Mini Miwok 100k

This year's Miwok 100k in Marin County, north of San Francisco, was full of surprises. Although it's no longer a Montrail Ultracup race with entry spots for Western States 100, it still had a few fast men and women to make the leading times very competitive.

Temperatures have been high in California for a few weeks and there are forest fires near LA currently. Unfortunately, late in the evening on the night before Miwok the authorities in charge of the permit for a section of the race revoked permission to use their trails due to there being a danger of fires starting in the heat. So race director, Tia Boddington, had to make last minute changes to the course that adjusted the start time from 5am to 8am and the distance from 100k to about 60k.

Just before the post-dawn, adjusted start

Although a lot of people were disappointed with the reduced distance, we were pretty much all glad to be able to race at all. At first I didn't think it'd affect the pace a whole lot since 60k in the heat isn't much easier than what the 100k that was expected. That wasn't the case since it started off more like a 10k trail race up the Dipsea Trail from Stinson Beach.

Early miles. Photo by San Francisco Running Company.

Dylan Bowman and Gary Gellin shot up the climb and were out of sight by the first aid station at 3 miles. Over the 7,700ft of ascent and 37.2 miles of the course they held on to a hard pace and battled it out. Around half way I was 4-5 mins back from Dylan who'd managed to gap Gary slightly, plus I felt like I'd paced things about right to that point and was starting to catch them marginally on the downhill and flat few miles near to Rodeo Beach.

At that point I was directed past a turning and kept running along the road to Rodeo Beach despite a lack of course markings. I'd have questioned it sooner if I'd not just been shown the way but did eventually turn around after asking multiple tourists if they'd seen any runners come through, which added to the time a little as I tried to find markings anywhere that might show I was going the right way.

Once I followed my tracks back I saw the turning and saw other runners going the right way, but I was now several places further back and lost around 11 minutes according to my Garmin. With somewhere around 17-18 miles to go I knew there was no way to catch the leaders unless they dropped or got lost so it became a training run from that point.

Looking back along the trail at Pirates Cove

The benefit of that was the prettiest sections (in my opinion) of the course were coming up ahead at Pirates Cove so I was able to take in the views a little more rather than busting a gut through that section. It wasn't easy by any means in the heat but it was more enjoyable to take it a little easier. Since the heat and miles were starting to get to the runners I gained a few spots to finish in 4th in 5:15 with Dylan taking the win in 4:49 and Gary not far behind, then my coaching client, Chris Wehan in 3rd in 5:04. Full results on Ultrasignup. Darcy Africa took the women's race in 6:05.

It was a fun day as always for races in Marin and Tia did a great job of making the race happen despite the last minute difficulties. Runs like this make me very glad to be back in the Bay Area, although Dylan and I were both a little concerned that the early season high temperatures and low snow levels in the High Sierra might lead to a big fire season out there. From a selfish viewpoint, one of the affects of that might be fires canceling Western States.

Miwok and raising awareness/money for AIDS' orphans in South Africa

It was a bit windy.

Photo courtesy of Doug Bond at mile 51.

After my fellow Bend resident (where I lived at the time) and ultra running superstar, Kami Semick, raised money for the Starfish Greathearts Foundation for last year's Comrades marathon, I was inspired to help her and the charity out this year. They support children who have been orphaned or made vulnerable by the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Southern Africa and have projects in the KwaZulu Natal Province where Comrades is set.

Given the extremely high rates of infection in South Africa and the many orphans resulting from this, I thought it'd be a great idea to help out. Therefore I've set up a justgiving site for UK residents who wish to donate at: http://www.justgiving.com/sharmanian/ as well as a donation website for anyone wanting to donate in dollars at: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/comradesTNF/comradesmarathon. Both these links also have more information about the work the charity does.

So rather than just dedicating my Comrades run to fundraising, I thought that all my big races this year could be used to raise awareness. And the traditional way to do this in the UK, particularly at the world's biggest fundraising event, the London marathon, is to run in a costume. I've already run the Napa Valley marathon this year dressed as Spiderman (see posting here) but I've never run an ultra in a restrictive costume. I didn't want to announce it too far in advance in case the unpredictable Bay Area weather was too nasty, but I did run yesterday's Miwok 100k (with 10,000ft of climbing) dressed as Elvis. This seemed like a good idea at the time, although it was actually a lot more annoying to run like that than I'd expected. Previously I've used the costume for marathons (see here), but the prospect of nine hours or more in the sun and hills was a completely different endeavor.

