Last night Curt and I did our first night run together in preparation for Western States. As has been the case for the month of May all that could go wrong pretty much did, but I am alive to tell about it!! Wasn't so sure that would be the case a little over 12 hours ago.
Initially the plan was for several of us to run from late afternoon to midnight or so. As the weekend came to hand people dropped for various reasons and it might have been our first sign that we should re evaluate this run. My initial thought was to avoid the Canyons this weekend out of fear that they were taking more of a negative toll on my knees that a positive one for training. I had taken the week essentially off to rest the joints that seemed to struggle with some edema especially the left knee.
I started the run solo from Placer High school around 5pm and ran the finish of WS backwards to Cool along the Robie trail and had a miserable time. If I didn't know Curt would be waiting for me there around 6:30pm I would have bagged this run and really started stressing about my training and readiness for WS100. The rolling hills and moderate climb up to Cool for 3miles was a lesson in keeping my head in the game. Two months ago I would have charged this hill at a 9-10min pace the whole way and loved it. Today my HR was racing once again while I averaged an 11min pace with frequent walk breaks. I came into Cool hoping Curt would be in better spirits than me because I was done with only 7miles under my feet.
As we headed out to do the waterfall loop as part of the WTC course in reverse (19-20miles) I mentioned to Curt that both weather.com and accuweather had a 30% chance of showers listed for hours of our run and that the clouds looked sparse but dark to the north and west of us. He agreed with me that those odds seemed pretty favorable to us and a few drops wouldn't be a problem but within 4miles of our run on the other side of Hwy49 it did start to drizzle.
The further we went away from civilization the more showers seem to hit us but it wasn't til about 9pm when it got dark and the headlamps were being turned on did it really start to come down. Not only did the rain become more heavy but the temperatures dropped substantially and the trail became a creek of mud and puddles. Suffice to say that we were soaked to the bone by 9:15pm and all we had were our running shorts and dri fit long sleeve shirts on. It had now dropped into the 30s and my hands were numb. Shortly after the hands went numb the jaw started to chatter and we both started to get pretty quiet. When I did talk it was a struggle to get the words out of my tightened jaw. Every step we took was also a dance from the large puddles and slimy orange newts that were out to play. We did what we could to keep the mood light, but on more than one occasion serious discussions about hypothermia was talked about. Curt had already taken one nasty fall, lost his Garmin down the cliff side and I was just biting my lip out in front that I had not totally jeopardized not only my WS upcoming race with injury - but even worse put us in serious harms way.
With about 8miles left or a good hour and half or more out there Curt talked about maybe running out ahead in hopes that he might have a faster pace that could allow him to get to the car and meet me at the Hwy crossing. We both surmised we would address that idea when we got off the Quarry trail a few miles ahead. I wondered if any other kinds of obstacles lay across the next turn; the typical night time concerns of a mountain lion or other animal seemed to be at my forefront of thinking. Interesting, how the occasional mile marker with its reflective stripe seems to startle you when it looks like glowing eyes from a far. The lights were working satisfactorily even if it only gave us about 15ft of vision ahead.
When we finally came down the hill from ALT2 to Browns Bar onto the Quarry trail I think it was a bit of relief because at least now if we were caught stuck for the night they could find us by 4WD and not need to helicopter us out. Even at your worst you think about the financial aspects of your stupidity!!! Here with about 4miles left to finish and another hour of rain I was surprised that Curt looked as bad as he did. I think it was obvious to both of us that he was in no shape to try to run ahead and in fact his gait looked something like that of an 80 yo linebacker minus the obvious bulk his body lacks for that position. Both of our strides had shortened substantially do to the cold, even if my muscles felt rather good for all we had been through. The joints on the other hand were aware of the temperature and were locking up.
As we did come off the Quarry trail and make the long ascent back up to the Hwy crossing we felt safe enough for the first time to hike/walk because certainly doing this earlier would have dropped our body temperature to dangerously low levels. We must have known the safety of the car and civilization were close at hand because we spent the next couple miles chatting about our lives away from running and re connecting as the close friends we were.
By the time we arrived at the car it was 11:30pm. As Curt drove me to my car instead of us considering the last section to PHS my body was in complete convulsions from a constant and uncontrolled shiver! I was impressed that Curt's body seemed controlled enough to drive down Hwy 49 and all I could think about was some fast food that would fill my tummy and give me back some calories, salt and fat that all would have come in handy tonight!
All in all, looking back on last night it was not an experience I want to re-live but it was another Epic journey on the road to WSER100 and one that has for sure bonded Curt and I even more. He will be a rock out there for me in another month and I am sure I will lean on him heavily. Lets just hope it is a few degrees warmer that night; just a few though Ultra Gods - just a few!!!!!
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