Pacifica 30K

Saturday, June 30th I had the opportunity to return to Pacifica to try my hand at the 30k distance. The January Pacifica 50k was my first trail raced, and I was excited to see how much I had improved since that first race.

Charging up hill, 2000ft to go!

The day started with meeting my friend Tom, who having recently moved from Wisconsin was running in his first trail race. We arrived at the race early (a first for me), and had time to get our bibs and warm up before the race. Unfortunately nature called, and I was in the bathroom when th race started. Tom yelled that the race had started, and I rushed out of the bathroom to see the runners charging up the mountain. Tom and I quickly jumped into the line and charged up our first hill. We soon found our rhythm and we had a nice climb up the mountain. At the top of the mountain we turned around and descended back down the mountain. I fell into a quick downhill stride following a group of runners, when I realized I hadn't seen a ribbon for about 10 minutes. I asked a group of mountain bikers climbing up the hill if they had seen any other runners, or ribbons they hadn't. I had to laugh at fortune, as I had taken a wrong turn on a course that I had previously raced. Tom and I had a good chuckle and then hiked back up the steep fireroad, to our missed turnoff (about 3 miles added to our run!). After reaching the turnoff we had a quick technical downhill run to the first aid station.

Which Direction?

The race went much smoother after the first misdirection issue. The course climbs two hills, and then returns to the start/ finish line. Tom and I power hiked the uphills, and ran the downhills. The temperature remained cool, and it was nice reconnecting with the beautiful coastal terrain. The final lap was a reversal of the previous 6 mile loop. The Final loop I cranked up the ipod, and ran the entire loop, finishing in 3:32, the same number as my bib number.

Overall, I felt good with my ability to turn up the speed at the end of the race to finish strongly. I realized though that I feel as sore running the 30k distance as the 50k distance. I don't know why, but the hurt is about the same.

Tom and I at the finish line