In short, the race was as fun and competitive as ever and I think I got a lot of unexpected smiles from runners and spectators alike who enjoyed my costume more than I did. It was meant to be more relaxed than a full race effort but running that far on that terrain will always take a toll and it was still a hard day's work. The costume was hot, caused some chaffing and the wig kept getting in my eyes, especially with the really strong winds on some of the higher points. But I had a great day out with old and new friends and had one of the best conversation starters possible for meeting new people.

Oh, and I heard the best line anyone's ever shouted out at me while in a costume. Seven miles into the race, back at the start area of Rodeo Beach was a guy dressed as a pirate. He said, "I may be the captain, but you're the KING!" Couldn't help but laugh at that one.

The Golden Gate Bridge soon after sunrise.

Full results are here and I managed a respectable 10th place while avoiding the hard running at the front. There's also a great video following the leaders here and it also includes a few seconds of interviewing me mid-run right at the end of the footage.

If this story entertained you or maybe even just made you think a bit about the effects of AIDS in a much poorer country, then please donate something. Every little helps. This year's Comrades will have a strong North Face (and other sponsors) team again from the US and UK and the others are also behind the charity. Also, please let me know your thoughts and comments.

Miwok pre-race thoughts

The Miwok altitude profile

Last year the Miwok 100k was the longest race I'd ever finished as well as being on only the second day of me living in California. I loved it and immediately knew that I'd found a great place to live with some of the best trails I've seen just on my front door (well, a short drive away).

It was one of the most enjoyable races I've ever done, partly because I had no intention to race it hard and so had no pressure. Instead, I really took in the views and just breezed through the trails taking it all in.

This year will be similar and should also have very hot and sunny conditions, which isn't always the case with San Francisco's temperamental weather. Once again, it's very close to Comrades so I have to treat it as a training run, but it's also essential for me to get a quality, long and hilly run in as part of Western States training. Balancing training for both of these is not an easy task, but I think I've just about walked that tight-rope well so far (fingers crossed).

Anyway, Miwok should be one of the most competitive trail races out there yet again. Unfortunately I don't think we'll see the Geoff Roes versus Anton Krupicka rematch from last year's Western States since Geoff ran a 100-miler last weekend and Anton's off racing until an injury heals. But there's still more than enough trail talent to make this one to watch. The full list of entrants, which still includes Geoff and Anton, is here, but at the least there should be fast times from many of the guys and girls shown in that entrants' list. It's one of the most competitive fields of the year, and I'm sure there'll be some great stories from the front runners, as well as everyone else involved.

One day I'd really like to give this one a big effort, but it'll never happen in a year I run Comrades. Instead I have a little bit of fun up my sleeve although I have to hope that the weather doesn't get too hot.

Ruth Anderson 50k

After using a double-header weekend in April last year to get ready for Comrades (Salt Lake City Marathon on a Saturday then Boston on the Monday), I wanted to do the same this year. But the closest I could fit in was Boston on last Monday then one of the Ruth Anderson Ultra distances on the Saturday. It was just a case of choosing what distance would be the best for me as well as the most fun - 50k, 50 miles or 100k. All I knew was that previous times were fast and it involved running around a lake in San Francisco, although I wasn't sure whether it was on a trail or if it had any hills.

Lucky, Race Director Rajeev Patel was really helpful and I opted for the 50k (on a basically flat bike path, it turns out) since I didn't want to be too tired to train well for the last few weeks before Comrades. It's against my general principle of running the longest distance if there's a choice, but 100k was really a bit much and something shorter and faster made more sense.

The course is around Lake Merced and all the distances involve combinations of laps and part laps of the accurate 4.47 mile route. I'd never been before so it was a good excuse to see somewhere new and not too far from home, plus it's a really fun race with a great, friendly atmosphere (well, it's an ultra so this isn't unexpected). Rajeev definitely knows what he's doing and it's a very efficient and effective operation.

All the races started together soon after sunrise and I found myself running in the lead with a French guy, Martin, for almost three laps. The trusty Garmin was there to keep me honest around a 6:15/mile pace (3:14 in total for the 50k) but Martin was pushing me faster and I couldn't help but stick with him.

Laps flew by and the legs seemed to be fine, even after a run up and down Mt Diablo two days before (Western States fear is kicking in as it's not far away). I managed to keep the pace even throughout, which is the main aim of a training run, but I couldn't settle down into Comrades pace at the 6:15s. It was weird but every time I tried to correct my pace I'd go too slow so I just had to stick with something a little closer to 6s since then I could then keep it even. As issues go, this is certainly better than if I could only settle into a pace that was too slow, but the main aim was to focus on learning the right pace.

The aid stations were great and everyone was really supportive as the laps ticked off until I got to the finish feeling a little more tired than I'd intended and having tried harder than I meant to. But I got a course record in just under 3:11 and felt like I could have kept going, although not for 40k more, as at Comrades. However, I'm really happy with my progress so far this year and it was very enjoyable. I did feel a bit left out when I saw everyone keep going but I'll wait a few months before doing a road 100k. Joe Binder knocked out an impressive 7:00 and a few seconds for a great win although I'm sure he's disappointed to get so close to breaking 7h. Full results here.

I've been mentioning Comrades more on the blog recently because I'm definitely getting more obsessed as it gets closer, and now it's just five weeks away. But if I can hit the target time of 2:41 next weekend at the Big Sur Marathon (to fill in one of two remaining gaps in my marathon minute game, as mentioned in earlier posts) then I'll feel like all's perfectly on track after about six weekends in a row of long races at a decent pace. Which will just leave the Miwok 100k the following weekend, but that's going to be at a much more comfortable pace and the leaders will have washed and showered by the time I finish. It was one of my most enjoyable runs last year and this year should be equally as good, plus I'll know a lot more of the guys this time around.

2010 was fun

Now I've run my last race for the year, I thought I'd quickly sum up some of the highlights.

Last weekend I was meant to run the PCTR Rodeo Beach 50k, but about halfway through (when walking up yet another hill), I realised that my legs just weren't trained well enough for the hills and finishing would have just left me a bit crippled during the week. So I stopped at 30k having got some good flat and downhill practice in and having realised that zero hill training outside of races is a bad idea and will be remedied.

So, what were the best bits of 2010 (I'm going to exclude my wedding and stick to races or the list would be too long, too personal and even less interesting for anyone except myself)?

Well, it was basically a successful year. The main target was to break 6h at Comrades, and 6h01m may seem like a failure, but I ran near to a perfect race on the day and am very happy with how I kept shifting to a higher gear to finish strongly. I want to keep a streak going there for as long as possible since I love it, so it's a shame it takes about 40 hours to get to.

My next biggest highlight would be the number of really enjoyable runs I had, with several great events that felt easy and had me smiling the whole way through (not even a hint of a grimace). In particular, Two Oceans, Boston and Miwok spring to mind.

One thing I didn't expect on moving to the Bay Area was to find a gem of a race series in the Pacific Coast Trail Runs. These always have a great atmosphere for beginners to elites, as well as showcasing some spectacular scenery. I've been able to meet the local running community through these runs and I definitely like it.

There are too many other races to mention, but Western States was the other main event for the year. It was both a great experience and slightly overhyped but there's no doubt that the battle at the front of the men's race was something which will go down in history. I'm really looking forward to running it in 2011, possibly even more than 2010, especially now I know what I'm letting myself in for.

I've got a lot of great memories from 2010 on the trails and roads so I hope 2011 can live up to it. Unless I get injured, it should. A few other recommendations for ultrarunners are below, since these produced moments which brought home what a cool sport ultrarunning is:

1. Do some kind of Fat/Mad/Bad Ass race in the New Year. There are loads around and are so relaxed and so a perfect way to start 2011.

2. Finishing up the Eiffel Tower made the Eco Trail de Paris really worth entering. I think there'll be plenty of Serpie vests at the 2011 version.

