Woodside Trail Run

I had pre-registered for a 50km ultra at Woodside Trail. I love trail running and California is one of the best places in the world for that. They have so much forest land and trails of all distances. And the weather! In normal circumstances, the weather was a plus. Alas, it had been raining the entire week in Palo Alto and this morning was no different. The rain started in the night and continued strong into the wee hours. When I woke up at 7am, it was cold, windy and wet. It felt like 7degC. The kind of weather where I would sleep in in Singapore and scrap all my training plans. I contemplated a long while if I should go for the run. The intent for all overseas trail runs was a scenic view because on my own, I would not be able to figure out the distances and routes. It was less about clocking mileage. So if it was going to be bad weather and miserable, that defeated the aim.

I was indecisive for a good 30min before I decided to 'kick my butt' and get going. I got dressed, ate breakfast and drove to the Park. I was late by 20min for my category. Oh well. I registered, collected my race tag, and started running. The instruction was to follow the Pink ribbons, which should appear every 3-4 min. But somehow somewhere I must have missed a turn, and did not see any ribbons for more than 10min. I had no idea how far I had run or if I was on the right track, since there were no other runners in sight. So I backtracked, saw some people who pointed me in the right direction, and ended up merging with the tail-end of the 35krunners. I was now far behind the 50k runners. Brilliant. I think I would switch category instead.

Meanwhile, the rain continued, and the race course was like a giant teh-tarik mud puddle. The waters and mud were shoe-deep, so every step was soaking cold. I was trying out my 'rain gear combo' to see what worked in a cold, wet race. (Ask me separately how each gear worked) Mentally, it was IMNZ deja vu, with a tinge of apprehension. Yours truly was wrapped up like a Michelin man:

• Top: Nike comfort fit long-sleeved with thin fleece lining, Mountain Hardwear GTX Paclite shell, Nike running skull cap, Serius gloves
• Bottom: CWX cold weather compression long tights, Montane featherlite outer pants to block the wind & some rain, REI trail running gaiters, REI merino wool socks, Salomon XA Pro 5
• And my camera & water bottle

Along the way, I was bypassed by a group of college runners on their training run. The guys were in Tshirt and shorts. One girl had on the tiniest pair of short tights. So next to them, I looked like a klutzy hiker.

I continued running and/ or walking for what seemed like an eternity, and finally reached the first aid station. It was at the 9.7k mark, but I had already taken 1:45h! The getting lost bit must have added much time although I had no way to verify how much. I had no sense of geography or distance (everyone counted in miles).

The aid station was quite well-stocked. In addition to the usual race munchies, it had boiled potatoes and salt. That turned out rather tasty. I took my time to eat, drink and take pictures before heading out. The next aid station was another 9k away, then another 9km back. Then the last 7-8km to Finish line.

Despite the mud and rain, everyone was in good spirits, and smiling. We had more than we signed up for. In my last few km, I met an elderly runner and we ran together to the Finish. The chatting and pacing was very helpful because both of us were already very tempted to stroll. All in, I ran 5:30h. But no idea what the distance was.

I think trail runners are such a crazy bunch. Smiling and enjoying ourselves despite the mud and weather. Totally nuts. Loving it. :)