2018 Run Rocklin

Kids' Race

Yesterday was the AR50 or the American River Endurance Run which has two distances a 25 or a 50 miler. Many in our trail running adventures group were running the race, including my friend Carina who is one of the leaders of the group. I greatly appreciate all the training runs she is organizing to get me ready to race. In my own little way of thanking her, I had volunteered to be one of her crew. There were 4 crew stops, where runners can meet-up with their crew for such things as: change of shoes, change of clothing, refill beverages and/or water and other necessities. I was so envious with all the fun they had but I know, I am not ready for a 50-miler yet. I should push through with my plans of running the San Francisco Marathon on July 29 before proceeding to much longer races. It was a good experience, being a crew on the AR50, it gave me an idea of what to expect and how to prepare for race day. It was a long day of racing for the runners but they were all very inspiring.

When I got home I saw Carina one of the events that Carina created on Facebook letting us know that she was signed up for Run Rocklin the next day, as a taper run. I messaged her and ask if she was running. Due to an ankle injury from the AR50, she would just help in the registration. I still signed-up because my plans for Sunday fell through and I was determined to get some miles in for the week.

12K and 13.1 mile race start

There is a continuing debate on whether it is harder to run on the road or the trail and both has its merits. I prefer trail for the simple reason that I like the scenery. I think trail running is harder because of the natural obstacles like rocks, roots, elevation, water, and many more.

Rocklin is a very challenging road course because it is very hilly. I like Rocklin because the traffic is not as bad as it would be in other places, also there are a lot of pocket areas of greenery. Everything is just so well-placed and organized, considering the city was incorporated in 1893. That’s a total of 125 years!

I was in bed as soon as I got home and just fell in deep sleep. I did not realize I was tired, too! I woke up at 4:30 am, an hour earlier than I would have wanted. So, I lay in bed for an hour before getting up to prepare. I wanted to be early at the Rocklin Community Center for packet pick-up and to find good parking. I was up before the alarm on my phone came on. I was at the Johnson-Springview Regional Park parking at a little before 6:30 PM. I went to the office for the bib pick-up and while I stood in line, Carina called me over. Carina oversaw giving the bibs for the late registrants like me. I am amazed that Carina after a 50-mile run and a still swollen ankle could be able to get up out of her bed and volunteer.

With Carina and the trail adventurers we regularly run on the trail, mostly around Folsom Lake. My 1^st half-marathon was the Cool Dam(n) Run and my 2^nd half-marathon was the Sofi Golden Gate Half was a mix of road, a little bit of dirt road, and hilly. This Run Rocklin will be the 2^nd time only that I have run on the road.

I tried to keep her pace.

After getting my bib and a short chat with Carina, I went back to my car to stay warm. At 7:30 AM I began my stretch exercises. By 7:45 AM I made my way to race start. There was a kid race first and that was awesome to watch. It was amazing that there were even young kids who showed much determination to finish their race.

After the kids finished, the half-marathon and 12K runners were next to start. I took my place by the flag that says 12 minutes per mile. I have been running on the trail and have little experience on the road. From the Johnson-Springview Regional Park race start the course would run South then turn left on Sunset Boulevard and turn right on Whitney Boulevard for over a mile and the half-marathon runners turn right on Crest Drive which comes into the hilliest part of the course. I was trying to keep up with the pacer that had the 2:30 sign. I mentioned to her that if I keep her pace I will be able to beat time of my 2^nd half-marathon time of 2:47. As the road went uphill though I was beginning to lag my 2:30 pacer. The turnaround was at 4.5 mile, then it is downhill for three miles before turning left on Midas Avenue. My pacer had already turnaround, I greeted her and she said that I was still on track, because the next pacer was still behind me. The course continues to Rawhide Road and the second turnaround is before mile 9. On the turns that were clearly marked, there was a marshal and cheerers for encouragement. It helped me big time. The sun was out and beating hard that I ran out of water in my bladder pack. That is even if I was also drinking from the water / Gatorade stations. Somewhere along Rawhide Road, I approached a family cheering from their driveway and they immediately asked what I needed. I asked for water and they were quick to grab and hand me a bottle of water. I was so happy and thankful for them. I was feeling so hot and faint at that point but the bottled water helped big time. The official high temperature that morning was 68F but running 13.1 miles, it felt much warmer than that. Along Rawhide Road, I looked backed and saw the 2:45 pacer. I picked up my pace and ran as fast as I could, I kept pushing till I covered the last two miles and finished. The photographer was there I even smiled and requested a jump shot to which he obliged. Another photographer took my photo when she saw me taking a selfie with my medal.