3. Run one of the South African major ultras at some point in your life. Two Oceans is prettier and has the bonus of a trip to beautiful Cape Town, but Comrades is the daddy. Bigger, harder, older and basically more epic. I'm so glad I got to do both this year, however, it's too far to fit them both in every year so I'll have to wait for another chance to run Two Oceans again. And when I do, I'll be really excited about it. There's something special about a country that venerates ultrarunning above shorter distances.

4. Do a triple marathon or other multi-day race since there's no better way to get an instant 'we're all in it together' atmosphere. In the UK, the VOTwo events are perfect (Jurassic Coast and Atlantic Coast come highly recommended). But the best one has to be the Transalpine 8-dayer (and so I'd love to try the Trans Rockies 6-dayer too) and I'm gutted to have missed it this year. Luckily for Californians, Tahoe has options with PCTR organising some new stuff (including a 2-dayer) as well as the classic Tahoe triple on the roads. Or there's the numerous Marathon des Sables-type events in deserts around the world. But in general, these are some of the best events around and don't need to break the bank (except the desert races).

5. Run in the Marin Headlands. There are so many races there and many are extremely competitive, especially Miwok 100k and TNF Endurance Challenge Championship 50-miler. PCTR has loads of runs there too, and these have the benefit of not requiring lotteries to enter (like Miwok) and not always being in December (like TNFEC). On a clear day, there's probably nowhere I'd rather do a training run and even in the rain, it's hard not to smile even on the umpteenth huge hill.

Merry Christmas and good luck in 2011 with whatever your running goals are.

Honolulu marathon

It may be tropical, but it's still Christmas.

The start line.

Fireworks go off at the gun.

Heading back and seeing all the runners heading out.

Just a quick update now I'm (unfortunately) back from Hawaii and a great few days of relaxation. The Honolulu marathon was fun, although the 5am start was a bit earlier than I'd have liked. But when you consider the heat, even in December, it certainly makes it easier to have the first 90 minutes in the dark. And sunrises in races are always one of the best features possible.

I arrived the day before and once I started looking at the course in a bit more detail, realised it's a huge race, often with over 30,000 entrants, making it one of the ten largest marathons in the world in most years. This year there were around 25,000 runners according to the local paper.

So with that many people and no seeding pens, it was a free-for-all at the start. I managed to get within about 100 feet of the start line and it reminded me of what big city marathons feel like for 99% of the runners - a huge scrum. Most race these days have seeding pens and make you prove your past times to stop people pretending to be a lot faster than they are, but not Honolulu. London, New York and other massive races have seemed much smaller than this did, because I got to start almost on the start line and among people who run off at speed.

So it was a different experience to be forced to walk a bit for the first quarter of a mile and to keep jumping on the kerb to pass people who were jogging slowly. It wasn't really hot, but it was humid, so I was sweating heavily even before the gun went off. However, I didn't mind the humidity or slow start since this was my equivalent to the standard 'long, slow run'. I don't really believe in that type of training run, so my version is a marathon at 85-90% of race pace. Slow enough to feel fairly easy, but fast enough that it has some training benefits specific to marathons and ultras other than just purely logging miles.

I'd originally planned to break the Guinness World Record for the fastest Santa (2h55m) since I set this a couple of years ago straight after running the Marathon des Sables and someone had beaten it the following year, both records set at the London marathon. But the Honolulu marathon organisers weren't willing to provide the minimal evidence requirements, so I binned that idea.

I still felt like the 2h55m time was about right, especially after a hard run the previous week at TNF 50k. So that's the speed I kept to over the first few miles, making sure I took photos whenever anything looked photo-worthy. Just after mile four, the course went past our hotel and I gave Amy a kiss when I spotted her in the crowd (spectating at 5:30am on her holiday :)). Then I jogged off and just enjoyed the sights along Waikiki Beach and the Diamond Head crater.

The elite guys and girls were chasing a $40,000 first prize and were professionals, including the fastest marathoner of the year (Patrick Macau who ran a 2h04m at Rotterdam) who was acting as the rabbit for several fellow Kenyans with PBs well below 2h10m. Behind them, the field was spread out thinly and the masses were well back, further than usual for a road marathon. I'm guessing this is partly due to the conditions and partly because this is an obvious choice for those wanting to take it a bit easier and enjoy their vacation instead of feeling wrecked for the week after the race.

