could smell the chili and hear everyone laughing, but the hardest part of the day was still ahead of me. Needed to get out of there fast. Somehow I had positioned myself to run a PR and IT WAS ON! I pushed, pushed, pushed...running by myself most of the way. Once I hit the final aid (Moon Gate), I knew the PR was mine. The question was: what would my time be? I attacked the Cinderella trail as hard as I could. Despite it's unimposing name, it's a steep, rocky mountain bike trail (complete with jumps and everything) that is just painful to fun down with any kind of velocity. I may have been screaming like a lunatic. Can't really remember.

In the end, I finished in 5:24, a 23 minute PR. It was good enough for 19th overall in a strong field with many good performances. 14 people finished under 5 hrs (compared to 6, 4, 0 and 0 in previous years). Local runner Caitlin Smith ran a stunning 4:22 in her first 50k coming in second overall (read her account here). And Will ran another course record in the 30k. I'm worried about what he'll do once he moves up to the 50k (you know it's just a matter of time, buddy!).

Thank you to Sarah and Wendell as well as all the volunteers for putting on another outstanding race. I especially enjoyed the crew manning the Moon Gate aid station for rocking the tunes. Jimi Hendrix rocks!

When Trails Turn to Creeks...

Relentless rain has dropped between 2-4 inches of the wet stuff all over the Bay Area during the past 24-36 hours. The hills are getting soaked and the trails are the muddiest they have been all winter. They were muddy, of course, only when they hadn't turned into a creeks.

A solid 20 miler allowed me to enjoy me plenty of single and double-track, which I had all to myself on this soggy Presidents Day. By the end, a quarter-inch thick layer of muddy goodness was caked on my calves. SPLENDID!

If you haven't already, go enjoy the rain!!

Working Hard at the Woodside 35k

On Saturday, I had the great joy of finally lining up for a trail race again. It had been two months since Muir Beach. Despite quite a bit of travel over the holidays (two countries in Europe, close to 2000 miles of driving up and down the West Coast, etc.), I had been putting in quite a bit of work in the off-season with high hopes to return to 50k shape this spring.

The lush trails at Woodside (all photos in this report courtesy of the Blogfather, Scott Dunlap)

In addition to racking up the mileage, I had been eating healthier and started to incorporate sit-ups and push-ups in my daily routine. Needless to say, I was eager to hit the trails and see whether all that work had paid off (eating less Gelato is very difficult for me, you know).

Partying Like You're 90!
As with with the Muir Beach race, Will was happy to tag along. He's training hard to set a new marathon PR in Los Angeles later this spring, a 2:30-something time well within the realm of possibilities. The drive over to Woodside started with the obligatory stop at Pete's coffee. Some guy was celebrating his 90th birthday at 6:45 a.m. with about a dozen friends and a giant cake. That man was living life to the fullest!

Runners would start in waves today depending on race distances. Us 35k folks would be starting last at 9:15 a.m. along with the 17k runners. You don't see those kind of start times in the South.

The Race
Sarah and Wendell gave their usual instructions and we were off right on time. Even though it was sunny, we would be covered majestic Redwood trees the whole way. Spectacular stuff (and somehting else you don't see in the South). The race started with the biggest and only major climb of the day up to Kings Mountain aid station. The idea was to take it easy here and then see what I could do after that on top of the Ridge. Well, once I got to the aid, I was hungry and tired. Oooops!

front loaded elevation profile

Three cookies, an orange slice and a half potato later, I was moving again. I would only see one person over the next 30 minutes and wonder where everybody was. Swaths of fog would engulf the trail in certain sections and my mind was drifting off. It felt like I was running through a dream scene the way they depict them in the movies. The Redwood trees were magnificent, the birds were chirping and I was lost somewhere in the middle. Was this a race?



This section was an out and back, so it was just a matter of time until the race leader would pass. And sure enough, Will was flying towards me. We exchanged high fives and shouted words of encouragement. I checked my watch to time his lead. 3 minutes later three very determined looking runners working as a team rushed by me like a high-speed train. Would Will be able to hold on? I better hurry to find out!

At the turn-around, I was in 13th or 14th place. That was much better than any of my previous finishes here in California (20th, 31st, 44th...in reverse order). Now, I was determined to push. The run back to Kings Mountain seemed to take forever, but the many "good jobs" by the other runners helped tremendously. I tried to return the favor as best I could, but often all I could was "gschschawb".


At Kings Mountain, I was spent. Two runners were right ahead of me and I could barely run anymore. However, once we hit the final downhill, I called up my good friend Newton. My strides were painful but efficient, and I would catch up to both of them. The final mile, this guy and I had separated from the third runner and were pushing each other to the limit. I could not pass him for the life of me.......until I saw the cars of the parking lot. Somehow I found another gear (Where were you before, Another Gear? This is a race, not a vacation!) and I flew towards the finish line. 3:14 flat, good enough for 12th place.

Cal v. Stanford
Will found me and told me he won (I had to ask him. He is ever so modest). After some yummy chili we were checking out the impressive results across the board. Previous course records were posted as well, and it turns out that Will had set a new one for the 35k distance! Leor Pantilat of Stanford, CA had set the previous one last year. I just couldn't resist saying something like "Once again Cal beats Stanford" earning me a very disapproving look from some lady standing next to us (sorry!).

Here is my take on the whole Cal-Stanford rivalry: I'm a HUGE Cal fan. The Play is the greatest moment in sports. I can tell you how the women's lacrosse team did last weekend (19-0 win) or how we fared on college football signing day. Our cat even sleeps on a Cal blanket. Clearly, I enjoy every time we beat the Cardinal whether it is in football, swimming or a science fair.

HOWEVER, I think there is nothing greater than having two such outstanding universities here in the Bay Area. A lot of successful companies have been founded, scientific discoveries have been made and world leaders have emerged on these campuses. The universities feed this hotbed of innovation that is the SF Bay Area. There is a lot of collaboration going on between the two schools. We push each other to be better, and we work together on many projects (including one that I'm involved with). I think it's a blessing to have Stanford on the other side of the Bay. I really do. OK, time to move on.

Will and I actually ended up talking to Leor for a while. He is a great talent and a good kid. I look forward to seeing him again at Sequoia, and I'm sure he'll be kicking some serious butt there and at Way Too Cool. That man is fast.

And Thank You!
Finally, thank you to Sarah, Wendell and all the volunteers for a once again perfectly organized race. See you in a few weeks!