Lake Sonoma 5...1st race report of 2015!!

Lake Sonoma was not my first race to kick off 2015 but, it was the first race I finished.

HURT100....I will be back to finish what I started.

HURT 100 in January was to be the first race of 2015.  This was a race I was excited to return to.  I had grand plans to erase my 2012, 33 hour finish.  My goal was to replace it with a much faster time and instead I exchanged it for my first 100 mile DNF....In brief, I was fit and ready for a great race....I took a hard fall at mile 20, continued on until mile 47 and had a mental block at the idea of hurting for the next 53 miles.  Just like that I was done.  While I tweeted #noregrets and posted fun pics on the beach with friends I did spend the next 2-3 weeks in a depressed state.  All of the training and sacrifices with no finish line.

Yup that would be our age!

#noregrets...my A@!

The 100 mile DNF is a pill I hope I NEVER have to swallow again and I will forever have this will me at each start line I toe.
It took me a good 4 weeks to allow myself to even think about training again after HURT. Physically I was fine but mentally I was broken.  I work 50ish hours a week in a high stress environment.   Monday-Friday I have to be focused and intentional in order to get my training in and I was not ready to go there yet.  And then like a flip of a switch, mid Feb, I was ready.  Lake Sonoma 50mi was about 7 weeks away and this was something I could wrap my training brain around.
Prior to HURT, I had started Bikram yoga, this is a 90 minute yoga session in a room heated to around 105 degrees.  While not "fun" I figured it would help me train for the humidity of Hawaii, and lucky me... I found the heated yoga helping with my long standing hip issues (piriformus syndrome) that I had been dealing with for the past year.  So even if it is 1 time a week, I have continued with Bikrams.  With my hip feeling better I was able to resume speed workouts in my training up to Sonoma.  I even threw in a 10 mile race the weekend prior to Sonoma, Horse Ridge 10 miler.  I had raced this before and found myself with a 3 minute PR ....good enough for 1st Master! Onto Sonoma!
TJ does an excellent job in recruiting for a stacked field of talented athletes....this year was no different.   I raced Sonoma in 2012 in a time of 8:18 F4, and again in 2013 in 8:52 F9.  2012 was a wet year, lots of mud and while I had a good race, I knew I could run it faster....2013 was a dry year but unfortunately a bit of a shit show for me :) we all have them!  This year, I was feeling fit, the course was dry and there would be plenty of competition to keep me company and help push the pace.

Not exactly floating across the water!

TJ's wife arranged for my accommodations in a beautiful home in Healdsburg and Carrie was my traveling companion.  One of our roomies' in the house is a newbie to the ultra running scene Keely Henninger, all of 22 years old and we picked up on our way to the race another youngster Ashley Erba 18 years, both needed transportation as...get this... they were to young to rent a car!

A beaut of a day!

Just a girl out for a run!

As anticipated the race started out fast, first couple of miles are on the road allowing everyone to find their pace.  I settled into my groove, feeling relaxed and happy to have the race begin.  After a bit of time I found myself in pace with Jimmy Dean and enjoyed his chatter for a handful of miles before his leggie stride loped away from me.  The trail was dry and fast, a few creek crossing that if you placed your feet just right you could avoid getting wet.  It was going to be a warm day and so I tried to embrace the early morning chilly temps. Greetings were exchanged with Meghan , Pam and Kaci as we exchanged spots and then with Keely around the half way point.  I was hoping to stay within the top 10 and at the turnaround mi 25 I was sitting in 8th and in short order 9th as Kaci passed me just outside of the aid station. This is where I would sit for the remainder of the race.  Although I did toy with the 10th place after taking not 1  but 2 solid falls.  The second fall I was a bit slower in collecting my wits about me and was passed by F10.  But was able to chase the F9 spot back down. Having broken my watch with the second fall, I was content to run my race through to the finish.  With 6 miles ish to go, I came upon F8 walking, she had tweaked her calf.
That would be the last female I would see and so with my focus being to stay on my feet and not slow down I finished F8 in 8:24.  Not my fastest Sonoma and not my slowest, and while I had hoped to run it faster, a solid race is always a good day!
I will be back to race Lake Sonoma.  John and Lisa and the rest of their team put on an amazing event from the pre race festivities, the aid/ crew stations to the post race celebration!   I will be hanging around for the wine tasting next time!!

Can I get a.....

What took care of me during my 8+ hours of fun in the sun....
Pre race calories: Picky Bar Smooth Caffienator, coffee, banana, yogurt
Patagonia of course, mesh trucker hat, wool socks, bun huggers,
Julbo's Whoops
UltrAspire Spry
UltrAspire collapsible bottle
Calories:
Picky Bar Blueberry Boomdizzle
Flask w/GU coconut water, Scaps, CarboPro
Coconut water at the aid station...thank you Carrie!