After about ten miles I could only see a handful of people ahead or behind, which I hadn't expected. I hit halfway in 1h26m as the horizon just started to light up, and considered that to be fine given the rising temperatures would make the second half harder, no matter how slowly I ran.

Around 14 miles I saw a group of Kenyans coming back the other way on the return leg. Behind them, I saw very few people until I hit the turnaround at 16-17 miles. By now the sun had just come up and it was undoubtedly pretty. The course isn't as beautiful as I'd hoped due to lots of roads with little view except the mountains in the background. Sections are very scenic, especially around Diamond Head, but the main entertainment for the second half was seeing all the runners coming in the other direction. I usually like this as it gives a better sense of the scale of the race and everybody gets to cheer for everyone else.

The last miles felt fine and I cruised down the finish straight feeling like I could have kept going a lot longer. I finished in 2h53m01s and my legs felt better over the next few days than at any long race since around May, which I take to be an encouraging sign. I almost caused a crash at the finish since I stopped a foot from the end to take a photo of the clock, but didn't realise there was a wheelchair athlete bearing down on me. I had to jump out his way, as can be seen in the last couple of seconds of this video: http://www.asiorders.com/view_user_event_video.asp?EVENTID=60089&BIB=7920&S=230&PWD

You can just see the wheelchair guy who swerved round me - sorry!

I'd say the conditions, especially the humidity, but also the headwind until the turnaround, add about ten minutes to the time, so I feel like I probably ran a 2h45m effort, which is a harder run than I'd planned. The winner ran 2h15m and only two other guys (both Kenyans) broke 2h20m. Somehow I was 32nd overall, while that sort of time in a similar-sized race would normally be lucky to be near the top 500. So that was a pleasant surprise. And in true Hawaii (i.e. IronMan) fashion, the results were split into elites and 5-year age groups. I came 2nd in my age group of 30-34, which just goes to show how age groups make no sense, especially when they apply to the under 40s.

I enjoyed the race, but enjoyed the whole trip more. The race was generally well organised, but the main improvement would be to have some sort of seeding to avoid the walker/joggers from getting trampled on the start line. Not sure I'd do it again, but I will do another race in Hawaii one day. Maybe even the IronMan, if I can ever be motivated to train for two other sports.

The biggest racing memories I'll have from the trip will be the sunrise runs along Waikiki Beach and the fact that I found out I was lucky in both the Way Too Cool and Miwok lotteries, so I get the opportunity to enjoy both of those in 2011.

Headlands 50 miler

This year's course went through Tennessee Valley again and again and again.

Just back from another ultra and the first post-Western States. The Headlands 50 miler covers most of the same trails around the Marin Headlands as Miwok did and a whole load more races do too. There was also a marathon option with a 1.2 mile section added on to the start of the 25-mile lap.

This one was pure hills and a new course thanks to some road/trail work blocking off a section of the course. So instead of the accurately measured two-lap course with one out and back section, it was mainly the same but had an extra out and back bit so it looked more like the spokes of a wheel, centred on the Tennessee Valley Aid Station. And I'm sure it added a bit of distance too since each lap was almost 26 miles on the Garmin, which is usually accurate when there's no tree cover, as was the case.

So I turned up after the pre-dawn drive from San Jose through downtown San Francisco and over the Golden Gate Bridge wanting a good training run. And a win. Oh, and a course record would be nice too, but the 7h03m time set last year was by one of the top US ultrarunners.

It starts on Rodeo Beach, just like Miwok, but goes the opposite direction, with the hardest section of Miwok as the start. Which means doing that steep up and down four times, being each way on each lap. But that's not the only hard section and basically the whole course is like that.

The weather was perfect for running with mist and clouds but no rain or heat. This made the first climb more comfortable and I sat back just behind a couple of guys to the top. By the time we started going down the trails I overtook them as they were being fairly cautious. Although I'd hoped to have people to run with, I then spent the rest of the day on my own, only seeing other racers on the way back from each out and back. At one point I ran along with Devon Crosby-Helms who happened to be out on her local trails after being pulled out of Western States just over half-way, meaning she didn't get any points and so didn't win the Montrail Ultra Cup.