On the way to race office, Stacy (also a crew during AR50) saw me and she had run the 5K. We both went to check our official time for the race. Yes, we both beat our previous record! YES!

9 Miles from Rattlesnake Bar to Auburn Dam Overlook

 

Carina, Hassan and the rest of my friends in Trail Running Adventures are a few weeks away from their next ultra-race AR 50 (American River) which is on April 7. It is taper time for them, which is an 8-10 mile run. Carina organized a 9-mile run last Sunday – March 25 from Rattle Snake Bar, Folsom to Auburn Dam Overlook. This was the 3^rd and last stretch of the 25-mile practice run we had last Sunday. My longest run of 17 miles happened on January 21^st, upon Carina’s recommendation I joined Dave’s Running group or that Saturday’s run from Skunk Hollow to Sophia Parkway. The latest longest run of 25 miles was a good 2 months later coming back from vacation. During my vacation in the Philippines I did not get a chance to go on a trail run. I welcomed this taper off run of 9 miles. I would go through the same section where I struggled the most during the 25-mile run. I was pushing my muscles to where I had not gone before, which is past a 17-mile mark.

But this time I am starting fresh on this 9-mile section. We estimated to finish in 2 hours but as for me, I think I would finish in 3 hours. I decided to take a slow pace this time although at the start I was at it again, trying to keep up with the front of the pack. After a couple of miles, I just got tired and ran a slower pace. Thankfully, Carina would wait on me and so did Alex. Alex took action shots which was really cool. At one point I asked Alex, how long he waited before I arrived. He replied, “Oh around 10, 15, 20 minutes”. I was so embarrassed that they he had to wait long, but he did not seem to mind and he just took off.

Since it was a short run, I was not too worried about the time, unlike the 25-mile run when I had to be conscious of the time. I stopped to take photos and enjoyed the scenery.

On the last 3 miles is the Auburn Dam trail which takes you up to the Auburn Dam Overlook. It has a rather steep incline with an elevation gain of 797 feet. Carina and I walked together and she pointed the trails that were used for the other races. I must try that Cardiac Hill trail at one point to see if it lives up to its name. From what I hear, yes it does live up to its name.

This was a nice short run with steep inclines and elevation gain to make for a good work-out. 

Back from vacation with a 25 Mile trail run

I was on vacation in the Philippines visiting my elderly parents. I stayed for 33 days, to augment my running training I enrolled in a gym, a block away from my parents’ house. I would be using the treadmill working on my pace.

When I got back from vacation on March 7, I was raring to run outdoors again. I had a full week before joining the Wednesday night Cavitt short run. We were lucky to have finished the 4.00 mile run before the rain, thunder and lightning came. Rain is fine, but thunder and lightning is another story.

I was going on a hike last Saturday – March 17, but a volunteer to sweep the 5K in the Folsom Lake South Side trail run was still needed. I volunteered because I wanted to give back to my running group organizer and friend – Carina. I changed my RSVP to the North Table Mountain Hike with the Chico Oroville Outdoor Adventurers to “No”. I figured I can still catch the wild spring flowers at some point. But as it happened, I was done with my volunteer work at 11 AM. I grabbed a quick lunch and headed for Oroville.

Carina, Hassan and others in my running group Trail Running Adventures are preparing for the American River 50-mile Endurance Run or AR50. The Folsom Lake South Side Trail Run is their 21-Mile practice run last Saturday. Then Carina planned a back to back training run for March 18 – Sunday with the route being the 2^nd half of the AR50. The route was Beale’s Point, Folsom Lake to Auburn Dam Outlook which approximately 25 miles.

I decided to join the 25-mile training run just for the heck of it and I really like the company. It would be fun as always and I get my miles on albeit admittedly my latest long run of 17 miles was more than a month ago. An additional 8 miles is a big challenge. I prepared my hydration pack, fuel/food, wipes, and clothing will be in layers. It will be a cool start and getting warmer as the day goes on. The estimated time is 6-hours and could easily be 8-hours for me a first timer for this distance. I went to bed early and tossed and turned. It wasn’t a good sleep probably just a good 3 hours.

We met at the Auburn Dam Overlook (ADO) at 6:15 am, leaving three cars. We all rode on Lavina’s van to go to Beale’s Point. After the run, we will drive Lavina from ADO to Beale’s Point. At 7 am we were all at Beale’s Point with a total of 11 runners. I like seeing the sunrise reflecting its yellow rays on the waters of Lake Folsom. It was going to be a good day with the rain holding off.

