I'm sitting on a rock looking south east towards Anza-Borrego. I can't help but wonder how everyone is doing out there as they prepare for the Salton Sea race. I also wonder what kind of conditions they will meet as I recall the conditions of 2013. I think about who will win the race and by how much will they beat "Team Coyotes" time from last year. Badwater is also having their immersion seminars today; how is Kate and Jimmy doing? I also ponder about what kind of experience Angela will have at Massanutten 100.
You may be wondering why I am sitting on a rock and thinking about so much. The truth is that I feel like crap and need to get my mind off of my funk. I need to chill out and recollect myself and decide if I will push further towards the summit or call it a day. The run started off so well, WHAT happened?
The first mistake I made was treating this run like all my previous runs. I am currently working on my metabolic efficiency training (MET). Part of the training requires you to eat differently during training runs to help improve the fat/carb burning ratio. My training has been going really well since my water consumption and nutrition needs have decreased; there was my mistake. Did I also mention that I had been mostly training on flat land? Did I mention that I LIKE to run up mountains? Well you probably guessed it by now, I had burned through all my carbs around mile 5-8. I am 2 miles from the saddle with about 22-25 planned miles till I finish.
The lesson I learned is that I need to give up on my nutrition plans and adjust them according to the terrain, elevation and how fast I plan to complete it. There was NO reason why I should have eaten as if I was on any of my other runs. I brought gels and I should have been using them during the climb.
The second mistake was that I expected the conditions to be A LOT colder. It had rained the week before so I expected there to be ice in Long Valley and by Wellman's Divide. I brought a pack, which I don't normally use, with a bunch of gear in preparation for the icy and possible cold conditions. There was NO ice and it was warm, bordering on hot. What I didn't account for was the extra water I was losing from sweating so damn much from wearing the pack.
I learned that I should bring a third bottle for this type of climb. Mountains are notorious for being completely different than you expect. The weather can even change in an instant.
Side note: I still didn't learn from my mistake with water until after I did "The Octopus" run and nearly ran into the same experience.
WOW!!!! I expected to learn more lessons from this, but upon reflection it doesn't seem to bad.
I ended up making it to the summit with only half a bottle to get back to the tram. I figured that if I ran out of water then at least it would only be one mile to one and a half from the tram. When I got back to the tram I went straight to the shop on the third floor and bought a mountain dew. I chilled on the balcony for about a half hour as I drank the soda and contemplated if I would continue the run back to the museum.
As I was running down the tram pathway a couple was cheering me on. The girlfriend said that she wants to be like me when she grows up. I yelled back that I didn't even want to be me at times. We both laughed and went on our way.
I finally got the saddle and knew that after I descended that this would be it. I would have no choice but to coast to the museum. The run down went really well. I was feeling really good, but I wanted it to be over with...like not now, but RIGHT NOW. I ended up running out of water again before I reached the museum. It was hot and the sun wasn't going down fast enough to build any shaded areas.
I finally got to the museum and smiled as I looked back towards the summit of Mt. San Jacinto. It was a rough day, but I was glad that I did not stop and that I made it out ALIVE.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/492372129
