It must be mentioned before sharing my adventure that I joined this training run for two reasons;
1. I had volunteered to pace my friend Ray Mena at AC100
2. I thought it was also good training for my first 100 miler the following week.
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| this is just part of the group that ran that day. |
It was already stifling hot at 7.30am and we had been told it would be a self supported training run of the last 27 miles of the Angeles Crest 100 mile trail run. I had a full pack of water and a handheld bottle of Hammer Fizz, Heed and perpetuem my special mix. I was dressed in Brooks Running Cascadias, Skirt and yellow top, the brighter and cheerful the better!!
We began the run at Chantry flats and would end the run at Alta Loma park . I started my Polar monitor when finally we began running on the correct trail!
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| Slip Slap Slop I am slathered!! from top to toe going to be a hot day on the trails |
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| I have my anti fatigue caps & endurolytes as part of my defense against the elements today! |
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| All smiles at mile 4.8 felt as if I had already ran 10 miles LOL Summer is doing the 100 this year! |
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| I thought smiling was best as the uphill to the Mount Wilson road was a beast of a climb! |
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In some places it was just me and my shadow battling out the heat and climb surrounded by beautiful views.
Glorious!
The Toll road was a relief from the up hill, as it wound its way down the side of the mountain towards another trail and we had not even done 7 miles yet! The sun was really intense and all I could do was put one foot in front of the other!
From the Toll road
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| Smile Ray!! |
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| wow the day was magnificent |
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| Ray runs down the toll road |
After that we ran down the Toll road there had been a rock fall so a little rock climbing was in order, as I ran down this dirt road I thought how cool it was and lost my concentration and rolled my ankle I found my self on the ground with no one around me as I let out a scream of pain. I took out my kool n fit and soaked my sock around the ankle area... After nursing my ankle for a few minutes It felt better to begin to hobble and finally running to the Idle Hour Canyon were Ray was and we passed over a wooden bridge which had been built by volunteers from 2001 AC100. then would you believe it more climbing!!!
The course was being marked by yellow ribbons and I was so grateful to see this ribbon, as I continued the trail became less maintained and I began to question my self as to whether I was on the right trail, I had lost sight or Ray and could see no one behind me my mind began to play tricks and I thought I saw a bear...tree stump, a snake,,,twig you get the idea yes?
I was on the look out all day for snakes, mountain lions and bears but only saw beautiful butterflies it probably was too darn hot for these critters to be out on the trails!
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| go this way??Ya think! |
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I had just walked a long section of single track the sun was just beating down and I still felt good but a little worried about dehydration, walking was a good alternative as did not require a lot of energy, I had started taking 4 endurolytes and 2 anti fatigue caps an hours, I had been eating Hammer Bars/ gels and really wanted to keep a good protein and carb intake in easily digested form and water intake esp. in this heat. What saved my bacon this day was the perpetuem solids.
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| A felled tree keeps me on the correct trail also seen its fair share of graffiti. |
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| I had no water purifier tablets but trusted the water running off the rocks and filled my hand held bottle, I should have filled my pac too but clearly was not thinking. |
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| Burn t tree stumps gave the surroundings a surreal feeling. |
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| A trail angel was on the trail with water just after the bend. |
The next section was a lot of up hill and a huge downhill single track which I was just ecstatic about! Keep moving forward I would tell my self, do not look down and you will be fine, but it was so hot I had like a tsp water left probably walking would be the best idea...
I very carefully tried to jog some of the single track and was just amazed by the view below, I was worrying about water as I really needed fluids, I tried to suck all the water out of my pac, and have never been so grateful than to see a runner who had run all the way up this trails with bottles of water in his back pac! Talk about a trail angel. He told me he could only give my 3/4 of a bottle as other runners were behind me I thought that was great! I was able to take a gel and my supplements, and the news was 6 more miles of single track LOL... I decided it was time to put some Beach Boys music on, so I searched for my little pink I Pod and started running happy!
I start to get a runners high at around mile 18 to 19 I felt great was not affected by the heat and was really enjoying reading the History of were I was running and the railroad too. (Although some punks had managed to write graffiti on the info boards...shame) I looked at my Polar Monitor and felt happy my heart rate was looking a little more normal and I was feeling great!
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| All smiles with 9 miles to go |
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| At the top of the climb I was REALLY happy to see a little asphalt.. before rejoining a single track again! |
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| smelling the cowslip? |
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| Still signs of the fire with new growth around! |
I reached the Millard Camp ground and was SO GRATEFUL to see Hal Winton who had water and refreshments his words were only 4 miles to go well done!! Yikes 4 miles awesome I ran with a jump and a skip 4 miles thats all how difficult could that be, I tried to think what it must feel like being told 4 miles to go at mile 96...would I be laughing with joy or shuffling in discomfort...at the moment I was happy. Only 2 miles to go it is single track and going down hill and unbelievable I roll my ankle again, this time the pain is intense I fall to the ground with a performance worthy of an Oscar and let out a piercing scream, I close my eyes and begin to hyperventilate then a feel a cold cloth go around my ankle and another runner had stopped to help me, I slowly calmed my self down, the ankle throbbed but was not broken. The runners name was Kam, I was so grateful he offered to walk with me the final two miles and gave me lots of encouragement and help. I have never been so grateful to see the car park at Alta Loma park, and due to a few hiccups never got to see Ray for another two hours. But soon every one of the trail runners were off the course, we all had survived an incredible hot and dusty day on the trails and was time to recover.
Well I sprained my right ankle pretty badly Dr Hammer my mini pin is not amused as that means no running for a few days or weight baring activity....
But had a great run!
And at the moment I do not foresee the Angeles Crest 100 on my bucket list and really hope I can run Nanny Goat next week.
