The G Running Diary

Another Pleasant Valley (More WTC 50K): 3/17/03

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I like being warm when I run. Even though the day was nice enough for some people to run in short sleeves, or even jog bras only, I waited a while before I took off my long sleeve top. It's a Patagonia capilene top. Warm enough, but very lightweight. Don keeps a lot of clothes on when he runs too. We ran most of the race with Steve. As we traded positions in our single file on the trail, we had different conversations. When Steve stopped for bathroom breaks, we thought we might lose him, but he always caught up. That was good because I liked talking with him, or hearing him talk with Don. We joked about ultrarunner product ideas, like Steve's Tickle me Elmo powder refill container.

Even the rocky parts of the trail were still easy. There were a few uphills that were hard, but like true mid-pack ultrarunners, we were just happy for a chance to walk. On one of the uphills we saw nice horse people off to the side who showed their appreciation for our efforts. It must be a great trail for horses. So much of it was shaded that even though the day was warming up, we stayed cool. For a little while we had Dan Marinsik in our group. He was running along just behind Don. I could hear Don giving him all kinds of advice and stories about Badwater and other races. Mostly Badwater though. If someone is signed up for that, it's the big thing on their mind. Dan is signed up.

On the return journey we went through the Highway 49 aid station again. This time it wasn't as hectic, but we still passed through pretty quickly. We continued along, admiring the trail and the beautiful day. Don and I were both struck by how great the day was. Steve kept calculating how much more we had to go. I was trying not to think about that. I liked being out there. I didn't want to go home.

But, finishing is fun too. We were about a mile from the finish when Steve said that we ought to just go ahead. So Don and I trotted along, knowing the finish was practically around the corner. We saw Steve Regan on his way in, and passed him. Then, after all that easy running and walking, we had to finish strong and pass one final runner. There was still a great crowd hanging out at the finish. Tropical John announced our names finishing, mumbling something about what city I was from... Sunnyvale, Mt. View, whatever.

Then we got to hang out with everyone we knew there. I got to introduce Don to Bob Metzger in person. Bob introduced me to his friends too. Everything was nice. The crew serving soup and pasta was great. I complimented them on being so civilized because they made sure people took spoons for the soup. That made them laugh, because they didn't feel civilized at all under those conditions. I was glad I got a chance to stop Greg Soderlund and thank him for the great race. I just felt like everything went perfectly.

On our drive home, we stopped at Murder Burger in Davis. Burger with everything, fries, and a cookies and cream milkshake for me. It was the best burger. I guess I've had all my best burgers after ultras.