Mt. Tam 50k November 15, 2014Mt. Tam 50k November 15, 2014
This was your normal Inside Trail Racing event. It was organized well and the course was fantastic. Almost everyone we met along the way was doing their last long training runs for TNFEC 50 mile since this course did a lot of the similar trails through Muir Woods. Kristin and I intended the same.
We took the course at an easy effort and focused on maintaining 50 mile pace. I made an effort to use real food for the first half or more. In addition, I used Tailwind in my pack with about 2 scoops per liter. Later in the race, I took an occasional Gu to increase my sugar and caffeine for large climbs. At about mile 28, I started to get a bit of nausea and threw up a little in my mouth. I had a ginger chew and this immediately subsided.
I had never run on Dias Ridge Trail to Muir Beach. This is probably one of my favorite trails now. There were a number of mountain bikers, but the view was fantastic. Along the way, Kristin and I met a lady (Stacey) from Seattle that was doing her first 50k. She had done lots of destination races but nothing in the ultra category. We ended up running with her for the last 10-15 miles and had some great conversations. I love meeting people in the ultra community on trails.
At one point on Dias Ridge, she stopped to take some pictures. I (half) jokingly said "I've seen better", but the views were a tad cloudy that day. The view was still fantastic, but I didn't take any pictures myself. I hope that I don't get burnt out on the Headlands and Tam State Park.
EDIT: On the final climb up Coastal Trail, I had a bit of a pain in the ball of my foot. I think I stepped on a rock funny. This actually manifested as a sore area under my foot for the next few weeks. I knew it wasn't a bone fracture, but it really worried me. I made an effort to do extra tapering before TNFEC 50 mile and it all worked out well.
We finished in a little over 7 hours for a 50k, but I felt good at the end. At the end, we talked with some more new ultra friends: Jacob Massler and Ken Michals. Specifically, Jacob had run Quicksilver 100k which Kristin and I are seriously considering as a WS qualifier. We got some great information and think this solidified our choice.
What I learned: