10. Still young.
That looked rather silly from a race strategy especially after racing 200 ultras but I really enjoyed running the first loop like a kid, all in and without thinking too much of what would come after. Moreover, when the adductors started complaining 15 miles in, I thought that was over but I was able to slow down and keep them under control the whole way. I'm glad to still be a kid with some experience, and reason then! ;-) Ok, before my meniscus injury last year, I though I was invincible and will stay young for ever, I mean physically, so I now know this won't work out this way. Thankfully, you have the option to stay young in your head and mind at least!
9. California weather.
As the saying goes, you can't beat the California weather and this is surely something I'll miss if and when we move back to France. The dry air, the cooling nights after hot days, the blue sky most of the time. Well, the irony is that this is true most of the time, Broken Arrow 46K had to be cancelled mid-race because of a snow storm and lighting in altitude, at Palissades Tahoe. On the summer solstice! And one week before Wester States which starts there.
8. An angel got his deserved wings!
As you read in my race report, I was running without a crew, what we call screewed, but William Dai helped at mile 50, then midnight and even more meaningful, to pack when I finished at 3 am. I had a simple setup, just one folding chair and a few bags but, still, that was a big help when I was quite toast otherwise. At that time, William was 4th on the wait list for Western States 100 (from his original 53rd position after the December lottery). I so much wished William made it! And, bingo, on Friday, he was invited, and accepted! First edition for William, at 55, so much deserved!
7. That podium.
Granted, as I disclosed and admitted, the competition wasn't at Cool Moon, but at Broken Arrow for instance this weekend, or Western States of course next week. But, still, getting on a podium at 61 is really cool so I'll take it while it lasts. Besides, it was still somehow a beat to tame. As a bonus, glad to grab an UltraSignup trophy too, number 95 out of the 214 races they have for me, quite a solid ratio. As a matter of fact, that 2nd place still shows as 2 trophies after a week, hence the count of 96 until the duplication is fixed/removed.
6. No cramping.
I talked about the adductors, but it could have been the glutes, then quads in the long or technical downhills, the calves. Granted, I walked much more than I wanted, or even like (I actually hate walking when racing...), but still put on some serious effort. And, no, no cramping at all. Actually, the only cramping of the weekend came later while I was driving and my hands cramped on the wheel, yikes! All these hours carrying two bottles: so old school, but so much easier to sip water more frequently while running. I still feel I'm missing on the glutes I lost during the 7-month break last year, post meniscus tear, but it's going in the right direction at least.
5. Left knee behaving.
Speaking of meniscus, it's not going to grow back so I have to live with a fissured one and the fear that another tear happens at any time. Hence my pre-race post on Facebook that was I was already grateful to toe the line. As I write this a week after the race, I've been feeling my knee all week so, like Steve Jaber reminded me recently, it's hard to know which damage we can create later while keeping training. Something I think about every day now. Something which refrains me from logging as many miles per week as before (I'm at 48, I used to cruise at 62 miles a week for more than 8 years). At least the left knee didn't complain during the race, barely a whisper around mile 20 as I recall.
4. Nothing broken.
Still feeling really lucky I didn't break anything when falling flat on my face at mile 30. The right knee, which was the healthy one, has bothered me all week mostly because of the wound which is still not closed a week later, but also internally, but I don't think this is too serious. I could have broken a finger though like I did while first running with poles in the Alps, or an arm or a shoulder like I did in 2012 on the Tahoe Rim Trail. Nope nothing. I even twisted my ankle 3 times during the race, feeling lucky it is still flexible enough not to break!
3. Test passed.
That was a huge test after last year's hiccup, one milestone I could barely dream of as I was resuming so painfully last September. Per my report card post, looked like the finals. Hence the primary goal of just finishing, no mater what, no matter how slowly, no matter the necessary walking. But then all the preparation worked out and I was able to ace it, almost. As we say, success is 95% preparation and 5% luck. In other words, it helps to be prepared in order to meet luck. Sub 24 was the icing on the cake! I actually had to check my log to check some stats: that was my 21st 100-miler but out of these, 7 DNFs (out of 17 DNFs in 202 ultra races so the 100-mile format isn't my sweet spot, by far...). Now, out of 14 finishes, Cool Moon at 22:08 was my slowest one (14:47 being my PR at Jackpot in 2019, 2 weeks before I turned 55!).
2. These volunteers.
Really, we couldn't play on the trails for so many hours if it wasn't for the dozens of volunteers at every race. Feeling so lucky and grateful to be part of such community, and to get its support. I've been on the flip side quite a few times but, racing so much, I'm still on the debt side. By a lot. At Cool Moon, we pass through aid stations 40 times so, at 3 minutes each, it's easy to spend 2 hours getting volunteer's love... Especially when you feel down. Such a dilemma. But, in any event, what a treasure to have this supporting structure when racing!
1. The bears.
I've raced and trained a lot on trails, tens of thousands of miles and hundreds of hours, but it was the first time I saw a bear in the wild. Then got close to a mom and her cubs. A week later, this is still a key highlight of not only my run but my decades of trail running. And I still feel a chill thinking about it as it could have turned awry. When seeing the logo a few months ago, I didn't realize that was so much bear territory, so close to two urban areas, the small Cool village, and Auburn on the other side of the canyon. And I've yet to see a mountain lion but I'm not sure I really want...
There you are with my Saturday night musings. I know I don't have an infinite number of miles in me, or at least my knees now, but it feels so good to get back at it for more. While it lasts...
1 comment:
Well done, congrats and thanks for the updates!!
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