Pirate's Cove 30K Trail Race

Post-race: Dirty, tired and happy

On Saturday, RQ and I ran the Pirate's Cove 30K trail race in Marin. I almost made us late when I miscalculated our departure time; luckily, I'd packed my bags the night before, so I scrambled out the door. I've been spacey lately and I can't seem to remember anything unless I write it down! Anyway, the race was right across the Golden Gate Bridge in the Headlands, one of my favorite places to run. And we made it with plenty of time!

The forecast called for rain, but it looked like it might hold off, until about 15 minutes before the race when it began. I might even make a case the the drops I saw flying by my head were hail, though I didn't see evidence on the ground. I was cold & wet at the beginning and contemplated running 20K (instead of the 30K). RQ suggested we start out and see how we feel as the race went along. By the time the cutoff to where I could have shortened my race, I was having too much fun to turn. The rain came and went the entire race, but nothing more than sprinkles at any given time. We took turns telling stories the first 10K and recruited a guy running near us to join. He fell back after a while, and I think it's because he didn't want to tell any more. My speedster running buddy took off mid-way, so I kept to my trail-running race plan of walking up big hills and running the rest. It works well for me. I had a blast. I felt like I was "playing" the entire race, well, up to about 2 miles to go, when my legs and back started to let me know I'd abused them enough for the day. All in all, great race!