Way Too Cool is one of the most sought after 50k runs in the area. It takes place in the Auburn State Recreation area near Cool, CA and while I really haven't done
Jason picked up our packets on Friday before the race. They were filled with the usual good swag offered by NorCalUltras. We ate a simple spaghetti with meat sauce dinner, laid out our gear for the morning and tried to get to bed at a reasonable hour. We were up early the next morning, eat a egg/bagel sandwich, and headed up the hill with Ashley Doyle. This was going to be her first ultra - in fact her first run over 20 miles- and we were all nervous/excited. The usual race day stomach issues were affecting all of us. This is a good thing though because you'd rather get that part of the day offer with before the run starts, its not nearly as fun to have to pull off the side of the trail to handle your business.
As we came out of Auburn and dropped down to the confluence area, we were greeted with an amazing view. The valley was filled with fog coming off the river and a bright, clear sunrise filled the sky. We admit that we are all sort of lazy runners and rarely make it out to the trails before 9:00 so seeing this before the race was really exciting. But it also looked COLD. When you get to about mile 13 in the race, you are running on the Quarry trail alongside the river. Its gorgeous but its always cold in the morning because the hillside shades that entire area from the sun. We knew it would be cold when we got up to Cool too.
Cool was COLD, as we'd expected and I decided to start the run with my Trail Runner Nation arm warmers. I loved them and kept them on until I got to Quarry trail - ironically the coldest section of the run was when I felt the most warmed up. Wave 1 runners took off at 8:00 and we followed in Wave 2 at 8:05. Mike started out in the front of Wave 2 ( I think he wanted the photo ops) and we hung back mid pack. The first section of the race is an 8 mile loop through the fields/meadows near Cool. Jason, Ashley and I ran the first mile together, slowed down at the Knickerbocker Creek crossing and opted to tiptoe across on the rocks rather than get our feet wet this early in the race. Several runners just went for it and plowed across but I can't see the point of getting your feet wet to save 30 seconds, at least not this early in a race. The next few miles were on narrow single track with lots of congestion. We ran at a slow 12 minute mile pace but had lots of entertaining conversation. Around mile 4 Jason took off in front of me, passing people on the outside of the trail. I did the same and tried to keep up but he pulled ahead. I finished the last few miles of the loop at an 11:30 pace, slower than I would have liked but I knew that I needed to hold back and save my legs. I was happy to hear the bells and screams coming back to the fire station parking lot and into Aid station 1. I quickly drank some Gu Brew, ate an Oreo and grabbed some Gu Chomps. On my way out of the parking lot I asked some random stranger to help me out and grab my bag of salt caps and ibuprofen out of my pack. I headed through the finishing chute and out of Cool.
As I rounded the corner getting out of Cool, I could see about a hundred runners ahead of me running though the meadow toward the Western States trail. About a half mile ahead I saw Jason. I figured that would be the last time that I saw him. About this time my IT band started to feel tight and twinge. I had decided to run with my pack for this specific reason. I had figured out a lightweight option to roll out my quad and IT band - an empty pill bottle. After about a half mile of trying to shake my leg out, I pulled over to the side and got out my bottle. I few quick rolls and it was already feeling better. I dropped down the trail toward the confluence. It was still pretty crowded but soon I heard someone coming up behind me saying "on your left." This is runner speak for "I want to pass." I decided that I wanted to do the same and started asking to pass people. I was worried because this downhill section toward the confluence can be hard on your quads - but it can be SOOOOO fun to run fast. I felt like I was flying down the hill, though I really wasn't going that fast, and came out at the bottom feeling great. I stopped at the 2nd aid station, grabbed a couple brownie bites and more Gu chomps and was out. I rounded the corner and just ahead of me was Jason. I called out to him and he was more than surprised to see me. We ran the next mile, talking about how the race was going, and both decided we would make a pit stop at the upcoming porta-potties. This is sometimes a hard decision to make because you are sacrificing time in your run, but its usually worth it. I was out faster than him and he said he'd catch up to me. The next three miles or so I played leap frog (figuratively, not literally) with a couple guys as we made our way toward Maine Bar. This was the hardest part of the run for me. I felt tired, my legs felt heavy, and I had some doubts about my ability to finish. Jason caught up to us around mile 15, ran with me for a bit and then was of. I didn't see him again until the finish line. This was completely ok. As much as I love to run with him, I love to complain to him more. I will bitch and moan about this or that hurting if he is with me. If I'm by myself, there is no one to listen and I'll just deal with it and push on.
Once you hit Maine Bar, you take a left onto the American Canyon trail. This is my favorite section of the trail. It narrows into lush, green single track that crisscrosses over the creek. As you you head toward Auburn Lake Trail, there is a rather long hill that seemingly goes on forever, at least that is how I felt last year. There is also a group of people who park and are able to walk down to that part of the trail to cheer on runners. Last year I was deceived by their cheers and cowbells into thinking it was an aid station. That was frustrating to down your water and come around the corner to see two guys in lawn chairs with no food or water for you. Grrrr. So this year I wasn't tricked and didn't fall for their mind games :) I actually enjoyed their spirit and it helped get me up the hill. I started talking to some other runners and met a woman who had traveled from Canada for the race. We talked about how she was doing a gluten diet and that it was difficult to eat out in restaurants and even from aid stations if you are watching what you are eating. As we pulled into the aid station I was relieved to see some Vaseline and reapplied to prevent chafing. I down a delicious cup of luke warm chicken noodle and rice soup and was off. Within a mile I joined a couple other runners and made a train. The three of us were moving together at an 11:00 mile pace. The miles just ticked off. My legs felt tired but strong still. They were entertaining to talk with and since neither of them had run this course before, I was sort of the expert on what was coming up. As they started slowing down, I felt stronger. We came to the top of Brown's Bar and I pulled away. Goat Hill was challenging, as usual, but nothing compared to our training runs on K2. I was so thankful for those runs.
Reaching the top of Goat Hill always feels great because it is the marathon mark in the race. You only have about 5 miles left in the race. I felt strong and was elated that my body wasn't hurting. I had been in so much pain last year when I ran Way Too Cool. I couldn't believe how strong I felt and how good it felt to be running without pain. I pushed hard over the next few miles. Around mile 28 I passed the ultrarunning legend, Gordy Ainsleigh along with several other runners. I hit the Highway 49 crossing wanting to scream because it felt so good to be running strong so close to the finish. I grabbed a cup of Gu Brew at the aid station and kept on going. The last mile toward the finish is largely uphill and I surprised myself by still being able to run a lot of it. I passed several runners going up the hill. I know I had a fat smile on my face because as I rounded the last corner toward Cool, a spectator shouted out "Now, that's the kind of smile we should be seeing." I pushed strong for the last half mile and contemplated the difference between this year's run and last year's run. The last mile was horrible for me last year. Some sweet man had finished it with me, encouraging me to push through my pain and finish strong. I was literally on the brink of tears when I finished. This year I felt great and could have kept on running, although I was grateful not to have to! I finished in 6:10 and took 1:10 off last years time. I couldn't have asked for a better run!
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