At halfway I'd manged to not get lost even once and at least had the whole course in my memory so it would be unlikely I'd miss a turning. I had about a 10-minute lead and went through in 3h26m, comfortably under course record pace for the shorter, flatter course. However, I had tired legs and had probably pushed a bit too much. But with Western States still not completely out my system, I think I was always bound to slow down.

The second half involved more walking on the hills with walking breaks being minutes long, not seconds. But at each out and back I could tell I was gaining a bit more time on the rest of the field. The last out and back gave me around a 30-minute lead on second and around an hour on third, which surprised me. I'd slowed but clearly the unrelenting hills were taking a toll on everyone. I finished in 7h25m, just under four hours for lap two. Not ideal pacing, but I don't think there was much I could have done about it on fatigued legs.

The course was well marked and the aid stations were generally well stocked, although some weren't ready the first time I came round and it was lucky I'd brought my own gels and water backpack. I couldn't enjoy the scenery as much as at Miwok as I put more effort in and it wasn't full of sunny vistas. In fact, every hill-top was in mist the whole time I was out there, which was cooling but meant the views were blocked.

Weirdly enough it turned out to be good speed work, even with the big positive split. I flew down some of the steep, technical sections at sub 5-minute mile pace on lap one, and cruised down the easier downhills around 5:30 pace. That's probably why I'm so sore a day later, but it felt more comfortable than it used to. Just wish I could do that on the flat.

It was a race I'd recommend with most of the benefits of Miwok except the lack of fanfare and without the stacked field. Plus no issues about needing to be lucky in the lottery to get in. It was perfect training for mountain races although no climb was bigger than 1,000ft (300m), so that doesn't compare to the non-stop climbs of some races which can be five or more times the size (that 7,000ft or 2,000m climb at Transalps last year springs to mind). If I keep doing this stuff it should get easier and I'll have calves like Popeye's.

I didn't quite get into the zone and have fun, but once I'm recovered I'll be able to do that again. San Francisco marathon is next up in a week and it'll be fun to get an elite start there and some VIP treatment. I just hope I can run with some vague pace to justify it.

Miwok 100k in the sun

The Golden Gate Bridge just after sunrise

All ready at the start but with a lot of sports drink all over me

Worth getting up early for

I had a big grin as soon as I started seeing stuff like this

Great trails to complement the weather

Just one of many great coast line vistas

Up and down the whole way - barely any flat sections

Running through the narrowest path through the high grass

More of the narrow paths

Got to stop to pose for a photo when a marshal offers to take one

The aid station around 28 and 44 miles where Scott Jurek showed up to help out

I'm 5'8" but feel like a dwarf here

Fellow Bend resident Kami Semick running along in the last few miles

The finish, plus my nose

Yesterday I had the hardest single day race of my life, on paper anyway. The Miwok 100k is longer than any race I've finished before. I have entered two road 100ks before but turned up to one very injured, stopping at halfway, and decided to stop at the marathon mark of the other since I was off par and didn't want to post a time outside the qualification mark for the British team. Plus I DNFed the Rocky Raccoon 100 miler in February after two months off due to injury. I've generally had injuries just before the longest races, but it's been coincidence rather than over-training.

So, although I covered 80 miles of the 100 miler in February, I didn't finish. I've also had plenty of races from 50-56 miles but none as tough as Miwok, given the 10,000ft of ascent on the trails north of San Francisco. That meant Miwok should have been the toughest single day race I've ever done.

Yet somehow I may be getting blasé about ultras under 100 miles. I didn't get my logistics sorted out and treated the race partly as a necessary hassle (awkward to get to but essential training for Western States). I wasn't really looking forward to it because I had several things on the go right beforehand - moving house down to San Jose two days before and starting a new job two days afterwards.

In the end I opted to leave the house at 3am, drive a U-Haul truck for 90 minutes to the start then do the race on the tired legs due to spending the previous days shifting all my furniture up and down stairs and driving from Oregon. It also didn't help that I managed to spill my sports drink over myself when I parked at the start in the dark. I also forgot to pack the sun-screen even after seeing the forecast of blue skies and heat. I regret that now as I write this...

