Why we all Love the Way Too Cool 50K

Frog cupcakes! Who doesn't love frog cupcakes!?

I know some of you deny it – you call it the “Way Too Crowded” and turn up your noses. You say, “I just can’t deal with the conga line,” but you still show up to spectate. You train on the course with your buddies, who are all registered to race, and discuss the prospects of Max or Varner or this-years-new-thang. You pretend otherwise, but just like the rest of us, you totally love the Way Too Cool.

Jenelle, Jamie, and Sarah keep warm before the start of the 2013 Way Too Cool.

Cool is many things to many different people. For some, it serves as an early season benchmark. Where do I stand after a winter of semi-slothdom? For others, its friendly terrain makes for perfect first-time ultra racing. Because I run Cool year after year, it works well as a measurement of my own progress as a runner over the years. For those of us from the Tahoe and Reno areas, heading down the hill the first week of March is also a springtime ritual that beckons us with warm sunshine to break from the winter chill. Because it seems that the entire NorCal ultra community turns out for this race, it is also the pinnacle of socializing this time of year, second only to summertime's Western States.

What were some of my best Cool experiences? Back in 2011, going sub-5:00 was a big deal, and I was pretty stoked to get there. Let’s not forget the shit-storm outhouse-search of 2012. Most hilarious race report ever, I’m pretty sure. There were the quivering quads of 2014 which resulted in both my course PR (4:44) and the most painful post-race leg cramping I’ve ever experienced. That’s what happens when you run hard while under-trained, friends! Last year was the I’ve-barely-trained-so-I’m-running-without-a-watch-and-pretending-I-don’t-care year. It was a pretty good strategy that garnered me a 4:50 without too much trouble.

This will be my sixth year running this iconic trail test. With that in mind, I have some highlights and tips for those of you who will be toeing the line with me on Saturday. Here are some things to enjoy and things to watch out for:

• Newbies: Don’t go out too fast! That first paved mile gets sub-looney really easily. Take the 8-mile loop to get your legs and warm up.

• Veterans: Go out fast! No kidding. It’s easy to get caught behind the mob. When I ran a 12 minute PR to go 4:44, I shaved 8 of those minutes off in that first 8-mile loop. Apparently I’d been taking it too conservatively.

• Use caution on that downhill between the first aid station and the Quarry Road aid. It’s a good place to use your refined downhill technique, but it’s also a good place to blow out your quads if you hammer it too hard. I always feel like people hammer this part, and I clean them up later after mile 20.

• Drink-up at Maine Bar. They say it’s only 4.3 miles from there to the ALT aid station, but I swear to God it’s more like 8. I can never make that distance on one bottle without running dry and cramping as a result. That stretch is the sole reason I carry two water bottles at Cool. It takes FOREVER to get to ALT.

• After ALT though, it’s all gravy. You can spend this long, smooth, slightly downhill stretch of trail passing people like mad because you paced yourself well. Right?

• Always run that last 1.4. It’s uphill, yes. You hurt, I know. Suck it up. The finishline will get there so much faster if you run it. It’s only 1.4 miles! Don’t stop at the aid station – just go. At the end, friends await.

Get a good night's sleep, a good parking place, and I’ll see you all bright and early on Saturday!

Cupcakes and beer with Jenelle at a Way Too Cool finish celebration

Way Too Cool 50K 2015

When you’ve been struggling with your motivation like I have, there is no better cure than a long day of moving down sun soaked trails and greeting friends at every turn. For so many of us, the first Saturday of March in Cool, California is the kick off to the spring running season – the beginning of feeling faster and running more consistently. Also, the perfect, summer-like weather that has been present there the last few years certainly marks the change of seasons. It’s hard not to love the Way Too Cool 50K.

It only took me five years at this race to finally figure out how to run it. My training has been incredibly mediocre and uninspired, so I found myself really struggling with my confidence going into it this year. I knew there was no way I would come close to last year’s 4:44. I simply wasn’t in that kind of shape. And there is something mentally challenging about returning to a familiar race knowing it isn’t going to be your best performance.  I knew the best part of my day would be seeing friends (It was!), and I put my expectations in check, just hoping to finish in under five hours.

