The G Running Diary

One Fine Day: Purisima 50K Continued: 2/11/03

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The long climb from down in Purisima back up to cross Skyline was when I was really having a bad time. The continuous hill just drained me and I was so slow. But at the top everything changed. Don backtracked a little and was a bit more talkative. The volunteer stopping traffic at the road crossing was all smiles, and that is contagious. The aid station was just after the road, and Don asked for Ibuprofen for me, since I had said that everything hurt. Then we went gradually downhill toward the finish. The only trouble was that I knew when we got to the finish, we still had an extra loop to go out and do. I could hear Bob and Tom catching up to us. These guys had such a great attitude, I think they had fun the whole way. Tom was the first-time trail racer, who ended up doing his first 50K. After a little confusion, we made it back. And while I probably looked sullen on my way in, going out I knew I was almost done. Before we left, I asked Sarah to save some chili for us.

We ran along with Diane, who mentioned that she hoped her friend would wait for her, since they were running 50 miles that day. I knew who her friend was--earlier, I had talked with Linda who liked carrying on a conversation and had made an uphill section easier for me by doing so. I'm amazed by how much I can remember about people just from talking and listening. Since we were moving slower now, things were easier. Part of me wanted to finish the last loop fast but it was nice to just take it easy. We were on our way back when Linda found us. Even after running over 40 miles, they were happy and talkative. I was sure I would see than again soon at another race. So then all that was left was to finish the run and for Don to finish his pictures. From a little way out I could smell the chili. I was glad when we finished and could hang out with the small group that was left. Not only did I get chili, but Sarah had made sure to supply Sprite for me. Sarah and Wendell (with the help of volunteers) had to clean up pretty quickly to be out of the park by 5:00. We were starting to get cold, so we said our goodbyes and left. With smiles.

Post-race food note: we had Chinese food and it tasted really good. We had been out on the trails for 7 and 1/2 hours, so my appetite would be good for another couple of days. I was hoping the pain in my leg wouldn't last that long.