I arrived to Sage Hill campground early Saturday morning after spending a wonderful Friday nights rest in the spare bed at the house of my favorite family in Santa Barbara.
I would say hello to friends and familiar faces and the interim director Mauricio who did a fantastic job preparing trails and scouting the course, helping volunteers mark it properly with sustainable course markings.
I had done three separate training runs and trail work days on various sections of the course in the weeks and months prior to race day.
I was dropped to the back of the pack very early on. I saw Kaori there to share her amazing photography talent. Kaori always makes my day! Shortly before mile 2 a runner caught up to me and said he had started 20 minutes late. That runner went ahead and I was on my own in very last place. I didn’t see a trail marking just over a climb and I took a sharp right to bushwhack a trail. I made my way along the edge then realized I was off course and Mauricio wouldn’t send us that way. I looked to my left to see the trail. I cussed, got mad, got mad I cussed, threw a fit, took a deep breath and made my way back to the course where those bright long ribbons greeted me and I reminded myself I was gonna have to fix my attitude and move forward.
I had one goal to begin with and it was to make the half way point before the course cut off time. I knew if I made that I wouldn’t quit because i would have to ask for a ride back to the start and i wouldn’t do that because the risk of motion sickness was far worse than running another 25 miles Although I was slow I came to the first aid station and saw Chad, filled my bottles quick and kept going it’s a mile road section that runs fast and I knew I liked the next part of the course. It was a rocky climb, but it was also a section I got to do brush work on and even earn poison oak from when I was volunteering with Mauricio, his daughters and Nancy weeks earlier.
The next aid station Todd was there. Todd has spent countless hours on those trails with me and I was so grateful to see him there. This was the section of the course I’ve never run it seemed like grassy single track and fun downhill. Afterward it seemed rockier. At mile 20 the first place male Ethan passed me on his way inbound. He’s a strong local runner that shares Strava segments that I do on local trail sections rarely run and he’s a great inspiration.
I begin seeing more inbound runners and one of the girls that had said she would be last at the start line passed me and I mentioned she was strong and not last! The guy that started 20 minutes late saw me and said,”you’re still goin!”
A woman passed me and said to find her to share night miles if I wanted. I told her to run her own race Id try to catch up.
I hit the turn around point in time, climbed the water tower and collected my amulet. I had Heidi take a photo of my favorite La Sportiva shoes and singlet that I’d received as a gift. It is literally the only trail shoe I like even though I get to work seeing many running shoes every day.
My only choice now was to go hit the next cutoff. I had over 5 hours to go 15 miles. I had run this 3 weeks prior after getting motion sick and threw up before starting the course preview run. I ran when I could then hit a section where I thought I was off course but I trusted the course marking and my back track feature I was using on my garmin instinct. I made it to the aid station to be joined by the woman who had said I could join her for night miles. I learned she went to guide lost mountain bikers who’s whistle she heard back out of the canyon. Her name is Jeanne and she kept me company the remainder of the race.
I was back to the section of course I hadn’t done before and when Jeanne and I arrived at Todd’s aid station I told him I was glad we hadn’t done that section because I might have opted to run a shorter distance option.
Now to that next aid station and the 8:00 pm cutoff. Jeanne and I made it down the crazy rocky section I love where she yelled we had 23 minutes and I knew it was the road mile, but I checked my watch and it was less time than that so I just told myself run a fast road pace and breathe. Almost every race I have attempted with course cutoff times I have dnf’d beginning 6 years ago with a marathon distance obstacle course. I have believed this story I’ve told myself so many times that it’s okay to quit or not make it because I learn from it and I’ve grown to accept the story. This time I told myself I was rewriting the story. I arrived to the aid station where Jeanne laughed and said I threw down on that section. I filled my bottles with water dropped in tactical fluid powder and changed my headlamp battery and off we went to find that finish line.
I would lose Jeanne’s light ahead of me every now and then and that made me nervous and I’d whine. I kept repeating to myself over and over I know I’m going to be okay and I kept singing a Christian rock song. Shortly before two miles to go is a wicked steep hill climb with a holy cross near it. This is also where I lost the trail early on. Jeanne and I stopped at the cross and I offered a word of prayer. That moment was really powerful and emotional and we continued in silence for a few minutes.
We arrived to the finish line where we asked who would take last place and I said I’d gladly accept it. Had I chosen not to try to make each cutoff time I would have been the only 50 mile runner to not complete the course. We had a perfect finishing rate. I learned so much out in that Santa Barbara back country. I am thankful for every volunteer and everyone who put time and effort into the race’s success.
Less than 48 hours later a forest fire broke out very near where we were, 2 days after a rain storm followed by rare snow. It will be a different site next time I’m in the red rock area. I’m thankful for each and every fire personnel who helped with the fire extinguishing and it’s containment.
What is the story you are ready to rewrite?