Jenelle and JP, keeping warm before the start

I caught a ride down the hill with Jenelle and JP. After a stop for coffee in Colfax, where we ran into fellow Truckee runner Jeff Brown, we made the early arrival in Cool to snag a great parking spot. I always think rock star parking is a good way to set the tone for an awesome day.

Another reason to get to Cool early, besides good parking, is the socializing. It’s easy to miss your faster or slower friends after the race, but in those chilly morning hours we are all there, excited and shivering together. For a day that was predicted to reach 70 degrees, it sure was freezing out at 7:00 AM!

Pre-race with Jamie

Jeff, ready for a great day!

Goals

I lined up with Jamie for the typically fast start of this race. After five years at Cool, the speedy start doesn’t intimidate me anymore. I had a great time on the rolling terrain in those first 8 miles! I met and ran with several runners local to my area – Craig from Reno, and Jeff who just moved to Truckee and is planning on joining my running club, the Donner Party Mountain Runners. As we cruised the downhill to Knickerbocker Creek, I was startled to see a makeshift bridge had been placed across it.

“When did they put a bridge here?” I asked.

“Damn, this race has gotten soft!” I heard a guy behind me joke. I laughed, but I couldn’t disagree. The water was clear and running low – the safest creek crossing you could imagine.

The only part of this loop that wasn’t pleasant was some guy several runners back who thought it would be a good idea to run with a cowbell attached to his hydration pack. I can tell you that after 8 miles, that cowbell became beyond annoying. I heard comments from several other runners about what they’d like to do to that guy and exactly where they’d like to put that cowbell.

I ran back into the first aid station at the start/finish area and handed off my arm warmers to JP. I didn’t need water yet, so I just grabbed a GU and headed out. To my dismay, cowbell guy was right behind me now. I was at the point where I was so annoyed with him that I knew I wouldn’t be able to ask him nicely to put his monotonous noisemaker away, so I just kept my mouth shut. On the downhill, I reminded myself that I wasn’t here to run a fast time, so I deliberately slowed down and let the cowbell guy pass me. I breathed an immediate sigh of relief and felt myself instantly relaxing and smiling. It’s funny how something like that can really get under your skin and put you in a negative mindset.

At the Quarry Road aid station (mile 11), I was greeted by friends Chaz, Pete, and Chris who filled me up with GU Brew and got me on my way in a flash. 

Coming into Quarry Rd. aid station (photo Pete Broomhall)

Chaz is on it with the refil! (photo Pete Broomhall)

I started to wonder where Jamie was. We had been running together the first mile until she paused to hand off her arm warmers to a friend. I knew she was in great shape and should smash her PR for the course, so I was expecting her to pass me any minute.

I was thoroughly enjoying this mellow section of trail that I run often in training during the late winter months. I had discovered on the drive down that I had forgotten my watch. I won’t try to explain how seriously my head is in the clouds these days, but let’s just say I wasn’t surprised that I had forgotten something. Luckily, the watch wasn’t critical, and in fact, it helped me relax and just run on feel. Since I didn’t have a big goal for this race, that was perfect.

Somewhere before the Main Bar aid station (mile 16.7), I realized I was coming up behind the cowbell guy again.

“Oh no!” I heard the men I was running with declare. “It’s him!” We were all relieved when we passed by and realized he had put the cowbell away.

A few minutes later, I was chatting with the woman who had saved us all. She had asked the guy very politely to put the cowbell away. It sounds like he didn’t acquiesce immediately – it took a little discussion and convincing on her part. I give this woman my eternal gratitude!

The ALT aid station always seems like forever in coming. I swear it is farther than 4.3 miles from Main Bar! Sure, all the uphill makes it slow, but I’m certain it has to be closer to 6 miles between those two stations.