The trail is single track, through forest and open areas. It is a very beautiful hike because the foliage is just very lush and green. As a guide, keep Folsom Lake on your right. It had been raining days before so the trail was muddy and slippery in some areas. We ran into another big group of runners. I recognized some of them from my previous Fleet Feet half-marathon training group.

Since Carina and Hassan ran a 21-mile race Saturday, we were going to take today’s run slow. However, I was running fast and having a hard time keeping up with them. Not wanting to risk injury Carina just started walking it, and she felt some pain in her left knee. I walked with Carina because I needed the rest, too!

We caught up with the rest of the group up at Rattlesnake Bar and at that point both my thighs felt as hard as rock. I could no longer run downhill. Hassan said it was better to keep moving and my thoughts were the same. I am also an avid backpacker, so covering distance is not new to me. However, running the distance is new to me. At the start of my running training, I found it hard to switch from walking to running and the impact of running is hard on the muscles and the knees and every part of your anatomy used for running. I would hear Cordelia or Hassan or one of our other friends checking on my progress. I was keeping up although more slowly, my mind was getting a little foggy, I was more quiet than usual. I said hello to a lady, and she said that my friends were just at the fork waiting on me. I thanked her and moved on and saw Hassan. They were worried that I might lose my way. We took a few more photos by the raging American River happy that we were just 8 miles away, approximately 2 hours to go maybe.

I was eating my protein bars and Milky Way mini-bars but I was still feeling hunger pangs. I ran out of water and was about to run out of Gatorade. It was getting warmer, too that we had peeled off our jackets and long sleeve shirts. It was now past noon time and everyone was just eager for a meal and be home. Hassan said that I should not worry because everyone is tired. Although, I am the only one trying to complete my first 25 mile run.

 

Then finally we hit the gravel road, the last three miles to the Auburn Dam overlook. I would like to find out the elevation gain going up that road because it looked very daunting. I kept wishing they would pick me up in a car whenever they reach the parking lot. Even as I was tired, I would wave to hikers and runners who were just starting their work-out while I’m sure I was looking horrible and not happy. I started marching, in cadence muttering left-left-left-right-left.

On the last section of the road, I was already disoriented. I had gone to the street and into what I thought was the overlook, but it was a baseball or soccer field. I do not know, everything was hazy. I kept asking for directions and kept getting the wrong direction or I was just too tired to follow directions. I sent an SMS to Carina – I’m lost. She replied with Hassan’s cellphone number and Hassan was already calling and asked where I was and was told to stay put.

The car pulled in and I was so glad to see Cordelia, Hassan and Grace. Hassan was congratulating me and I did not feel celebratory at that moment. All I wanted was to go home, wait no, I wanted to eat a big meal and go home. They made sure I was okay to drive.

As I drove home, I thought – Wow, 25 miles of trail was no joke – hills, downhills, mud, water, gravel, plus the scenery it was worth it! I just pre-empted my marathon training, Coach Brian will not be happy. But I survived, my muscles are on their way to recovery. It was a great day!!!

Rain and Running!

Before the run

It had been raining all day but Carina sent a message that the practice run was on. Hassan said reminded us to dress for the occasion. I mentioned that there might be a little traffic but I will be there!

I left work about 5 minutes before 5 PM. Although there was a bit of traffic I made it still in good time. I had prepared my clothing choices and put them out the night before. I wore 4 layers; a no sleeve Nike, Uniqlo red long sleeves, a Nike orange reflectorize long-sleeves and a light weight North Face rain jacket with hood. The first three layers were tight (for warmth) and made of polyester and spandex blend to wick away moisture. My rain jacket had zippers in the under-sleeve area. While there is a need to be warm, it is also important not to perspire. Once you perspire, you will get cold and a chance of hypothermia. I was also wearing a beanie hat and a head lamp. I wore spandex running shorts and a waterproof pants. But when I got to the meeting place at Cavitt, Jeremy advised me that I’d get too warm. I took it off and left it in the car.

Dripping wet!

After the customary picture taking we were off, already dripping from the rain. Everyone just took off! I was glad that Carina was taking it easy because she did not want to get injured before the Folsom Lake Sweet Water race this Saturday. Rain dropping steadily, we tried to avoid puddles and sometimes we were successful. But after some time, we just had to be careful not to slip.

It is good to practice in the elements specially if you intend to go for longer races because you never know what to expect. Knowing how to dress up, and bringing the necessary gadgets like a head lamp and/or flashlight, water and food is important. At practice, you also learn tips from other runners who have run it before. The body is conditioned, the mind better prepared, your spirit, too! As your body gets stronger, your confidence develops, too! Pushing yourself a little each time.

