Muir Woods 50k - Pacific Trail Runs
 After a fitful night's sleep I'm finally rolling out of bed. It's 5:30am. The sound of a steady rain hitting the window greets me as it has each time I woke during the night. I'm running the Muir Woods 50k trail run today. I fear it's going to be a cold, wet day. The event starts at Muir Beach, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, and winds its way up and down the rolling, costal hills of the
Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
After a short, 30 minute drive in the dark with a light rain falling, I arrive at the start/finish point around 7am. Dawn is just breaking. The weatherman predicted a 70% chance of showers but they're supposed to be early and late in the day. As the sun rises the clouds thin and the rain stops. I watch through the rain drops on the windshield of the rental car as the registration tent goes up and is stocked with registration forms, maps, and bib numbers.
It's about 45 degrees and the parking lot is beginning to fill with cars and people milling about nervously. The course consists of three loops: 10k, 20k, and 30k. There are four planned events: 10, 20, 30, and 50k. The 50k participants, myself included, will complete the 30k and 20k loops. This is my first attempt at both an organized trail run and a distance longer than a marathon. I love to run trails near my home in Phoenix, AZ and prefer them to the road.  I'm excited, worried about the weather, my lack of training, and I'm cold.
As start time approaches I shed my extra clothes, strap on my water pack, stuff a few more sports gels into its pocket and climb out of the car. It's supposed to warm to the mid 50's during the day so I choose to run in shorts and two long sleeved running shirts. I'm also wearing my miracle-fabric hat which has kept me warm even when it's soaking wet. I don't know what it's made of but it works. I expect to be cold at the start but should warm up on the first big hill.
After some brief course instructions about how the turns are marked and the colors for each loop, we're off. A pack of about 150. 10, 20, 30, and 50k runners all starting at the same time, up the same long muddy hill. As I suspected, it doesn't take long to get warmed up. It also doesn't take long to realize I'm going to have to walk up the hills if I expect to complete the 50k distance.
Due to the heavy rains in the days preceding the run the course had to be re-set on Thursday. It wasn't just altered. It was changed completely. A remarkable job was done by the event staff to get everything rearranged, remarked and new maps printed. With the change of course came additional altitude changes. Originally, the 50k would have had a total altitude change of around 5,300 feet. Now we're looking at around 8,100.
 Being one to see the ½ full glass as something to make Kool-aid with, I was looking forward to the views of the ocean and the city we'd surely get from the bluffs. I wasn't disappointed. After one especially long climb up a gravel fire road I was greeted with a view of the Pacific crashing against the rocky shore down to my right. Straight ahead and between two rolling hills, the Golden Gate was gleaming through the fog. A bit more to my left the San Francisco Skyline was lit by sunlight in the distance. Memories of the climb disappeared as I took in the view and stopped to take a few pictures.
The course was in remarkable shape after having more than six inches of rain dumped on it in the past week. There were, obviously, lots of puddles, running water, and mud but for the most part the footing was acceptable and I managed to keep my socks almost completely dry for the first 15 kilometers. On a long downhill, apparently one that followed a pre-historic river bed, the dry sock feeling ended abruptly. Dry, light feet turned into heavy, plodding sponges. At least by the time it happened the temperature had climbed into the 50's and the water wasn't glacial run-off. If you've never run in mud with wet shoes you can't appreciate the sound made by a pack of runners but it is quite distinctive and made me chuckle often during the day.
After the foot bath I stopped at the next aid station to wring out my socks and remove a few stones from my shoes. The aid stations were stocked with cookies, pretzels, baked potatoes and candy. Sure there were sports gels and bars too but who wants them when you've got chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies.
Back on the trail I was facing another long climb, looking forward to more views and down-hills. That was pretty much the theme for the course: up, down, drink, eat, up, down, drink, eat. To give you an idea of the steepness of some of the climbs, they were complete with wooden-timber stairs and steel-cable hand rails.
After the last aid station, with four miles left in the 30k (I know I'm mixing measuring units but that's how the map reads), I was faced with what turned out to be the worst hill of the day; long, steep, muddy, and, in the end, the last hill I would climb today. It wasn't so much the up-hill that hurt me but the downhill before the last water stop. I didn't realize it until I struggled to the top of the last big hill but my right IT band was about to cause me a great deal of discomfort. It has given me problems in the past, but not lately and not even a twinge in the two marathons I've run this year. I didn't expect it today.
I'm at the top of the hill now with two miles left to complete the 30k loop. At this point I'm still planning to run another 20k when I get back to the start/finish line. About four steps down a rather gentle hill my right knee feels like someone has just stuck an ice pick into it. A few more running steps turn into walking then limping ones. I walk it off a bit, try to run again and am greeted with the same pain. Still now wanting to believe I wasn't going to reach my 50k goal today I walk a bit more and run a few more steps. Things aren't getting any better but I came to run and I'm going to finish at least the 30k running, not hobbling.
When I reach the start/finish line, where I'm supposed to refuel and start the 20k loop, I'm done. After two miles of running on the now tight as a guitar string IT band I can't, without risking a real injury, run another 20k. I'm disappointed but I'll live to fight another day. My stats: 30k (28k officially) at 3:57:50. For official race info and results you can visit the official web site:
Pacifictrailruns.com/Muir Woods.
If you're looking for a trail run look for one put on by Pacific Trail Runs, you won't be disappointed. The course was extremely well planned and marked. Aid stations were well placed and very well stocked. I'll definitely be back for this event next time, determined to conquer the 50k course.
Pictures I took along the way
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