As I was closing in on ALT, I saw a woman up ahead that I thought might be Erika Lindland. Awesome! Although I knew I was probably not in good enough shape to be running with her, I was excited to be near here this late in the race. She is a really strong runner, but on my good days, I can hang with her. I made it my goal to try to keep her in sight, but of course in my excitement I started running harder and began closing in on her. After about two miles of slowly gaining, I was right behind her coming into the ALT aid station at mile 21.

Unfortunately for me, she was just a bit faster than I was through the aid station. I saw her leave, assumed I would close the gap, and never saw her again. Ah well. She ended up running a 4:44 which was never going to happen for me, so it’s probably best that I didn’t kill myself trying to keep up with her.

Those last ten miles were probably the best I have ever felt on that stretch in this race. I had taken salt early (beginning at mile 11), stayed hydrated, and wasn’t cramping at all. In contrast, last year I suffered painful cramps for the last hour of the race, plus for another 30 minutes after finishing. I enjoyed the smooth, easy miles to Brown’s Bar, cranked up Goat Hill, and smiled at how great I felt.

I saw friends Kirk and Jenny and asked them if Jamie had come through yet. Maybe she had passed me somewhere and I’d missed her? When they said they hadn’t seen her all day, I started to worry. Where could she be?

It is always my goal to run it in from the last aid station at Highway 49. It’s only 1.4 miles, but it’s mostly uphill and a little technical. Last year, I had to walk some of it. This year, I had no problem running every step. There were a couple other women kicking ass on this section, and we blew by a handful of men up that hill on our way to the finish line.

I have to admit, it was kind of fun not knowing what my time was. I felt pretty confident that I was going to finish in under five hours, but realistically I knew that I was probably not faster than 4:50. I was guessing 4:56, so when I came around the final corner to see 4:50 on the clock, I was all smiles. It was such an awesome surprise!

The surprise that was not so awesome was when Jamie met me at the finish line all cleaned up and changed already. I knew she could not have finished that far ahead of me, even if I’d missed her passing me.

“What happened?” I cried. The look on her face told me it was nothing good, and I had her in a sweaty hug before she could answer. She’d taken a hard fall on the downhill to Quarry Road and had had to drop. It was a crummy turn of events for her day, but so far she didn’t think there was going to be any serious lasting damage.

I headed over to the tent for The Canyons Endurance Runs where I had stashed my bag. I barely had time to get my flip flops on before Chaz was handing me a beer. Normally I like to drink my GU recovery drink before any of that, but it was too hard to turn Chaz down. It tasted phenomenal!

Jenelle finished just a few minutes after I did, and we all spent a couple of relaxing hours in the sunshine recovering, cheering on friends, drinking beer, and just generally reveling in the ultra runner scene.

Pete, Chaz, and Chris, who graciously hosted me and other friends with a chair, shade, and a beer.

Curt, who hung around after his race long enough to see us slow people finish!

Both the men’s and women’s course records were broken that day, and there was a lot of talk about how all the elite road runners are affecting the sport of trail ultras. I remember the same conversations last year. And I’m pretty sure I heard them the year before that. Sure, it’s true. Of the men’s top ten times on the course, 9 are from the last three years. For the women, 6 of the top ten times are from either last year or this year. If I had run 4:50 at my first Way Too Cool in 2006, I would have finished 5th woman. Ha! That’s hilarious. This year it earned me 30th.

So things are getting speedy, and it makes sense that a fast course with good competition would be the gateway drug for trail-curious roadsters. I think it’s exciting. When I look around at the crowd at Way Too Cool, I just see smiles and happy people. For me, the bigger field and faster runners have done nothing to dampen the spirit of this race, and it’s fun to see such impressive performances. I guess if you prefer a more low-key scene, there’s still plenty of that to be had at other trail races.

Thanks so much to RD Julie and to all the volunteers who work so hard to help make this event so successful! I will always be back in some capacity, whether racing, volunteering, or cheering. 

Way Too Cool 50K

It has become something of a tradition for me to kick off the racing season at the beautiful, crowded, and fast Way Too Cook 50K. This year was much the same, except that I wasn't racing. I opted to forgo the start of last week's race, and instead spent my day cheering friends and pouring water at the Highway 49 Aid Station. 

