Golden Gate Dirty Thirty

The Dirty Thirty was a success.  This is the first time I have run a distance this long without training on some parts of the course.  I really didn't know what to expect except for a lot of climbing.  I had trained well the past couple weeks on the hills and felt ready.  I had a goal of 6:30 but I was really more concerned with running this race right.  Fuel, hydration and race management were my focus.  I ran with one handheld and my Nathan Hydration Vest.

The race starts off with a quick 1/4 mile stretch up a dirt road and then bottlenecks quickly into a short climb on single track.  I started in the middle of the pack.  As a result the first mile was nearly all walking. I planned on going out slow but not this slow.  It really amazed me that very slow runners felt the need to start in the front.  It wasn't until mile 3 when it started opening up.  At mile 4 I was able to set my own pace.  I was a little annoyed but not disappointed.  I usually start off fast and fade later.  This was a new approach and there were some early climbs so I probably only lost 5 minutes and it put me in a frame of mind of slowing the pace.  

Mile 5 dropped the runners back down some pretty nice single track.  I got an early runners high.  I can't remember the last time I had one.  I had 3 throughout the race which added to the experience.  About 40% of the course was quality single track.  The majority was rocky and technical.  It felt like a tire drill at times.  This was a mountain course in all respects.  

I started getting some morning stomach issues around mile 10.  I topped out on a rocky climb at mile 13 and took care of it.  After that I was feeling great and enjoyed the scenery and very rocky trail.  There were sections that were all rock and I had to be careful with my footing.  It was slow moving but the trail was a lot of fun and the scenery was beautiful.  

I pulled into the midway aid station at mile 16.8.  I had a drop bag with an ensure and coconut water there.  I loaded up on 5 strawberries, 2 oranges, 1 watermelon, an ensure and a turkey wrap.  I filled my handheld with the coconut water.  That was a lot of food but I knew I had a lot more climbing and the heat of the day was here.  I had a 1000 feet of climb over the next 2 miles.  I left this aid station walking while eating my turkey wrap.  I felt a bit heavy at that point.  Instead of running I kept walking and my stomach settled in.  Fueling like this paid off.  

By mile 20 I started feeling stronger.  I felt great.  I was still walking the hills but I was pushing a good pace.  They weren't very suitable for running.  They were steep and rocky and I really had no intention of blowing it early this race.  Since I was feeling good my goal was to not get passed.  I did some leap frogging with 5 other people.  I passed the last one for good at mile 26.  I passed another 20 or so runners from mile 10 to the finish.  I was happy with this because I was getting stronger when others were getting slower.  

After the last very steep climb at mile 30 I looked back and saw a runner closing in.  I had not let anyone pass me for a while and I wasn't going to let this guy do it know.  The last mile was downhill and good trail.  I turned it on and ran a 6:19 last mile.  

I wanted more.  I left the race having learned a lot about fueling and hydration.  Finishing out as strong as I did made me realize I left some out on the course.  I finished in 6:37:38 which was good for 68th out 247 finishers.  I'm still learning how to run a race.  It's difficult considering the varying degree of differences in courses and distances.  It's really interesting how delicate the balance is.  Overall this was a great experience.  I felt great at mile 32 and this bodes well for Leadville.

The course was very tough but I didn't let it beat me.  I climbed a total of 7,205 feet with 5 climbs of 1,000+ feet and 2 other smaller climbs.  The race was very well run and the aid stations were the best.  I will take what I learned here and apply it at the North Fork 50k at the end of the month.  I will try to push the needle up there and let it rip.