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Montara Mountain Marathon: Getting The Hay In The Barn.

Advantage: I know this course backward and forward.

Disadvantage: Something's up with my knee, and something's up like I'm getting sick plus my head's not in the game because I'm worried about the first two things.

The few days prior to taking off for Pacifica, my plan was to just pretend everything was fine.  Even when we got there and my throat felt crummy, and I had no idea if my knee would hold up for one loop let alone 4...
Everything is so totally fine. 
I thought, I'll wake up and get ready and feel fine...I'll get to the park and warm up and feel fine...I'll start the race and feel fine. I woke up, and my throat still felt crummy. I warmed up, and my knee hurt. I started the race, and I wasn't sure how far I could make it.

GeNene had said to me, in my pre race pep talk, "You know your body, and if your knee is hurting or you're not feeling good, you know when to stop." I smiled. I nodded. She gets me, I thought.

She paused and then added, "BUT DON'T GIVE UP."

Soooo....looks like giving up is not an option 
The Marathon course goes like this...run a little over three miles up to the North Peak of Montara Mountain (just under 2,000 ft)(grab a rubber band to prove you were there) (freaking best views you could ever imagine) then run back down. Head out on the Hazelnut loop on a one mile annoying climb then run back down. Then have fun on one more kick in the pants two-ish mile climb with mind numbing switchbacks. Then run back down to the start/finish.

Repeat. All of that.

On the first trip up the mountain I wasn't feeling it. My body was beat barely a mile in. I followed the others up the dark tree covered single track before the trail opened up to the sunshine and the amazing views.

After finally reaching North Peak, I looked around at the other people I'd been running with who were standing on top of a mountain with me. Everyone was smiling, taking pictures, pointing at Mount Diablo or San Francisco off in the distance. Everyone around me was filled with joy. Time to stop thinking and just run. Quit feeling pitiful and just get the miles done.
.            


So I got the miles done. It kind of just happened. Everything felt so off that day, but it made more sense when, by the next night, I was completely knocked out with a cold.
I got third in my age group don't ask me how. 
I spent most of the following week on the couch getting caught up on The Walking Dead. I also felt like The Walking Dead when I dragged myself to a meeting on Wednesday. It wasn't until the next weekend that I started to panic because, well...it's a week until Way Too Cool and I'm couging my guts out with sinus pressure like my face is going to explode. I asked friend-from-Twitter-Meg (@shatterday) for some guidance, and she delivered. That night I started on an Elderflower syrup regimine. I steamed with Eucalyptus oil. I ate spoonfuls of organic raw honey with lemon and cayenne, and I drank a tea of crushed anise seed and garlic (that stuff is no joke). GeNene made me a kick ass miso soup the next day with shiitake mushroom.

Here I sit on Thursday night, 36 hours before a 50k, feeling 100% back in action.

Stay tuned for tales from Cool.












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Comments

  1. notthatlucasMarch 12, 2014 at 8:29 PM

    WOW! That's a tough course when everything is going well - I can't imagine how you held in there and got it done; very impressive!

    (And I can't believe I never saw you at WTC. A failure on my part!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LiaMarch 13, 2014 at 4:33 PM

      Thanks! And I saw you at the start! I was over on the other side of the road when the herd passed, though.

      Delete

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