Luckily it's an incredible race and after just half an hour I was completely into it. Miwok was the perfectly timed and style of race for Western States, but it's also just four weeks before Comrades. I had a clear game-plan, to go easy and not race it, ideally with an even pace and running as much of the uphills as possible. So I started near the back of the pack and took a camera. During the day I took photos frequently because there were so many picture-perfect vistas. I kept doing that the whole way through which surprised other runners, but was useful for keeping me from slipping into a competitive mind-frame.

As the sun came up it was great to see the leaders come back along two consecutive out-and-back sections and they were really hammering it downhill. I didn't feel any need to try to go with them since they were already far ahead and it was good to just take in the course and stay at a comfortable pace.

The views along the coastline were very impressive, helped by the perfect weather and rising sun. I managed to spot several top ultra runners and legends so could tell that the race was a major event on the calendar for the best Americans. I got a chance to chat to plenty of other runners from all over the country and learned more about the course from those who'd done it before.

After about seven miles I caught up to Kristin Moehl, the winner of the Ultra Trail de Mont Blanc last year who also runs in Bend every now and then and who I'd been on a group run with just a few days earlier. It's great that now I've been in the US for a few months I'm starting to get to know enough runners to recognise people at races. It's like the UK had been for me for the last few years.

A few hours into the race it was getting hot and my legs muscles were warming up nicely but not feeling too bad. The pace was gentle so I was still way back in the field, but I went through the half marathon around 1h50m, then the marathon around 3h54m after a long uphill from sea-level to 1,800ft (always handy to have the Garmin with me). It was surprising how easy I was finding the uphills given I've never been good at them, but it seems the last few months of training have really paid off. I found such a contrast to running the 50-miler in Paris which had smaller hills but really drained me and stopped me having any pace on the climbs. It certainly made the race more enjoyable.

Around halfway I felt fine and the course was undulating around the highest point for several miles through the woods. I ran up to a large group of local runners out for a 10k and chatted to a few of them as they ran. They were really encouraging to all the racers and left me with a boost. Then the course had a steep downhill for about 900ft over 1.7 miles to a checkpoint before turning round to run back along about 15 miles (that's a complete guess) of the course. I'd spent the past few minutes watching the leaders go past me in the other direction, with two big guns out front - Anton Krupicka followed by Michael Wardian. That 900ft climb was daunting but went better than expected and I noticed that I was just behind Kami Semick who was leading the women's race and adding to the roster of famous runners.

Running back to the checkpoint at around 44 miles, I stopped for a good feed and drank a lot, as I'd done at each of the other aid stations. The difference was that it was ultra-legend Scott Jurek who offered me the drinks. The race had turned into the equivalent of a red carpet celeb-fest for ultrarunners and so I made sure I said hi to Scott and got a photo with him. He thought it was a bit strange that I had time to stop for a photo shoot given I'd risen to just outside the top 10 at that point. But even that didn't make me switch from my game-plan and so I got some more food then jogged off at the same gentle pace.

That's one thing I do love about ultras, that tactics make the difference of hours to your time. Even though I wasn't going quickly, the fact I'd stayed at a slower pace from the start meant I hadn't burned out or slowed down. Some of the guys ahead of me had zoomed off and were paying for it so I was catching them. I'll definitely have to come back and race it as well, but for the first run it was good to think of it purely as a long, hilly training run. Plus I didn't want to jeopardise Comrades by getting over-enthusiastic towards the end of the race and wrecking my legs.

Around this point I had a great comment from a runner still on the out leg of the race as she went past - 'Don't get chicked!' I'd only learned the phrase recently, meaning to get beaten by a female runner. I like that phrase and I think that being beaten by women really plays on some men's minds. I admit that I'd rather not be behind any women, but it's definitely more important for me to beat the guys at the front :) However, not at this race.

As I wound back through the course I'd already run once, there was a real feeling of camaraderie as the runners coming the other way shouted encouragement or just said hi. It was just another uplifting aspect to an already brilliant day.

Given runners were coming the other way, I got several updates of where the people ahead of me were, especially Kami since she was the only woman and also the next position. I wanted to chat to her anyway so it was convenient that I was gradually catching up at my current pace. I lived in Bend for about eight months, which is where she also lives, yet I never met her there. A real shame since it's not every day you get the chance to chat to a world champion plus she's running Comrades this year.

