Miwok 100k
He closed his eyes for a moment, and nodded in confirmation of his own suspicions. [...] ‘Most people,’ he told her, ‘arrive at tortured conclusions via blind and painful routes. [...] Those who haven’t, know only reason. And since revelation is a thing apart, and cannot be accounted for reasonably, they will never believe you. This is the great division of the world, and always has been. When reason and revelation run together, why, then you have something, a great age.’ -from Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin
The 2010 Miwok 100k read like a novel, filled with, as any endurance run will be, literal and figurative ups and downs. Miwok may have seen its strongest field ever assembled, representative of the growing popularity of the sport and established races with venues like Miwok in Marin County, CA. The excitement in the air was as inspiring as the Marin Headlands themselves on this first day of May. At 5:40am, we set off from the beach and into the hills to do battle, with each other but mostly with ourselves, in our most valiant efforts to meld both reason and revelation.
My writing here serves to both entertain and educate the athletes I coach by providing a glimpse into my racing practice, which, like most athletes, is a work in progress. My suspicion with regard to racing endurance events is that in participating in them, we begin to satisfy a certain innate desire to definitively learn more about ourselves, namely our strengths and limiters in our chosen sport, then take that knowledge, integrate it, and apply it to our own practice. As the saying goes, “In the long run, we hit only what we aim at.” I feel that what we are targeting is the perfect race, where it all comes together, which as rare as it is precious. The masterpiece takes time, patience, and quite a bit of strategy, experience, and luck.
Now, enough philosophical ramblings! Back to Miwok: My race certainly yielded some “tortured conclusions via blind and painful routes,” to be certain. All in all, it was glorious, except for the death-march to the finish!
Miwok 100k Course Profile
Thankfully, I had some solid races in my legs coming in to Miwok, including the Sequoia 50k and Lake Sonoma 50mi. These efforts served me well, particularly over the final miles. I recovered well from Lake Sonoma and my spring break from school landed at a good time to get some training in prior to starting a 2-week taper into Miwok. Nutrition and hydration continue to improve. Instead of starting off with two hand-helds of water with another on my waist, I started with just one hand-held since the temps were cool. I paced well early and was hoping to stick with Nathan Yanko all the way up to the turn-around. Nathan has logistics down, and from my vantage point, was executing a fantastic race. I soon had to slow a bit, to conserve, and watch him go on ahead to continue chasing leaders Tony Krupicka and Hal Koerner. It’s a long day. You must be smart with pacing. What you save early will be there for you later. My form was solid on the way out: “stacked” body position,” kinetic chain engaged, relaxed and smooth. I reminded myself repeatedly, “slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.”
Worried about missing turns I was very aware of the pink ribbon tied here and there on the way up to the turnaround. At one point, after not having seen any ribbon for a few minutes I stopped and turned about and ran back a few paces before my nemesis appeared. I didn’t know Erik Skaden was even racing here today! Erik and I ran together at my first 100miler last year at Tahoe Rim Trail 100, which he would go on to win, again. Erik informed me that I was going the right way so we set off to the north and ran together all the way to the mile 36 turn-around at the Randall trail-head. This was my second race running watch-less and I find that it suits me. Time condenses. I’m in the flow. Thirty-six miles, dare I say, never seemed so short.
I picked up my waist-pack with another bottle and my iPod from Amanda, who was working the Randall aid-station as a medical volunteer. Erik moves through aid-stations more quickly than I do and was already heading back up the hill as I was fumbling with my toys. He encouraged me to get a move on but I was pretty content hanging out with my fiancee, if only for a few more seconds; the fresh memory of the grimacing leaders coming back up the climb from the Randall turnaround was fresh in my mind. I got going again, slowly up. Erik was out of sight. The race was starting to wear me down.
On the way back up I got my tunes going and found I was relieved to be alone, running at my pace, and not having to contend with another athlete’s energy. I cruised and tried to recapture my rhythm. Back up on top of the ridge line and heading back south, I arrived back at the Bolinas Ridge aid station, only to be greeted by a bunch of enthusiastic volunteers, including the legendary Western States 100 record-holder, Scott Jurek, as well as one of my Santa Rosa training partners, Jeff Topo. Scott talked me into taking a gel, which I chased with two cups of Coke. I shook Jeff’s hand and joked that this would, indeed, be my last ultra. I hobbled on down the trail toward the Pan Toll aid station at mile 50. Somewhere along the way, the caffeine kicked in. The fire roads led me out of the shaded tree canopy back into the sunshine and on to the undulating hills, with views of the Pacific to the west.
Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of training on these trails with fellow competitors, Nathan Yanko, Brett Rivers, Devon Crosby-Helms, and Joel Lanz, and felt obliged to honor Brett, who, while running, feels compelled to let out the random and occasional Banshee cry. My revelation was now. I suddenly felt I was on the warpath, closing fast on the runners ahead. I soon reeled in Skaden, who immediately wanted information on who was behind us. I knew a couple of guys were a mile or two back. He said, “then who was screaming?” Uh…
We motored on through Pan Toll and again I struggled to match Erik’s precision through aid stations. While I was busy slamming Coca-Cola, Erik was again making his ascent up the next climb out of Pan Toll and back on trail, south-bound, and in a hurry.
We ran for another half-hour or so, and my process was beginning to wane. I gobbled down the remaining M&Ms and pretzels that Amanda wisely stashed in my pack. I drank liberally. Hungry for more than food, I moved ahead of Erik and pushed, hoping to open up a gap. On we went, quads thrashed down yet another merciless descent. Once it flattened out, my marathon/triathlon road-running form returned, and I was able to rely on it to maintain speed. But I was cracking under the pace. Had I had it to do over again, I would have fallen back and simply rode the Skaden-train in to the finish. That, in 20/20 hindsight, would have been the smart move.
Erik did move out in front again and after another couple of miles, in the heat and destructive effort I ducked into some bushes to answer nature’s call, hoping the relief would do something for my deteriorating state. I bounced back on trail, ate and drank and mustered some will to give chase yet again.
After crossing over Route 1, I soon reached an intersection and ran on, down trail and straight into an approaching runner who said that we were off-trail. Fortunately, not that far off. As we ran back, two other runners were coming down the same trail and despite our insistence that they were off course, they kept on going. We soon reached the intersection again, and ran off for the first pink ribbon we saw, uphill and unsure if we were going in the right direction. I have nightmares about this reality in which I now found myself. We climbed to soon find the women’s leader and multiple-time winner of Miwok, Kami Semick, coming down toward us. Kami confidently informed us that this was the way home. Down we went back to the now infamous intersection. This time, I chose correctly and estimated I’d been off-course for about 15-20min. Great.
I find with distances of various distances that my body and mind somehow unconsciously pre-programs itself to ration out just the amount of fortitude to get to the finish relatively strong. This pre-programming doesn’t account for “extra running.” Then you have to contend with the mental demons that come out in full force as you obsessively, and unconsciously, re-examine your situation. The race has changed. You’re no longer where you were. You don’t know how many folks passed you up or how many runners are coming up fast behind you. You’re running scared, tense, and sloppy. Your flow vanishes. And then, after the adrenaline wears off, you slow. You’re a predator no more. You have become the prey. And so it goes.
Excuses being reasons to fail, you wallow in them. I should have made time to study the course in more depth; I should have put out the effort to stick with Erik, who’s raced here some four times prior and knows the course well; I should have a pacer with me whose fresh mind would keep me on course. Now, the shift to survival as I finally arrived at mile 58.4, the Tennessee Valley aid station, 3.8 miles to go. Man, oh man, just get me to the finish line.
I quickly fell out of the top-10, runners were eating me up. Brett Rivers, came cruising by me with his pacer like I was standing still. No answer. He looked invincible. And, in my state, all I could muster was a smile as I watched him float up the final climb. Watching for pink ribbon like a hawk in-flight scans the ground for mice, I scampered down the god-forsaken descent to the parking lot at Rodeo Beach. Home.
Beaten but grateful, I shook hands with those who came before me, knowing I’d live to fight another day. Miwok will live on in my mind and body and steel me against the demands of the next task at hand, the battleground on the Tahoe Rim Trail in July where I’ll again go head-to-head with Erik and Brett, who both took it to me there in 2009. I’ve got my work cut out for me. But, no doubt, it will be another thrilling racing adventure, one that will get me even closer to that perfect race…
Congratulations to Nathan, Devon, Erik, Joel, Kami, Brett, Joe P., and all the racers and volunteers at this year’s Miwok 100k. Truly an epic experience out there. Thanks folks.
Check out UltraLive.net for more race-day results, details, pics, and video.
Complete Race results HERE.
2010 Tahoe Rim Trail 100mi on July 17th/18th
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