It was perhaps even more abundant with inspiration that my years spent there as a runner.

As usual, I greeted many friends in the morning chill. Without exception, everyone wore a smile of pre-race excitement. 
 

Jenelle, Jamie, and Sarah ready for the fast trails of Cool.

Jill and John Trent heading to the start.

After the start, I found a beautiful spot in the trail about a half mile before the first aid station. I planted myself there, took photos, and cheered for the runners. They still looked fresh and smiley.

Women's winner Meghan Arbogast, cruising comfortably in second place at this point.

Angela enjoys the dirt and sunshine of the foothills.

By the time the last runner came through, it was time for me to head to the aid station at Highway 49 to help. This is the last aid station on the course, and I usually think of it as kind of unnecessary when I'm racing. With only 1.4 miles to go in the race, there never seems to be much reason to stop.

It was gratifying, however, to see that many people did not feel that same way. So many runners were grateful for the chance to pause, slam a coke, and grab a gel on their way through. As the day progressed and got warmer, more and more runners needed their bottles filled. Our aid station was open from 11:00 to 4:00, and I spent most of that time filling water bottles and hydration packs.

Not only did this give me a chance to greet every runner, but I got to see all my friends come through. The best part about working this aid station is that when you tell people they only have 1.4 miles left, they are incredibly happy. I received two different declarations of love from runners upon hearing this news. 

Ready for aid station hospitality!

Max King rounds the bend on his way to a new course record.

Without a doubt, a day well spent. Next year I hope to be joining my friends on the starting line, but I am pretty stoked about just being part of the action at Cool this year. I love this race.

The master of good mojo, Greg spreads the love all over the course.

Snowshoe Racing, Downton Abby, and the Iditarod

Snowshoe running: Neither for the faint of heart, nor the out of shape runner. In January, I made my second finish at the Tahoe Rim Tour Snowshoe Race. Somehow, I remember it being so much easier the last time I ran it. But then again, I suppose I was in better shape that time.

In fact, I think it was the ease and joy of the 2011 race that had me eager to return, and of course I had Jamie in tow this time as well.  What’s the fun in tromping through powder with tennis rackets on your feet if you can’t do it with your best friend? Unfortunately, for this year’s edition, we’d both run long just the day before, but I thought it would be a good way to get my winter ass back into shape. Ha! Well, it was. Depending on what you mean by “good.”

This is what it looked like at the start. Do you see anyone without skis on their feet? Yeah, me neither!

Ready for a long day on beautiful trails!

Here's Helen, getting ready to ski away from us at the sound of the gun.

Fortunately, the conditions were pretty firm, and we set a conservative pace early. This was a good move, since we certainly didn’t feel like it was easy at any point. Snowshoe running for me isn’t so much about going fast as it is about focused coordination: Don’t step on your own shoes (or your friends), don’t kick your ankles (Ouch!), and don't forget to point your toes on the downhills. 

The course, starting in Tahoe City and finishing at Northstar Resort, has a solid climb over a mountain pass. Not easy. We enjoyed incredible scenery and were happy to find some downhill running in the later miles.

Jamie, tearing up the downhill.

We finished exhausted and happy in the bright Tahoe sunshine. Thirty minutes slower than in 2011 and with our snowshoe craving sated for the year.

 ~~~~~

In February I joined many of the wonderful women of my family for the second annual Snowshoe Jamboree (aka “SnowJam”) in Arnold, CA. It’s ladies’ weekend at the cabin, and we always have so much fun.

More snowshoeing? Okay, count me in!

This year, my sister and I spent the first morning skate skiing at Bear Valley.

View from the summit!

Skate skiing is hard work!

I also learned about the quaint little town of Murphys, which was just a short drive from our cabin. If you like wine tasting, you will appreciate Murphys. The whole main street was packed with tasting rooms, and we had a grand time exploring. Perfect for ladies weekend!

A lovely afternoon in the tasting room at the Frog's Leap Winery.

See why it's perfect for Ladies' Weekend?

They sort of have this thing about frogs in these parts, especially the jumping kind. These two were just hanging out though.

On day two we went snowshoeing around Lake Alpine. The weather could not have been better!

Yosemite Gals at Lake Alpine.

With Mom and Sister.

I'm already looking forward to next year's SnowJam!

