Skyline to the Sea – Ultra Marathon Mitch

Yesterday, I completed – but not without mishaps – my first Ultra Marathon, the 50km Skyline to the Sea race from Saratoga to (near) the Pacific Ocean (Waddel Beach).  This race was not without moments of pain, agony and doubts but also a number of purely magical running moments and great stories to boot (how often do you get someone to tell you they love you and make a marriage proposal after you first meet? – that story later).

The race had a pretty late start at 9am, and Kim and I got a ride from her boyfriend Doug to the start line around 745am.  The ride was through the redwoods and as normal, one could feel the tension, stress and anticipation in the ride over.  Both of us were nursing injuries and were our first ultras, and were of course worried about finishing (and not finishing last )

At the beginning they asked how many of the runners (210 total) were first-time Ultras – and there were 96 of us who all kind of screamed out and held our hands up high when this was asked.  It was somewhat comforting to know that it was not a bunch of elites.

We started out on a narrow one-person trail and tried to keep the speed down when the adrenaline is up.  I had put together (as it turns out, a highly optimistic time matrix) that had us getting to the first aid station at 10k (6.2m) in about 57 minutes, around a 9m/mile pace.  We did great to get to the station (which was really at 7m) in around 1:03 which was spot on pace.

However, I had my first (mis)adventure at about the 2 mile mark.  I was running and happy and I suddenly felt a sting in the back of my right knee.  Instantly there was big welt rising and swelling and itching and I knew I had been stung by something, I just didn’t know what that was (yet) – but we’d all find out pretty soon.

As the race continued, the scenery was simply amazing. Running on trails with massive, old-growth redwoods, ferns, oaks and forests all around, it was hard to keep your eyes on your feet.  (Which helped me to trip any number of times and doing everything I could not to break or sprain an ankle).

Suddenly the people ahead of us starting jumping and making all kinds of manipulations that we could not figure what in the hell was going on.  We found out when we were each stung a number of times from what turned out to be yellow-jacket wasps.  This second time I was stung on the head a couple of times and inside (through) my shirt on my chest and on my butt.  Later, a guy ahead of us stopped the group and pointed to a swarming mass of the evil wasps and we all ran as a group through them as fast as we could.

Later I was stung a third and fourth time and ended up with at least a dozen stings all over.  One time, after they had stung my butt again, Kim pointed out that there were still wasps all over, so I’m running and patting (spanking) my ass, which must have looked funny to anyone watching, LOL, but I got them off.  The ones on my head really hurt and rose a couple of lumps that itched like hell and made my head hurt in a different way than a headache!  Kim got stung a number of times also …

Even though I was really worried about my IT-band injury on my left leg, I did not feel a thing at the beginning or throughout the race.  It might have been because I backed off my mileage and just took care of it.

So we continued running and I early on I felt the onset of hurtful blisters on left foot.  At one of the aid stations I put on a fresh blister pad and some calamine lotion (see picture), the pad I think eventually making it worse.  But I didn’t really have a choice but to run on.

The aid stations were 7-10km apart and they were well stocked with bananas, sweets, potatoes, chips, chocolate, water, gatorade and tons of snacks.   I ate and drank often and carried lots of liquids in my Camelbak.

We very quickly got off course with regards to the optimistic times I had set out and decided to abandon the goals as set and make sure I (we) got to the finish.  Kim and I had decided to try to run together (me for the first time with someone and her also).  I was not a very good leader when in front, I (in my opinion) either went too fast or too slow, so she led most of the way.  Kim was so strong going up hills (sometimes I pushed) and fast on the downhills and stayed within 50 feet of each other for a very long time, until …

The second to the last aid station was around the 19 mile mark and after fueling and eating, we set off again for the last 12 miles.  For a while, we were just boogin’.  At the 22m mark, I almost said (but did not say) that we should not let anyone else pass us the rest of the race, we were just so strong running, each with our headphones on, and just powering through the course.  Little talking except for a thumbs up or see if the other was ok.  I had cramped up at around 18m but got up and kept going.  Kim gave me a couple of salt tablets and I drank and that seemed to help for awhile, until …

At just around 24.5 miles, I had passed a man and his son who were hiking along the trail.  I waved a small hello and around 100 yards later, the cramp came back so bad in my right calf that I went down the ground in a crumple and screamed out in pain.  I stayed there for a few moments until the man and his boy came by and asked if I was ok, and also offered me an apple they were carrying, which I took and hungrily ate.

By then, Kim had turned the corner up ahead and I never saw here until after the finish.  It was just as well, that she went on as it turned out.

Now came the hardest part, mentally and physically.  I knew I had more than 5 miles until the next and final aid station and all kinds of worries came to my head about finishing after coming so far.  I limped along and kind of ran-walk until I felt more confident in my stride.  When my GPS said 26.2m, I knew I was in UTC (un-charted territory).  My next goal was just to get to the final stop at 46.6km/29m mark.

I just kept going and it was pretty lonely, except for a few runners passing me, which I didn’t care at all about.  I tried to think about positive thoughts instead of dwelling on my feet where every blister-step was agony, or my cramp or the massive itching and swelling from the stings.

When I got to the final aid station, I got a marriage proposal   A lady coming up asked how far we were and when I told her, she said “I love you” and “Will you marry me?”.  I asked where she was from and she said “the Florida Keys” – so we agreed to have a long distance marriage

The last two miles were fun and I knew I would make it!  Suddenly, I come around a corner and see the finish line cones and it all came so quickly!  I crossed the line to some cheers of people who were waiting.

I got my finisher shirt and coaster and exchanged some hugs and handshakes with Kim and Doug.  I had crossed in what I thought was a slow time of 6:20 (12min/miles).  But I finished 7th in my age group and in the top 45% of starters.  I had some chili (I know it sounds disgusting, but it was good) and we waited for Scott and Dave Ashe to come in.  They finished in around 6:45 and we hung around a little while before walking to the car parked on the beach.  Kim finished in around 6:07 and high in her gender/age group.

In the car, they had stashed a cold bottle of champagne, to which we all had a glass or two and soaked up the feeling of being UltraMarathoners!

Later that night, after a fantastic shower washing off dirt, grit, lotion and looking at all the bug bites and blisters, the three of us had a huge dinner at La Fondue in Saratoga.  We must have consumed more calories than we burned (ok maybe not 4500, but close!).

A few other notes: I had tons of new music on my iPod which worked well – until – I got calamine lotion, bits of wet paper and stuff inside the headphone jack and I could only hear out of one ear   After licking the earphone plug and inserting a number of times (must have looked funny!), it started working again! Before the race started, I had a song in my head for some unknown reason, “Dancing with Myself” from the sneering Billy Idol.  Since I had the iPod on random shuffle, the song did not come up until the final 1/2 mile and it was a fitting conclusion to the race.

Also, Doug must get a boyfriend-of-the-year nomination.  Not only did he put up with seemingly non-stop talk about running and injuries, but Doug is a genuinely nice, humble guy and really took care of us.  He also drove to every aid station and brought Kim and us whatever we needed.  He never complained and was just johnny-on-the-spot including driving and shuttling us all.  Kudos to Doug!

All in all, it was an amazingly beautiful, breathtaking course and race, with fallen redwoods crossing the trail that we had to run under, over streams crossed with a variety of bridges and runners who were strangers stopping to help other fallen runners (me) and a sense of comradeship and satisfaction that is difficult to describe one day later.  I drove back today so just completey happy and fulfilled, thinking about what could be accomplished next.  For now, its back to training tomorrow and back to work!