It was cold, it was dark, the rain did not stop, but we were all smiling! The exhilarating feeling of being able to do things you won’t normally do and having fun in the process. You can do this!

Why do we do this?

My longest run ever, 17 miles! Skunk Hollow to Sophia Parkway

6:30 AM and 33F

I was visiting my son on Sunday, so I looked for a run for Saturday. Carina, my mentor/training lead encouraged me to sign-up for the Saturday group that she runs with – The Running Group in Folsom lead by Dave. Thankfully, Dave agreed to let me join after asking a few important questions. Like – how long I have been running and what is my longest distance and when was this. I ran with Carina the past two Sundays for a 13-miler.

At Skunk Hollow before the run.

Dave is training runners for ultra-marathons…. hmmmm! What am I getting myself into? The run is 18-miles. Meeting time 6:30 AM at Sophia Parkway, 15 miles from where I live. It’s 33F, I am wearing 4-layers of clothing. It’s amazing what they have now for sports clothing, it is super light and warm plus a beanie, 2 layers of socks, a short on inside and a long one that reaches my knees. I feel more comfortable wearing shorts, I make up for it by wearing knee-high socks to keep warm. I cut-up my protein/granola bars in pieces as was suggested by another runner.

At that start I tried to keep up with Carina, who was in the lead. But still her slowest pace, is not even my fastest. My feet, thighs, and hands were damn cold. My thighs felt they weigh a ton because they were frozen. I think it took a good 4 miles when they finally began to thaw, but not all the way, it was cold all the way till mile 16. Trail runs are harder because of change of elevation, it is up and down and up and down. But since it is in soft ground, a bit kinder on the knees. At a creek crossing, I tried not to get wet, but fell hard anyway, sigh! It felt even more cold.

At mile 6, I started to slow down and could not keep up with Carina and the two guys. Just a few feet behind me were other female runners. Suddenly, as I intended to slow down, my legs pushed me forward, I thought, what? I better ask Carina about that. It was weird.

As the female runners behind me caught up, they asked how I was, I said I was just struggling (like always). I ran behind Annalisa, Claudia and Hiromi. I was told we were on mile 10, that’s when I realized I had not been enough fuel to my run. By cutting up the granola/protein bar, I was only eating a few pieces when I should have been eating a bar every hour which is 150 calories per hour.

Sunrise

At mile 12, we ran into Grace and her friend they were doing a 12-mile Out-and-back (OAB) from Sofia Parkway. We took a photo by the little creek lined up on top of a little wood plank. Then off everyone went. I decided I would just take it slowly, because my leg and thigh muscles were sore. Then I hear Grace and Claudia calling. I tried to run faster. I do a lot of self-talk, telling myself, "Go on, Eve! One foot after the other". My nose was very runny, I had hunger pangs, my muscles were sore. But I kept moving forward.

Claudia is just a few years older than me and she has run three (3) 50-mile races, that’s so impressive. And here I am struggling through to make it 18. Claudia hang back with me for the next 5 miles. Encouraging me, saying I could do it. Pulling me saying, we run down, walk the uphill and pony trot the flat areas. If it were not for Claudia, if I had been left alone I would have totally slowed down and reach Sophia Parkway an hour later or even more. I am so appreciative of Claudia.

At home, I got a message from Carina, congratulating me for finishing my longest run ever. She also reminded me to ice my tired muscles. We also exchanged photos. Thank you Carina for inviting today!

What a great day! On to the next!!!!!

Mile 16 and I still managed a smile.

Repeat of the Salmon Falls Training Run - 1st Section of the Course; 13 miles

Past midnight, and I still could not sleep. Not even half a glass of wine could make me sleep. Then my cellphone alarm goes off, what? 5:30 AM so soon? I dragged myself out of bed. Made a cup of coffee. Breakfast of multi-grain bread with figs and goat cheese. I also added cream cheese and smoked salmon.

I checked the temperature outside and it is 47F. I wore 4 layers of clothing, the last being a fleece jacket. Clothing should be light, warm and quick dry. Making sure that when I sweat my clothing material wicks the sweat away from me and dries easily. Because when perspiration soaks cotton, it will set one up for hypothermia. So never wear cotton or cotton blends. There are many types of quick dry clothing now to choose from and are no longer expensive.

We are repeating last week running trail which is the Magnolia Ranch to Skunk Hollow. There was more fog today, hanging low amidst the hills. It made for chillier weather because it also covered the sun. After last week’s run here, I felt stronger this time. What I like about this group is that we do take time to admire the scenery and take pictures. But by the 9^th mile, I was feeling tiredness and wishing we would reach Skunk Hollow soon.