~~~~~

This weekend will see one of my favorite races take place: Way Too Cool 50K. I’m signed up for it, but I’m not sure I’ll be at the starting line this year. The prospect of not running it makes me mighty sad, but I still have some lingering health questions to answer for myself. I’d like to get those things figured out before embarking on any serious races.  Part of the reason I haven’t committed to the DNS is because I just can’t face it. I love this race!

We’ll see how the next week plays out, but either way, I will certainly be there. If I don’t race, I’ll be volunteering at the Highway 49 aid station, cheering you all that final 1.4 miles to the finish. My advice if you’re running Cool? Make friends and have fun. It’s a big race, and the upside of that is that you’ll get to meet a lot of great people. Ultrarunners are pretty cool folks (no pun intended).

~~~~~

And in extremely important non-running-related news, I burned through the entire second season of Downton Abby in three days last week. Based on the spoiler-y comments on Facebook, I have decided that I will not be watching season three. This is where it ends for me. As far as I’m concerned, there is no season three. Aside from the fate of poor Mr. Bates, (who, let’s face it, as the story’s martyr, is pretty much doomed), everything seems to be resolved quite nicely, thank you very much. The End.

And it occurs to me that this must be a particular challenge of writing for a television series – you never know just exactly when your story is going to end. If Downton Abby were a book or a movie, the end of season two would be a pretty solid ending. I mean, (Spoiler Alert!) the war is over, Sybil’s made her break, Edith has had some growing experiences and is more mature (less of a bitch), Anna and Mr. Bates are together (okay, sort of), and Mary and Matthew … Well that took long enough, didn’t it? It was very Pride and Prejudice. But nonetheless, resolved.

When you’re writing a book, you know exactly when it’s going to end, and you create your story arc to arrive there at the right time. Even in a series, if you were writing, say, seven books. You know that it’s at the end of book seven where either Harry or Voldemort is killed by the other. You wouldn't write that part into book five.

In TV, it seems that it’s more like, “Okay, we might get cancelled so maybe we’ll resolve this storyline, but leave these others hanging in case we do run next season.” But then if things are too resolved and the show does run for another season, they have to reopen old storylines, or invent some new ones, and eventually it all starts to feel rather ridiculous and contrived. I mean, how much drama can one family really go through?

So, anyway. Downton Abby. Only two seasons. End of story. (Unless there’s a season four, and it really rocks. Then, someone call me.)

~~~~~

And lastly, the 41^st Iditarod started this week! Once again, my 5th –grade students and I are following the race, learning about the history, and each choosing a musher to track online. Many of my students’ mushers are already in the top ten, so they’re pretty excited.

Last year, I chose to follow Dallas Seavy. Despite the fact that there were six past champions in the race that year, Dallas pulled out his first win as the youngest person ever to be Iditarod Champion. Of course I spent the last 3 months of school bragging to my students about how my musher kicked all their mushers' butts. 

I always give the students first choice of which musher they want to follow. This year, even though no one chose to follow Dallas, (I need to teach them better research skills!) I picked Aliy Zirkle. I still kind of think Dallas is the one to beat, but there are a lot of strong dogs and experienced mushers out there. Aliy is smart, has a strong kennel, and could definitely pull out the win! (I try to tell my students that it's not about choosing the winner, but it's hard not to want to see your musher first to Nome!)

If you’re interested in a silly thing like long distance foot races, you can check out the updates on Iditarod.com. The Iditarod Trail Committee also has a Facebook page, but I have found the best updates so far on Dallas Seavy’s Facebook page.

Happy running, doggies (and everyone else out there)!

