Sycamore Canyon 30k + 13.1 "warmup"

4/3 - I ran about 7.86 miles for OperationJack in 1:07:56 about 8:38 pace. Then ran another 5.24 miles with James to make it a half marathon. Kind of stupid of me to ramp up the mileage with so many ailing body parts. But I needed to get the body used to running higher mileage on back to back days so I'll be ready for the Country Music Marathon followed by the La Jolla Half Marathon.

Sam and his son Jack

Sam finishing marathon 16 out of 60 this year

Niggle list: just below the knee, the left tibia feels "bruised" especially when running downhill. The right hip loses strength when it nears 10 miles. The right ankle feels weak. The lower back sometimes goes out.

4/4 - I ran/hiked the Sycamore Canyon 30k in about 5:09:40.

One of the reasons why it's so hard to keep me away from the races is meeting up with friends and making new ones.

Pink Loop part 1
I did most of the running on this leg. Last year I was able to run fairly well up to the fire road, but this year I was feeling extremely fatigued. Less than 30 minutes in, my legs felt trashed. While running down to the aid station, I latched onto about a 6 person train. The downhill section was nice, but there was definitely a discomfort building up in the left leg.
9.1k - 1:02:30
La Jolla Canyon aid station - 2:33

Orange Loop
I love this section of the course. But this year, it was a long long struggle. I had to shutdown any sustained running during somewhere in the grasslands. I came to a standstill and decided to hike it in. But I was not prepared for a long hike. Thank goodness for kind runners behind me to give me some of their fuel/salt. I tried to jog here and there. But it was more of a fast limp. During the steep downhill rocky portion of the La Jolla Canyon trail I had to sit down a few times on a boulder because I was getting really dizzy and nauseated. While sitting, I contemplated dropping out at the aid station. I eventually hiked down, made a quick stop at the restroom, and finally reached the aid station. But being the hard headed person that I am, I filled up my bottle, grabbed a few salt tabs, a gel, and a banana... and back out I go.
12.2k - 2:14:52

Pink Loop part 2
I hiked behind 2 hikers and a dog. They made nice pacers. Eventually I passed them and tried to jog again. But that didn't last too long. Along with the other pains, the legs would start cramping again. Even walking/limping down the downhill sections was a chore. It took so friggin long, I ran out of food and fluids. One guy going back out to finish his 50k made me take one of his gels even though I refused. Then my friend Jean, who was also doing the 50k, made me take some of her water even though I refused as well. Runners are such nice people. Then as Daniel, a 50k runner was about to pass me, he gave me a salt tab. It was so close to the finish and I felt so defeated having to limp/hike my way in.
9.2k - 1:49:43

Breaking Point
I think there's something sick and rewarding about discovering one's limit. Suffering through this race really did allow me to appreciate those that walk endurance events. Mentally, this race took me to the limit. When I got tired from running, I walked. When I got tired from walking, I had to sit or just stand there. It was an ego-busting defeat out there. This ranked up there with my 7:30+ hour marathon. You have to finish what you've started, right? :)

Anyways I shouldn't have signed up for this race, especially the 30k. 18k would've been more than enough. But this race made me reconsider my future races. I've been pushing my return from Achilles injury too soon. The endurance is incredibly lacking and I'm trying to resume where I've left off.