My Mental State

I went for a run last night up at Garin Regional Park in Hayward. I didn't even know this place existed until I was looking for some place to run while my son was at a basketball workout in Hayward. It's a nice little park with a decent amount of trail, not enough to do a long run without loops, but enough for maybe a couple hours with some bit of climbing and nice views. I ran the Vista Peak Loop Trail combined with the Zeile Creek Trail for a nice little loop. I took it easy the whole way trying to keep that "all day" pace. I took a side trip to hit the peak and check out the views. Very nice views of the bay. Different than Mission Peak (which I could see) or Redwood Park as it is right between the two of them. In fact, I think this park is just the other side of the hills from Pleasanton Ridge where I ran on Sunday. I have always wondered what was on the other side. Now I know. Discovering and running new trails is always good. It was very nice for my mental state before heading to Tahoe this weekend where I also will be running on new trails.

Mentally, I am in a bit of a strange state with respect to the race. For the longest time I have been more worried about TRT50 than my upcoming attempt at a 100 miles 3 weeks later. However, now that the race is but a few days away, I am not worried and my mind is now starting to concern itself with the Headlands Hundred. I know that 50 miles is still a huge challenge and being at altitude is definitely new, but I've done the distance before and at this stage I am usually more concerned with getting all my gear and stuff together. I have a pretty good idea on my drop bag needs for a 50-miler. This will be my 4th race of that distance or longer. However, as I prep for Tahoe, I realize that maybe I need to really start thinking about what I am going to need to go twice the distance. What will I need to have waiting at the 75mile aid station to get me through the night? You see, I don't do pacers and I am actually not going to have any sort of crew either. I know. Some people will question the wisdom of trying my first 100 sans pacer or crew, but that's kinda how I like it. With the two smaller loops after 50 miles, there really doesn't seem to be a need to have someone following me along the course, but I am beginning to wonder if some random desire for a different food, a change of clothing or something totally unexpected will hit me somewhere out there in the wee hours of the night. To me, that really is part of the whole adventure of the race. And that's my mental state.