Zoya DeNure's team at the 2011 Iditarod (Photo by Dana Orlosky)

Way Too Cool 50K 2012

Nothing marks the beginning of the ulra season for me like the Way Too Cool 50K. If you live in another part of the country, I’m sure you have a similar race – the one where you finally see all your ultrarunning friends again after the hiatus of winter and its accompanying holiday binging. Cool is a big race – approximately 700 runners – and although I typically prefer fewer people, in this case that’s one of the draws. The excitement generated by seeing so many friends is a great way to start the year.

Jenelle and I carpooled down the hill together, and soon we were gathered in the start area with Jamie, Clare, Amy, and several hundred of our closest friends. Truthfully though, standing with those ladies before the gun was a great feeling. They are all fast, badass chicks who I know can push me to have a good race. Plus, they’re all super fun to run with!

My legs were still in pretty rough shape after Napa, and I could feel the soreness in my quads just walking around. I had run only easy, recovery miles in the previous six days, so taking off at 8-minute pace was a bit of a rude awakening for my legs. I knew I had put forth a truly hard effort at Napa and wasn’t nearly recovered, so my expectations for Cool were wide open. It would be nice to go under five hours and run a similar time to last year’s 4:56, but I also knew something like 5:30 might be in the cards. I was still pretty stoked about my new marathon PR and happy to accept whatever race I could muster at Cool.

I ran the first few miles with Jamie. That’s not typical for some reason, and it was a really nice way to feel relaxed about the fact that it was a race with a lot of fast people. Clare and Amy were just in front of us, and Jenelle, possessing the most leg speed of the group, took off out of sight. Jamie and I got caught up on life together before I eventually moved ahead on a downhill and kept my eyes glued to the back of Clare’s pink shirt in an attempt to stick with her.

Please do not mock my running form. My PT would laugh at this picture. But what the heck - I'm having a blast!

After about two miles, runners merge from the road onto singletrack. The landscape is marked by open, grassy hills dotted with broad, ancient oaks. We were still running in a long line of people both ahead and behind, but I felt the pace was right for me; I didn’t feel crowded or trapped. Shortly before the first aid station at mile eight I ducked into the bushes in a move that was to become a theme of this race for me, although this time it was just for a quick pee. This allowed a solid gap to open up between Clare and me, but I knew she was close and I worked on regaining my place.

After exiting the aid station, which is at the start/finish at the fire station, runners hit a nice, downhill singletrack heading toward the highway 49 crossing. I was flying down this technical section when I suddenly realized I really needed a bathroom. Like, NOW.

Have you ever run down the trail while squeezing your butt cheeks together in a desperate attempt not to soil yourself? Well, yeah, so have I. But doing it in a race, while trying to run fast? That’s a whole other level of challenge. Holy-moly, I thought I might die! I knew there was an outhouse at highway 49, so I just tried to hold myself together until then. Sadly, I had to slow my pace for this effort, but certain things are more important than being fast, you know?

Of course, the most horrific of nightmares ensued when I arrived at the Quarry Road trailhead outhouse at highway 49 and it was occupied. Gagh! Nevermind – I knew there was another port-a-potty about a quarter mile down the trail. No problem. I was sure I could make it.

Until I got there and it, too, was occupied.

I let the occupant in on my state with a bit of a door shake and a solid scream of frustration. I’m certain he appreciated that.

But wait for him to leave? It was a race! I was too freaked out by my own quandary, and my brain apparently had shut down because I made the huge mistake of running on down the trail, bathroom unused.

This section of the course, on Quarry Road, is quite wide open. No bushes. No trees. Just river to the left, and steep slope up to the right. No place with even a shred of privacy to do my business.

It only took a half mile before I knew that not stopping to wait for the outhouse had been a fatal error. I began to imagine the scenario if I crapped my pants. I can’t even write this without laughing hysterically, but at the time, I was near tears. It was sure to mean a DNF and an annihilation of my dignity.

Miraculously, I could see Clare and Jenelle ahead now, and I tried to focus on closing the distance. If I could just get my mind on something else, maybe the lack-of-bathroom situation wouldn’t seem so dire! Slowly, in my squeezing-the-butt-cheeks-shuffle, I came up behind them.