I caught Kami a few miles later then spent most of the rest of the race running and chatting with her. The time flew by and suddenly Michael Wardian and another runner ran up to us, coming from the other direction. They'd gotten lost and turned round so had given up on racing hard. Mike said he'd wasted 27 minutes but had been in fifth so had stopped caring about the position any more. Still not a bad run after a 2h25m marathon in Boston two weeks previously and second in 2h26m at Big Sur just a week before.

So now I found myself running with the current US 100k/50k champions as well as Kami being the world champ at both those distances (someone correct me if I got any of that wrong). Not bad for a training run. Mind you, Mike was lost and jogging and Kami had such a huge lead that she was basically jogging too and not wanting to over-exert herself.

Another hill came up with switch-backs and I went slightly ahead just due to everyone's pace being different on the hills, plus Mike was out of water and really taking it easy. The next checkpoint was at 7.5 miles to go, with one more checkpoint halfway to the finish from there. I loaded up as usual and Kami caught me up as I chatted with the volunteers. Then we both set off to continue climbing.

It was a hot day by this point and I'd run out of water so was glad it was only a short distance to the next aid station. After the peak of that hill it went steeply down to almost sea-level and I ended up going ahead of Kami again as I tried to limit the shocks being absorbed by my thighs. As we approached 60 miles I was tired and starting to feel sore so was certainly glad to be near the end. But if there'd been another 38 miles to go, I think I'd have been no worse off to continue than people generally are at that point of a mountainous 100-miler. That was a comforting and also worrying thought - i.e. it will be a long, hard slog to finish Western States. But I can't honestly say I ever thought otherwise.

With just 3.8 miles to go, I had a couple of drinks then couldn't quite see Kami behind me so set off and immediately got lost going into a farm instead of taking a right back on to the trail. It certainly helps to be running with someone who's run the race four times previously and won it each time. It was well marked generally and this was about the only point during the whole day where I felt the route was slightly confusing.

The race has an evil finish to it, with one of the steepest climbs of the race going up from about 100ft to 800ft then coming back down sharply to the finish. As on the last few harder climbs, Kami and I were jogging at our own comfy paces but were out of breath more so weren't chatting as much and split up. I didn't want to just race her to the finish as that felt almost rude after chatting and running together so long, but I also wanted to run everything that I could uphill, so I just happened to end up ahead of her at the top, even after some short walking sections (it really is a bitch of a finish). Then I cruised down the other side, or rather I just focused on taking it easy and saving the legs. With the finish in sight I had to vault over a snake on the track, which shoved a load of adrenaline into my system. Don't get that kind of thing back in London.

I finished in 9th, I think, in 9h08m and had run it fairly evenly, with about a 4h30m/4h38m split for the two halves and a personal best, given it's my first completed 100k. So at least I hadn't needed to slow down, other than when the terrain was too steep. It was a well organised and spectacular event with huge support in the ultra community. Anton Krupicka won and I'm sure there were several other well-known ultrarunners there who I missed in the crowd of running stars. I felt like I'd really joined the US ultra community with that race, with it being the first proper ultra I'd done over with there (I don't really count the 50ks and the rest of my American races have all been marathons).

All I can say is that I'll be entering the lottery for this again next year and I'd recommend any ultra runner to do the same. These days lotteries dictate which races we can and can't do to some extent, so I've got the general philosophy of entering every lottery for races I want to do at some point, then I can do them the year I get in. Of course, if I can qualify or get in via another route then that makes it simpler, but some races just don't allow that.

Now I can get down to starting work again and sit back knowing that I've done the heavy lifting for both Comrades and Western States. A rule of thumb I heard is that if you double your Miwok time, then that's your Western States time. Given that would spit me out at just over 18 hours, it's yet another confidence boost for that race (and I need as much mental help as possible). And if you allow for the fact I had something left in the tank, then it's not unreasonable to aim for top five this year. Just so long as I can get my tactics, logistics and resting correct. None of this deciding how to get there at the last moment after knackering my legs with house moving again. I didn't pay enough respect to Miwok in advance and got away with it, but I doubt that would be the case in a longer, hillier and higher altitude race.