I was wearing my Explorer vest filled with 1.5 liters of water and Think thin peanut bars. I was also carrying a 0.25 liter of water which I had added a splash of electrolyte concentrate with berry flavor. As I took a swig, I realized my mouth was dry because I breath through my mouth (wrong!) and caught the sweetness on my windpipe and I gagged. I started heaving and felt I was having an asthma attack, but I do not have asthma. I talked to myself to keep calm, breath in through my nose slowly and let it out through my mouth. Another runner took a glance at me and offered water. I declined saying I did have water in my vest. He was very worried, and kept glancing back to see if I was alright. I took it easy, with an easy pace, until I recovered.

The trail was going up again, and I was just over it. I had fallen back from the lead pack and I do not know how far behind the next runner was. I heard some noise behind me and the lady runner asked if this was the right route. I replied yes, since I remembered it from last week. A few more turns and uphill run, I ran into hikers. I asked if they had seen a group of runners, and they did! Nice, at least I know I am in the right track.

Then I reached the tree line, another turn and I see the American River, and the parking lot of Skunk Hollow. It was still less than a mile to get there. But I was happy to be reaching the end of the trail.

It was a good run, great weather, wonderful group as usual. Till the next run!

Salmon Falls Training Run - 1st Section of the Course; 13 miles

Coloma River Races and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation organized the Salmon Falls Run which is a 50-K run. To be held on February 24, 2018. According to the website, The Salmon Falls 50K is a point to point ultra-distance trail race. The race begins at the Magnolia Ranch Trail Head near Coloma. The course will run the majority of the trails in the Cronan Ranch area before winding down to Folsom Point State Park at Folsom Lake. 

It was cold!

Many of the runners in my running group Folsom Trail Runners are participating in the race. Carina one of the leaders of the group (the other is Hassan), organized a training run that covered 13miles which is the 1^st section of the course. This is the trail from Magnolia Ranch to Skunk Hollow. The meeting time at Skunk Hollow is at 7:30 am. It is 21miles from where I live and a 35-minute drive passing by Folsom and the final 6 miles at Salmon Falls Road. I had a Poppy pass that I could park at Skunk Hollow and hitched a ride with Hassan and Cindy to Magnolia Ranch.Much later we were at the forest area. It is surprising to see the moisture on the forest side as evidence by the moss on the trees and the rocks. I got many running tips from Sheng, Cindy and Cordelia as they are veterans of many races.

At Magnolia Ranch it was cool 37F. Like many others I had a beanie hat, long sleeve shirt, light wooly jacket, a running skirt (what?) and long socks. There was mist and it made the scenery so pretty. I planned to take it easy just do build the miles. I was glad that Cindy, Sheng, and Cordelia had the same plan. Cindy and Sheng can run fast so I was glad they were happy to wait on Cindy and I. The trail were rolling hills, the rain had made the grass greener. The scenery reminded me so much of the Lake District where I went in 1986. It is in the Lake District that I had my first hike, together with friends from Emmanuel College. I was freezing at 28F and we stayed the night at a cottage with only a fireplace that we had to put out the fire at night. Anyway, back to the present.

Rolling hills for a great work-out.

 Mist was in between the hills as well, and it was chilly all the way. I took off my jacket and had to put it back. The conversations were great, and the pace was indeed slow and some time we would pick up the pace and start running. But it was so hilly on the uphill we would slow down and hike. It is rare that you could know the course prior a run, though it is better to get know what to expect and be able to prepare for it. This trail would be blistering hot in the summer. ¾ of the way we were in the open.

I was feeling good during the run, keeping with the pace and stopping many times to take pictures. There were several parts of the trail that were really challenging inclines. But the mist and the greenery and the scenery definitely helped take away the tiredness. I do well running downhill but I try not to create too much impact as it is bound to destroy my knees. It is better to run smart and have a longer running life, I would say.

Magnolia Ranch Trailhead.

When I trained for the Cool (Damn) Half-Marathon I trained on the trail as well. So when I ran the Sofi San Francisco half, I felt good and got a PR (personal record). That is why I prefer to run on the trail more. By April though, Carina said we will start incorporating road training runs.

My other concern is I have only one pair of running shoes. I think with one pair only, it will not last till July 29^th, the date of the San Francisco Marathon. I should buy another pair and alternate using them, that way I am used to using either one. Next schedule is the Wednesday Cavitt 4-mile night run. The, we will be repeating another 13-miler next Sunday. Woohoo!!!