Just when I was close enough to say hello, I spied some picnic benches about a hundred yards off the trail. Could there be an outhouse near those benches??? It was hidden by a slight bend in the trail, but I was sure there must be. I sprinted off course to investigate. Hallelujah! I’m saved!

I must have spent at least five minutes in that outhouse. Maybe more. I could not have cared less about all the runners who, I knew, at that very moment, were flying by on the trail. I had found an empty outhouse and some toilet paper, and that was really all that mattered in life. Seriously. The race was over. I had won!

When I finally got back on the trail I wore a triumphant smile, but inside somewhere, I knew my body had not yet had its final say. What’re you gonna’ do though? I just kept running.

Turning up the American River Canyon Trail, we traveled my favorite miles of the course. Beautiful singletrack follows creek and waterfall, eventually connecting with the Western States Trail. Past the ALT aid station runners are treated to miles of smooth, runnable, and just slightly downhill singletrack. Heaven.

If it hadn’t been for my intestinal rumblings, that is.

One advantage of being familiar with the course was that I knew at this point there was no hope of a bathroom until the finish. I also knew the options for ducking into the bushes weren’t going to get much better. It required a sketchy scramble down a steep ravine to find any privacy, but, once again, what’re you gonna’ do? I was only worried that I might lose my balance and go tumbling down the hill through gobs of poison oak with my shorts around my ankles. Things could be worse than just a little upset stomach, right?

I had to make one final dash to the bushes to finally put an end to the drama. After each stop, I worked hard to catch back up to the same people. There’s the guy with the argyle arm warmers, the girl with the braids and green headband, the girl with the Urban Cow shirt. Every time. Same people. Was I even getting anywhere in this race?

Once I realized I had control over my bowels for good though, my attitude shot way up. Did I care that I had lost at least ten minutes to digestive issues? Nope. I really didn’t. I felt great, and I was no longer worried about finishing the race with diarrhea legs. (It’s the little things, you know?)

I was all smiles up Goat Hill, happily greeted Norm and Helen at the aid station, and had a blast pushing my pace to see if there was any possibility of catching up with any of the girls. I knew everyone had to be well in front of me at this point, but I figured I had nothing to lose by running hard the last eight miles.

I knew the last aid station was 1.4 miles from the finish, and I’d been keeping a close eye on the watch. I came through at 4:46, giving me 14 minutes to go sub-five – exactly 10 minute pace. Normally that would seem pretty doable at the end of a 50K, but I was also aware that those 1.4 were nearly all uphill miles. I ran straight through the aid station, knowing it would take a little effort to make it in under five hours.

I crossed the line in 4:59, ecstatic to see Jamie and Clare cheering me across the line. Jenelle and Amy had already gone to clean up. We'd all finished under five hours!

It may seem strange to feel good about a race where I had so many problems, but I can’t help feeling proud of myself. Given the post-Napa state of my legs, and the fact that I lost at least ten minutes to emergency bathroom breaks, I can hardly believe I was only three minutes slower than last year. The stakes were not high for me at Way Too Cool, and I figure if I was going to have a race with such issues, this was a good time to have it.

Recovery beverages and frog cupcakes in the lounge.

Afterwards, Jenelle, Jamie and I kicked back in the Patagonia “Recovery Lounge.” Oh yeah – Patagonia knows how to recover in style, with plenty of sofas and a keg. It was a perfect place to enjoy our frog cupcakes! Jenelle and I entertained ourselves when we found a copy of the latest Ultrarunning Magazine and searched out all our names on various top-100 lists for the year. I already knew that I train with some hardcore ladies, but I’m glad to see the rest of the ultrarunning world knows it, too.

Thanks and congratulations to RD Julie and everyone who worked hard to put on this fabulous event. It makes a perfect start to the season, and seems to get better every year!

Jamie and I had also planned to ski the day after the race, because who doesn't what to follow up back-to-back race weekends with a little tele skiing for recovery? We'd been picturing spring corn and t-shirt weather, and this is what we got. It was awesome anyway!